Dive Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska
I'm a 40 year diver and extremely picky about the dive shop I deal with. The shop needs a very solid balance of services, gear, & training choices along with knowledge and experience with local diving and a balance of personal & business inter-action. When I walk in a shop I measure the "I love diving and I need to make a living" feel for the place first. Dive Alaska rates a 5 star ranking.
I spent time and money at all 5 of the Anchorage area dive shops and after about a year I chose Dive Alaska, even though I drive by 3 other shops and over 50 miles to get there.
Dive Alaska offers PADI, TDI (only one in Alaska), GUE (only one in Alaska) and ERDI training. They also offer Nitrox and Tri-mix. They are also the only shop in Alaska with their own dive boat.
The shop runs trips on Resurrection Bay, Prince William Sound and the waters around the islands of the pan handle (Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka). They sell ScubaPro, Atomic and Halcyon gear primarily. They also have knowledgeable staff on underwater photography, tech diving, cave diving and wreck diving. The shop organizes at least one international trip each year.
I'm not a paid employee or have any financial interest in Dive Alaska. It's just where I go when I need gear, a dive buddy or just want to talk diving. If you are a local or visitor to Alaska, Dive Alaska is really the only shop I would deal with.
