TRAINING SCUBA DIVERS IN RALEIGH, DURHAM & CHAPEL HILL, NC SINCE 1976!Welcome! The Triangle Dive Shop was formed in 2024 between the areas oldest & newest dive shops in the Raleigh & Durham area; Water World (established in 1976), and Raleigh Scuba Diving (established in 2023). The combination of these shops combines an amazing & passionate instructional staff, the latest dive gear, and an unsurpassed dedication to diving, safety, & excellence.
Our Scuba Instructors offer beginner, advanced, technical, & professional scuba classes, so whether you are beginning your adventure, looking for continuing education, or wanting to go professional, our staff can help you achieve your goals. Our focus is conducting scuba lessons to the highest dive agency standards for skill, safety, & enjoyment – not just pushing divers through the training process.
Regardless of if you are taking your first dive lesson, looking for continuing education, buying new scuba gear, or need your scuba gear serviced, our team can help.Â
We proudly certify through the following agencies: SDI, TDI, DAN & PADI
Before becoming scuba divers ourselves, each staff member began their own journey by talking with other divers, calling our local dive shops, & were bombarded with a SLEW of information. Of course this made us feel totally overwhelmed and ultimately decided we’d simply “look into it later” because it all seems really complicated. It’s true; there is a LOT of information & equipment to go over before you get to enjoy the actual diving part but we strive to change that. We created our scuba class regiment with 4 things in mind:
1 – We want you to love the entire process, even the tests and the paperwork.
2 – We simplified the certification process and communicate exactly what is needed without confusion.
3 – We will provide the most thorough training & service possible while not overwhelming you with information.
4 – Our customers are our future. We listen to what your needs are and provide solutions that fit those needs.
With this all being said, dive training is NOT complicated but you are preparing to venture into a brand new world. For a frame of reference, astronauts train underwater to help prepare for life in outer space, so a little preparation is certainly necessary (and recommended) before you hop into the water, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. That’s where we come in. The information on our Open Water certification process is online for you to reference at any point. Once you earn your diving c-card (certification), it is valid for a lifetime, and the agencies we teach through are accepted around the world. So whether you want to dive on vacations only, or dive year round, we can help you achieve that goal.
Every Triangle Dive Shop scuba instructor is highly trained; we teach everything from Open Water to Instructor Development Classes (which is required to become an instructor yourself). So if you are just starting your underwater journey, need a refresher course, want to try it out for a day, or want to pursue becoming a dive professional, we have you covered.
The first certification level in scuba diving is open water. The certification involves studying the course material online, signing waivers & finally getting into the water. The in-person training is done over 4 days with half of it in pools and the rest in quarries and/or the ocean. You can read more about the process on our Open Water Certifications page.
Absolutely! Our Discover scuba course is structured to give you a crash course in diving. Usually done in a pool (or pool like conditions), you'll work with an instructor to go through the basic skills you'll need and go on a short dive. This cost effective class will not certify you but you'll find out if scuba is for you.
Are you wanting to go deeper? How about learning how to safely penetrate a wreck? Our Rescue course is highly recommended for those who dive with family or friends. We are authorized to train certified divers in most advanced courses. Nitrox, Deep, Wreck & Rescue are just a few of the advanced diving certifications we can train you in. You can find ALL of our advanced classes on our advanced diving certifications page.
Confused with all the terminology? We know how you feel; it definitely is complicated when you start the process. In scuba diving, there are multiple certifications levels, ratings & speciality certifications; all of these qualify you for different depths and types of dives. You can read all about what they all mean on our scuba certifications explained page.
The fees for your initial training rangs from around $500 - $800 for your starting open water course. These fees usually do not include your personal gear (Scuba-grade mask, fins, snorkel, and boots). The scuba equipment rentals consisting of your BC/BCD, regulators, weights, tanks and wetsuit are usually included. More info:Â scuba certification cost.
Scuba has dangers like any other recreational sport. The level of danger is dependent on many factors but as a general rule, diving is a safe sport as long as you stay within your training, use gear serviced on a regular schedule and have good training. Diving within your limits is a premise we teach in ALL classes.
According to PADI, you are 10 times more likely to be seriously injured while bowling than scuba diving. See their research here.
Diving is not difficult. In fact, we often refer to it as the lazy person's sport. However, it does require practicing of skills to be efficient and get more out of each dive. The better shape you are in, the better your air consumption is (generally speaking). With that being said some of the gear is quite heavy (scuba tanks especially) so there are times where advance planning will help.
Choose your adventure to learn more about and sign up.
In November of 2024, the owners of Water World & Raleigh Scuba Diving met to discuss a wild concept; the merging of their 2 dive
Over the past year, Amy Paur & Brian Mullins and the RSD team have dedicated their time, money, sweat, some blood and definitely tears to
Let's be honest, we LOVE scuba diving! It's ingrained into our soul and has changed our lives in a way that is hard to explain.
Your local dive shop serving the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Apex, Garner, Clayton, Wake Forest & surrounding areas.
135 S. Miami Blvd
Durham, NC 27703
We are thrilled to announce the merger of Water World (the area's oldest dive shop) and Raleigh Scuba Diving (the area's newest dive shop). As part of the merger, we have a new name; the Triangle Dive Shop. We are located inside Water World in Durham and have drastically increased our inventory, class schedules, charters & trips.
As part of the merger, we have created a brand new, fully featured custom website populated with an insane amount of information about diving, meetups, dive safety and easy access to classes, charters, trips and much more. We are laser focused on our customer's experience regardless if you are a brand new diver or someone with hundreds of dives under your belt.
We look forward to serving our customers in Raleigh, Durham & Chapel Hill and continue the legacy of excellence established by Water World with the dedication to safety, high quality training & customer service of Raleigh Scuba Diving.
During this transition, should anything be non-functional, please call/text us directly @ 919.438.1364.