SPE Dive School

Just wanted to give a shout-out to the very best dive school in the DC/MD/VA area!

What started out as a weekend class, for fun, to get my dive certification and try something new, turned into a big hobby of mine and completely changed my life!

Since learning scuba diving, I've became very financially successful, gained new friends, gotten happily married for now going on 7 years, had a renewed prioritizing of my health and fitness, and I've been able to travel the world. I attribute so much of my success in life to the passion of diving and how it really motivated me to be the best

This was an EXCELLENT EXPEIRENCE in a safe, positive and professional (inter-state) environment. Lol I took my wife for a date to experience Scuba Diving for the first time and she loved it! Mark and Olga were AMAZINGLY charismatic and responsible with our time as well as instruction. It's unfortunate that the "Discover" experience will be discontinued but he is available for further instruction and certification and I am looking forward to our next lesson with SPE Diving school.

Mike Parker and team are the best in the area. It’s a no wonder why they are so highly rated. SPE diving school will not only make sure you are confident in your scuba knowledge, but they will make sure you enjoy the experience. They have a very knowledgeable staff ready to help with any questions you have. Very experienced, professional and honest instructors who will explain and make sure you understand all that is required to scuba dive. Their dive shop has all the latest equipment and instruments needed for your scuba diving needs. If you want to learn from the best, and feel confident in

I am a certified AOW, Rescue, sidemount, and cave diver. I’ve been all over the world and diving is the most amazing hobby I’ve ever learned. Me and my wife do it together, and it’s by far the best experience you will ever have and we make it a regular thing- we do a few dive days on every vacation.
I want to thank Mike Parker and Roland for originally Open Water certifying us and teaching us everything we needed to know. I have dove with many dive instructors/ dive masters while on vacations, and I can promise you, it doesn’t get any better than Mike and Roland!
-Their class is amazingly

Mike is a knowledgeable instructor with a great team. We had a positive experience doing our test and pool dives. A lot of attention and care went into the sessions. Most importantly I felt we walked away with the skills needed to dive confidently and safely. It helped that Mike had a lot of experience and examples of what to do and what not to do. They also did a good job sanitizing everything for COVID. Would recommend!

Mike and Olga (and our pool instructor, another Mike) were all extremely patient and friendly. It was impossible to arrange pool dives conveniently in DC for our PADI certifications, so they arranged to do it in a private pool. They stayed late and were great to work with. Would definitely send folks their way.

Mike was extremely knowledgeable and a great instructor. He had lots of experience and personal stories to share. He was able to answer all of my questions during the course. They used effective teaching techniques and had special adaptations to make sure everything was extra sanitized for COVID. The other Mike (there are two) managed our class well and provided a positive, safe experience for everyone.

Love this business. The owner and managers are kind and honest and beyond helpful. I did my refresher here and highly recommend the business.

Found SPE Dive School thru Groupon & the 3-hr DISCOVER SCUBA. I had so much fun & a great experience overall after learning to trust the gear.

We attended the class portion at their Chevy Chase location then given a hour to drive to Dulles for the pool portion due to COVID restrictions.

I was a bit peeved when informed I had to drive to Dulles. Was told pre-COVID their pool was 7 min from the Chevy Chase location. I wish SPE better informed us when before we purchased. All that faded when I put the gear on. Fast forward the learning curve of getting over claustrophobia & trusting

This review is for the open water certification class. I attended the 2-day weekend class including pool certification. There is a lot of information packed into 2 days, but the instruction was thorough and I appreciated the time Mike took to discuss options for diving gear. Compared to friends I have who took the online PADI course, this is much more affordable and more thorough. Mike has been an excellent communicator as we prepare for our trip to Grand Cayman for our certification dives. Would definitely recommend this shop to others!

Purchased an Open Water Certification Course as a gift for my girlfriend. I did a ton of research to find the best local dive shop. SPE has better pricing than the other schools, a class schedule that's easy to accommodate, and working with Mike Parker is an absolute joy. They sell quality equipment at wholesale prices, and their Cayman dive trips are incredibly priced because of their long standing relationships in the Caymans. Our hotel was $230/night compared to about $750 online. Mike took time to make sure I knew all of the costs that would be covered under my gift certificate would

We just finished the two day weekend course for the open water dive certification and we are so glad we went with Mike and his team. We will never regret making the decision to educate ourselves on the safety and physiological effects that come with diving. We were able to tell that the whole team was genuinely interested in educating us about diving rather than selling the business or products. We appreciated Mike and Mr. Arnold’s enthusiasm, patience, and honesty. We didn’t feel judged or pressured in any way; rather, we felt as though a good friend were providing sound advice and feedback

SPE Dive School is as good as it gets when it comes to scuba diving education. While most other shops will have you perform all your studying on your own, Mike has experienced instructors on staff and leads informative classroom sessions. Yes, this means you’ll need to set aside a weekend to attend these intensive classes (pool time included). However, it’s well worth it as you’ll actually walk away with valuable information about scuba diving that will keep you safe while at depths. Don’t underestimate the danger involved with diving. It’s a serious leisure activity that can kill you

Finding SPE Dive School was a spontaneous act on my part. I wanted to scuba dive and found them through Groupon. After using the Groupon deal, I felt comfortable that the team were knowledgeable and focused on safety. One member dove in the pool with the customers to make sure everyone was safe (not drowning).

