Midwest Scuba Center - Urbana, Illinois

陈宇巽

I got bored during a lecture at the U of I some two years ago, thus decided to look for local dive shops. I found Midwest Scuba Center and walked in the next day.

I've since done Advanced Open Water, Computer Nitrox, Rescue, Visual Inspection, and Equipment Specialist with Midwest Scuba Center; I'm currently working towards Divemaster. I traveled with the shop to Dominica, Florida, and Indonesia. All of them were blasts. I saw pristine marine biota unmatched by anything you'd imagine. We also enjoyed many different cuisines across the spectrum.

As a Divemaster in training, I experienced the backstage of scuba diving. Every minute a diver enjoys means two minutes of hard labor for the staff. I can't stress enough how increasingly appreciative I've become since starting Divemaster.

I've become good friends with a lot of the staff. Alex is the owner of Midwest Scuba Center, and as opposed to Brad, the previous owner, he is an incredibly amiable guy; just like him are Jesse, Pete, Rick, Bill, John... I kept coming back day to day to the shop to hang out and to help out. I enjoy being around those people.

I can't imagine what my life for the past two years would look like if I decided not to walk in that day. I've established connections with excellent people from all over the world through scuba. It is a big escape from the vicissitudes of life. I encourage everyone to give it a shot. You may not be as into it as I am, but you will never regret it.

Mike H.

Able to meet up with Alex down in Florida and had a fantastic time getting my open water cert! After some iffy weather, he was able to get us onto a boat and went above and beyond to get me the additional training (Nitrox/Adv.) I needed to join the dive and feel comfortable doing it. He made sure I understood what I was doing, why I was doing it, and that I was wholly comfortable doing it before moving on. Great experience diving and just having fun all weekend. I highly recommend, especially if you want to dive deep into the world of Scuba

Rick M.

Wow! Midwest Scuba Center and owner, Alex Gentner, are a winning combination. His store is well stocked with great products, and he is knowledgeable and informative. If you need something he doesn't have in stock he's happy to order it for you. I have purchased a number of products from him that continue to be helpful to my diving and make it an enjoyable experience.

Besides a fine store owner, Alex is a first class instructor. I have earned a number of certifications through the variety of classes he teaches, and am looking forward to more. I have also observed how patient and helpful he is to those who are first learning to dive. One thing that really impressed me was when a new student mentioned that she chose to learn to dive through Midwest Scuba Center, because when she did her research Alex was exactly the kind of instructor she was looking for.
Alex certainly passes on his love for scuba diving to all who meet him.

Besides his store and instructor abilities, Alex offers great scuba trips.
I have been with him on local excursions, journeys to Florida and trips to exciting overseas places. He puts together good packages that combine excellent diving, logistics, accommodations, meals, and prices. He spends quality personal time with the attendees and helps to ensure that everyone has a fantastic time. His trips also provide fun things for snorkelers and non-divers too.

If your're planning to learn to dive, just thinking about it, wanting to continue with fun diving experiences; stop by Midwest Scuba Center and ask for Alex. You'll meet a lot of life long friends too.

Stephanie H.

Alex is an amazing instructor!

My husband and I have been certified for a few years but do not dive regularly. Now that our kids are teens, we wanted to get them certified and start taking diving trips as a family. One issue... our youngest is on the autism spectrum. Alex has been totally amazing with him. Our son is a visual learner, and we didn't even have to tell Alex that, he just flexed to his learning style without issue. Our son still has some skills to perfect, but he's making good progress. He hasn't made it to "open water diver" yet, but he has a different level of certification that will allow him to come with us on most trips while practicing his skills so we can get him to a full open water diver. I'm very pleased that Alex was able to find a way to get us where we wanted to be (able to do something as a family) without compromising his integrity in terms of not just rubber-stamping our son through the program. I appreciate this about him and shows his commitment not only to his customers but to the sport.

During some of the training with our kids, Alex was also working with other divers to earn different types of certifications (including one who was becoming an instructor). I was AMAZED how Alex was able to put some much attention into our son while at the same time able to watch over this instructor in training who was working with our daughter on other aspects. Really, he was training three different people at the same time all with completely different needs and getting it done. I would have have no qualms sending anyone to Alex.

Alex is also flexible in terms of finding times that work with your schedule and places to actually do the underwater work. Our training was pushing into the fall and our son was needing extra time in the water. We did some in the pool, some at a quarry and some at a state park.

The shop has everything you need or he will get it for you and he has great advice on equipment. He also sets up dive trips on a regular basis. We hope to take advantage of more of those now that we're all certified as a family.

Thanks for everything, Alex!

Charlene R.

This review is from Dean and Charlene Rhoden.
Alex Gentner of Midwest Scuba Center is an awesome instructor! He has always been very patient and helpful in explaining everything I needed help
with. He will work with anyone that might need extra help passing the courses. We have been on several diving trips in USA and in the Caribbean that Alex has put together, they were all great! My wife doesn’t dive but he has always made sure she has just as good time snorkeling. Alex has helped me get 4 certifications to advance me in my knowledge as a diver and a First Responder . If anyone needs to get certified as a diver Alex is definitely the person to help you with getting that !

Adam H.

I highly recommend MSC! I have been a certified diver for almost 3 years now and in that time I have bought all my equipment, taken a handful of courses, and gone on a vacation to the Caribbean all with Alex and MSC. Alex is a good instructor and makes sure everyone gets the proper and safe training they need for the course. He puts together around 10 to 12 diving trips a year all over the world and within the country. If you live in central IL and want to learn to dive, this is where you should start.

Shannon M.

Alex and his team are amazing! They walked me through the entire process of obtaining my open water certification. The classes were very well taught and fun! I highly recommend them for anyone interested in scuba diving! Thank you for an amazing experience!

Matthew B.

Alex and the MSC are a wonderful crew to work with. They are skilled and experienced in all fields related to recreational and technical diving. The MSC is well stocked with all basic and essential gear for diving. The prices of the equipment are a little higher than if you by them direct from manufacturers, but supporting a local business is well worth the price. There is only one real drawback to the MSC, and that is communication. Many times responses and punctuality are slow. Alex and the crew are proactively working at this and doing better at communicating in a timely manner. Overall, I would 10/10 recommend the Midwest Scuba Center.