Nanaimo Dive Outfitters Reviews

NaturalBornSkeptic 2026.03.19

     

Terrible experience. I signed up for a dry suit diving course and according to the online portion we were supposed to be given a pool session first to shake out the equipment and determine proper weighing. The online instruction also made it clear that we would be using our BCD to control buoyancy in the open water training. There was no pool session, and we were informed just before the open water training that we would be using the dry suit to control buoyancy. So two strikes. Once in the water I was either bobbing up to the surface or sinking to the bottom as I struggled with control. With the low visibility all the up and down gave me motion sickness, and I struggled to even exit the water. The 'instructor' told me that I was overweighted. So whose responsibility was it to weight me properly? Would this have been an issue had we done a session in the pool first to test weighting? Strike three. I was so motion sick by the end of the first dive that I couldn't complete the second and thus didn't receive my certification. Horrible experience brought about by an incompetent staff and instructor.

Useful (1) Report

Eric Howland 2026.02.17

     

Very friendly. Little tricky to get to

Useful (1) Report

Todd Martin 2025.10.27

     

My two sons and I just completed our Open Water certification with Dive Outfitters in Nanaimo, and it was a fantastic experience. Derek was our main instructor, with great support from Ingrid and Carl. The course was well-structured, the instructor-to-student ratio was excellent, and we had plenty of time to practice and build confidence. Safety was always emphasized, but the team kept it fun and approachable. Our open-water dives at Oak Leaf in Nanoose absolutely blew us away — the marine life just a few feet down was incredible! We really appreciated the attention to detail and the welcoming, friendly atmosphere at the shop. We’re excited to join future club dives and keep learning with this amazing team.

Useful (1) Report

Andrea Creighton 2025.10.08

     

My husband and I had the MOST incredible dive experience with Ingrid as our dive guide. Oak Leaf was an awesome dive site for us to explore. Ingrid found and pointed out so many amazing animals to us, she was patient, kind, beyond helpful, and sincerely wanted us to have a great time. We would hands down use this dive shop again. We hope to see you again, Ingrid!!! Thank you Nanaimo Dive Outfitters!

Useful (1) Report

Albert Mathews 2025.08.19

     

Of all the shops I reached out to, NDO was the most positive and responsive from the get go. They were super organized from the first call, to the return of the gear at the end. I dove at Oak Leaf with Carl. Super nice guide, found all the neat stuff, and even helped me when my gear wouldn't go on or off. I will book with NDO and Carl again.

Useful (1) Report

Jessica Högermeyer 2025.08.13

     

I did two guided dives with Ingrid at Oak leaf and it was wonderful (it was my first time diving in BC or the north-west pacific in general). I did feel safe and heard the whole time, from checking in, choosing dive gear, checking equipment, dive briefing, dive itself and debriefing. Ingrid masa a really good job and I can definitely recommend choosing her and the Shop when you are interested in an enthusiastic and competent dive guides in the beautiful waters of Nanoose Bay! We saw so many beautiful things: Nudis, shrimps, slugs, fishes and so many Giant Pacific Octopuses, that I lost count! There are only two things you need to be prepared for (wich was not normal for me after diving mainly in Croatia and Indonesia): you need to drive with your own car to and from the dive site and the water is a little colder, so be prepared for thick wetsuits ;) ~Thank you!

Useful (1) Report

Emilie Henriette Fels 2025.07.22

     

My two days diving with NDO just came to an end and I had the best time diving with Ingrid!! She gave me the time and patience I needed to get used to diving in cold water. I felt completely safe and well-guided underwater and she showed me so much amazing marine wildlife. It really was a pleasure diving with her! The shop itself is amazing and full of kind people who are always happy to help out and answer questions. I would travel to Canada again just to dive here & with NDO again. Money and time well spent!! 🙌🏼

Useful (1) Report

Ian Lyons 2025.07.18

     

Had 2 great dives with Carl and got to see octopus, nudibranchs, lingcod, jellyfish, and a surprise sea lion appearance! Definitely recommend diving with this shop and with Carl! Thank you guys!

Useful (1) Report

Andrea Keeler 2025.07.15

     

Useful (2) Report

Maclean Thorpe 2025.07.10

     

I just got back from two fantastic dives with Nanaimo Dive Outfitters. My father and I are relatively new divers, and if there was ever a problem, our divemaster, Carl, was very helpful. We saw two octopuses, large schools of fish, and numerous nudibranchs. Fantastic experience.

Useful (1) Report

Scott Johnson 2025.07.10

     

One of the best dives of my life was with Nanaimo Dive Outfitters on two dives lead by Carl. He was absolutely outstanding! Arrived early, totally prepared and helpful beyond measure. Carl had very good knowledge of recent conditions, tides and latest site intel. In one dive we were able to see six different Giant Pacific Octopus amongst many other species. Next time I dive I’m asking for Carl to lead the way!

