Diving Center Turtle Beach, Zakynthos

I’m going to start by saying I don’t ever write reviews but this place is absolutely wonderful and completely deserves one. I came to Greece on a solo trip and was so nervous as an extrovert because I had no idea how or if I would be able to meet people that I would really bond with. This dive shop welcomed me like family and after a couple of trips on their turtle spotting boat (which you should also definitely check out if you have time!) I asked about the scuba diving. They immediately had me in the water with their instructor Costa and before I knew it, I had completed my PADI open water certification with them. Costa is extremely attentive and detailed, helping me to understand every part of the process. He patiently worked through things I was confused about and often repeated information of what we had already learned so that I could fully remember everything and ace the course. Anatoly, another one of their instructors, also dove with me for many of my 21 dives I had with this shop and he was extremely attentive as well. He is calm and very experienced in the water - we worked a lot on taking on and off my face mask each dive (which was something my brain always seemed to panic about) but he helped me work through my fear to get to the point where I felt comfortable doing it. The head of the dive shop, Kosta, runs this place incredibly well and is there before we wake up and leaves after we go home. He takes immense pride in his work and is there the entire day to keep every aspect of the shop safe and in order, while also creating a welcoming environment in which people feel comfortable speaking up if there are any issues with the dive. Everyone who works and comes through here leaves a piece of their heart behind - they’ve created a truly wonderful family in this shop and I hope I can return next season. Thank you for being my home for the last three weeks!!