Eventually, I signed up for the certification course. The course will take up your whole weekend (Saturday and Sunday). Apparently, the lecture hours are flexible, but it will slow your progress. Then, you are guided to a heated swimming pool after the lectures. So, be prepared to drive

The weekend intensive course was comprehensive and thorough. While it's true that a lot of each day is spent sitting through sales pitches, the instructors ensure that students have the knowledge to pass each exam easily. I also appreciated their practical advice based on obvious passion and real life experience. Roland was a blast. I did my OW cert during a vacation I had already planned, and felt confident and prepared entering the open water for the first time.

Professional, Trustworthy, Great Resource for new divers. I did a ton of research on all of the local dive shops before moving forward with SPE. The main reasons why I chose them, Mike Parker loves what he does it's a joy to learn from him, there are lots of options for classes and cert dive dates, equipment is significantly less expensive through his in-house wholesale store, the rates for their Cayman dive trips cannot be beat. We paid $230/night for the hotel on 7-mile beach, rooms in the same hotel online were $750/night. That right there is reason enough to choose this school! My experience

I just finished my training yesterday and going to get my wetsuit today. Look, you might be in Virginia but this place is worth the drive. The staff is amazing and super knowledgeable and if you don't understand something they will take the time to make sure you master or at least adequately perform the technique. Mike the owner and his very kind and is one to crack that jokes which helps break up the seriousness of what you need to know in order to scuba dive safely. Mike the aquatic trainer is serious but will work with you and give you multiple chances to get a technique right. Ronald is a fantastic

I went for the beginner Open Water Certification weekend course. It was a fantastic experience. Mike and his team are incredibly knowledgeable and approachable. They provide great advice about equipment without trying to upsell you on things you don't need. I left my weekend with SPE Dive School feeling confident about starting out on what I hope will be a hobby for decades to come.

Value & Passion!! Two words I would use to describe what I received during my two-day intensive scuba course! With over 45+ years of scuba experience (this is only guessing at ages), there is a certain wisdom that can't be gained through book learning....it comes from time & experience! The fact that Mike & his team could share so many stories & real life examples is because they have LIFE EXPERIENCE! That is value that takes TIME to achieve! I appreciate that they shared that value with me! Passion! Picture a child that has a dream, that is Mike! He has turned a dream

I had a great time doing my open water certification course with SPE and would recommend it to anyone interested in learning how to dive. SPE owner Mike Parker is friendly, engaging, very responsive, and extremely passionate about diving. He really wants his students to be as excited about diving as he is and his enthusiasm is really contagious. Mike very clearly laid out for my wife and I all of our options and all the various costs associated with diving and, having shopped around before enrolling, it was clear Mike was giving us good information. His class sessions were engaging and informative

I am an experienced diver, but had been inactive for over ten years. I accompanied my son and wife on a basic class to renew my skills. I was impressed with the facilities, the instructors, and the pool time.

The ethos at SPE stresses safely, success, and fun over "Gung ho." They make the diving easy by transporting tanks and gear for you. Diving is hard enough work without major logistical hassles as well. This also makes diving accessible to the young, small, older, or less fit. For those that are none of these, it is just much nicer.

My wife and I joined SPE for a dive trip

At first I was nervous about spending my entire weekend stuck inside learning about scuba for 12 hours each day, but Mike and his assistant instructor Roland made the time fly by and I learned a great deal. They go over a lot of information, but don’t make you feel overwhelmed. They definitely don’t skimp out on covering all the risks which I thought were extremely important to learn about. The pool diving portion was by far the best part and Mike and his instructors were both educational and professional throughout the training. I highly recommend this course to anyone interested in getting

Mike Parker and his team of skilled instructors provided a top-notch learning experience for this novice diver. The extensive classroom instruction provided by Roland was informative, in-depth, and easy to digest. I feel as if the academic portion of the Open Water instruction was essential to fully comprehend the basics of SCUBA, and I found myself engaged throughout the whole weekend. The dive school is conveniently located near the Friendship Heights metro, and the facilities were warm and inviting, providing an in-house gear clinic for students, kitchen and restrooms for convenience, and a

Mike and Roland were great instructors with a passion for the subject that truly shows in their excitement when presenting material.

The classes are mainly set up over the course of a Saturday and Sunday and run for about 12 hours. Class starts at 9am and go to 9pm with only one hour break for lunch and no official dinner break (there is a 30 or so minute transit time allowed to get from the classroom to the pool which happens in the late afternoon) so plan your meals ahead.

Mike went out of his way to accommodate my wife and my busy schedule as working professionals. Communication before,