Useful (1) Report

Hayley Brown 2025.07.09

     

We had a great experience diving with NDO. Brenda in the shop is a wealth of knowledge of the tidal patterns, shore dives, wildlife and Vancouver Island in general. We did a guided shore dive with Ingrid, who was very knowledgeable of the area, and did a boat dive with Chris who was a good captain getting us to the HMCS Saskatchewan and went out of his way to help us with a gear challenge. We will be coming back to them next time we're in the Nanaimo area!

Useful (2) Report

Ashley Saunders 2025.07.07

     

Useful (1) Report

Sam Geagea 2025.05.11

     

DO NOT DIVE WITH THIS CLUB. This place is unprofessional, unaccommodating, and completely lacks integrity. If you expect respect, or even basic customer service — do NOT dive here. Go somewhere that values people and takes diving seriously. I booked and paid for a refresher and dive course. I was upfront about having a weaker leg, but I’m healthy and medically cleared to dive. After needing a bit of help exiting the water, the instructor cut the dive short and refused to complete the course — simply because he “didn’t want to put in extra effort.” Worse, they refused to fully refund me. I emailed and called daily — no response. I only got any traction after threatening to escalate to BC Consumer Protection. They ignored me until they were pressured.

Useful (1) Report

Sam G 2025.05.11

     

Verified

Terrible experience DO NOT DIVE WITH THIS CLUB. This place is unprofessional, unaccommodating, and completely lacks integrity. If you expect respect, or even basic customer service — do NOT dive here. Go somewhere that values people and takes diving seriously.I booked and paid for a refresher and dive course. I was upfront about having a weaker leg, but I’m healthy and medically cleared to dive. After needing a bit of help exiting the water, the instructor cut the dive short and refused to complete the course — simply because he “didn’t want to put in extra effort.”Worse, they refused to fully refund me. I emailed and called daily — no response. I only got any traction after threatening to escalate to BC Consumer Protection. They ignored me until they were pressured.

Useful (1) Report

Martin Bruecker 2025.03.30

     

Friendly and helpful staff.

Useful (1) Report

Angela P 2024.09.03

     

My husband and I dived with Nanaimo Dive Outfitters over the Labour Day long weekend. Prior to diving with them, we had less than 5 cold water dives and over 50 warm water dives. We rented the full dry suit package and 2 days of guided diving. Our gear worked as intended keeping us completely dry, and everyone at the dive shop was really helpful and friendly. Our experienced guides Chris and Carl (both ~800 dives) also helped us fine tune our weights and trim. We felt safe with both of them as they were very knowledgeable about the dive sites and knew where the cool critters were. Both of them also happened to be amazing underwater photographers in their free time. On day 1, we dived with Chris who gave us a great run down of Tyee Cove, helped us with fin tuning our gear and setting up. Chris took us to see Grandpa wolf eel and we were really surprised to see his young girlfriend too who came out to greet us and then got in trouble with grandpa. On day 2, we dived with Carl at Oak Leaf who found 6 octopuses for us! He knew all the dens like the back of his hand. Carl was really helpful and encouraging during our dives with him. Overall we had an absolutely amazing weekend and glad to explore our phenomenal underwater backyard here in BC! Looking forward to next time!

Useful (1) Report

Neil Webster 2024.08.15

     

What a great dive shop! The team was very accommodating with rental gear and helped hook me up with a local dive guide on my time out in Nanaimo. Carl was a phenomenal guide/buddy, full of great information and knowledge of the area. He was absolutely the Octopus Whisperer, we saw so many on our 3 days kicking around! Tyee Cove, Oak Leaf, and Madrona; a splendid taste of the island. I'll definitely be back and I will absolutely coordinate my trip through this shop.

Useful Report

Andy Fleck 2024.07.12

     

I took my dry suit and nitrox courses with Nanaimo Dive Outfitters and also did four days of guided diving with Carl and I had the best experience I could have hoped for. Carl was super knowledgeable about the local shore diving sites and was also able to provide me with a lot of additional information on getting the hang of dry suit diving. Everyone I encountered at the dive shop and while diving was extremely friendly and accommodating. I would highly recommend this dive shop for training or for the guided dives and I will definitely be coming back to check out some of the wreck dives with them in the Nanaimo area.

Useful Report

Reply from Nanaimo Dive Outfitters 2024.07.25

Hello Andy,
Thank you for the kind words. It was great having you dive with us. Carl said he had fun diving with you. Please come back any time for more diving.
Cheers

Mark 2024.07.06

     

Useful Report