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August 2023 by John P.
Doug the owner is rude, manipulative, and a want to be salesman. The below post spell it all out. I will say it's a shame because his dive staff was amazing, but I would never recommend this place just because of the experience I have had and others have had. Go to any other place but here. The mIne isn't that special either, no wild life, just rocks and rusty equipment.
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June 2023 by Brittany Robertson
My fiancé and I got the chance to complete our scuba certification with Brandon and it was such a fantastic experience! You can tell he is very passionate for diving, and was very clear and concise throughout the entire process. We couldn't have asked for a better teacher! We can't wait to come back to explore the Mines again, and likely additional classes!As well as the incredible team and dive shop, that was flexible for setting up our lessons and allowed us to purchase our gear over the phone to have ready for us at class time!
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June 2023 by Brittany Forsman
My fiancé and I got the chance to complete our scuba certification with Brandon and it was such a fantastic experience! You can tell he is very passionate for diving, and was very clear and concise throughout the entire process. We couldn't have asked for a better teacher! We can't wait to come back to explore the Mines again, and likely additional classes!As well as the incredible team and dive shop, that was flexible for setting up our lessons and allowed us to purchase our gear over the phone to have ready for us at class time!
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October 2022 by Jeffrey Keffer
Super nice and very educated people, they do dives in the world famous Bonne Terre mine and have a complete selection of anything you might need for diving snorkeling are any other thing you may do in the water including wetsuits and drysuits tank refills and Nitrox
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May 2021 by Mindy A.
I love this place. Doug has been helping me for months to surprise my husband with lessons. He was extremely helpful and knowledgeable about the sizes we need for everything from masks, fins, etc. I see many more visits here!!!
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February 2021 by Joshua L.
Buckle up, friends. This is a long story with a short message. Do not give your money to West End Diving / Bonne Terre Mine. Manipulative sales practices and safety concerns should keep you far away. I was a staff diver with them for a short period of time and the complete lack of attention paid to safety was shocking. I left after just 4 weekends of working citing lack of training and safety concerns. I never received any pay for the time worked and now find myself out thousands of dollars for the experience. I got open water certified through West End Diving in Jan of 2020. My instructors were impressed with my skills & the owner Doug told me about their staff diver program where they supposedly train you to be a divemaster, pay you for your labor, and let you dive for free. This is where things all began to fall apart. Doug is a salesman who likes to apply a lot of pressure. Telling you things like: "You should never buy your gear online." "It's life support equipment and you must have your shop in your corner to make sure things are safe." And of course, "NEVER buy your gear from a private seller or eBay." Doug feels so strongly about this that though he charges you $1500 to join the staff diver program, that price surges to $2500 if you buy a single piece of gear somewhere else. Case in point, my dive computer. West End Diving sells Mares gear. Most Mares computers are not great imo. They are not back lit, dark, hard to read. I wanted something with more features than the $200 computers he had but not as high end as the $1200 Mares Genius high end model. I was told that I had to choose between those options or else pay the $1000 extra for the program. Cool, right? I did eventually pick up all my gear through West End Diving. I did tons of research but with every piece of gear I researched, Doug told me it wasn't good enough for a pro diver. There were requirements for the staff he told me. He pushed me to the highest end gear for everything ringing up about $6000 in total sales. It was more than I was comfortable with as I told him again and again but he swore by the gear, the service, said it was going to last me forever, etc. I had reservations but I trusted him and bought all in. Then COVID hit. Lots of the things I paid for were suddenly cancelled. (Oxygen administration and CPR classes for example). Despite the fact that we couldn't (and still can't) do those classes I was told I had to keep the materials and equipment purchased specifically for them. "No refunds." The mine was closed at the beginning of COVID but was soon up and running again. "Come down and begin your training" I was told. And things, at this point, got worse. The first weekend I showed up, no one seemed to know I was coming despite me following Doug's instructions for getting on the schedule. Regardless, the divers were eager to have help. I was trying to be cautious. Maintain distance. Wear my mask. Some of the other divers were less cautious. Not wearing masks around me or others. Trying to shake hands. Ignoring leaving space between people. When I expressed discomfort at this I was given excuses. One I heard was "Don't worry. He can't spread it. He's already had it." Another one I heard was "He's protected by God." Despite these warning signs, I persisted in going. I wanted to help and I wanted to train and I figured it would just be on me to navigate this situation where the staff wasn't taking COIVD very seriously. When I mentioned it to Doug he told me "in rural areas, such as Bonne Terre, wearing a mask is not typical, nor 6 feet distancing be regarded as necessary." Great. Nice to know the virus is somehow weaker in Bonne Terre. How silly of me to be worried about it. Now, let's talk about my training... There wasn't any. On each visit I was repeatedly asked to do things that I hadn't been trained on - including TO BE THE SAFETY DIVER ON THE DIVE. On every weekend I was there I was asked
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December 2020 by Eric Hart
Great diving with these guys at Bonne Terre Mine! Very helpful service both on site and on the phone pre and post trip. They took great care of me and my son. I will definitely be back to dive with them again!
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July 2020 by Janet Cheney
Doug is extremely knowledgeable about all of the products he sells and services. I feel confident and safe after having my equipment purchased and serviced from West End Dive Center.
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April 2019 by John Alan Dona
Just finished our training at the mine. I highly recommend West End Diving for your training. Ken Campbell was an exceptional instructor. Very knowledgeable and took the time to work individually with anyone having difficulty mastering a skill.
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April 2019 by Cindy M
Love this place. I have been a customer for several years. Friendly staff and the most respected dive shop in St Louis. This is a full service shop that can handle any repairs. Prices on equipmnet is super affortable, and they have a great selection. They even have a used equpment section as well. Refreshing approach and honest!!
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April 2019 by Paul Kribs
Great Diving At Bonne Terre Mine. Most extensive dive shop in St. Louis Area. They have been in business since 1960
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April 2019 by Joshua Ettinger (2019)
I want to let anyone who reads this know that Doug and all the guys at West End are the best in St. Louis. I have been using Doug for many years with excellent service, and I just had my son certified for open water diving. All of the instructors are the most experienced, qualified and caring instructors with thousands of dives of all kinds, and they impart all their wisdom on their students. We even had a few instructors at one time when taking his open water exam in Bonne Terre Mine. And I can't say enough about how cool the mine is, I mean wow!!! The pictures don't do it justice, and it's a great setup for all levels of divers. Just go see Doug, and go dive Bonne Terre, you'll love it all!!!
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April 2019 by Dennis B
Best dive shop ever! Expert staff that can handle any issue or question. Amazing selection of equipment, and the best pricing I have found. If you are looking to get certified or looking to taking advance classes this is the place.
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January 2019 by Michael Lehmann
The best in the Midwest for sure. Bonne Terre Mine. Don't need to say more.
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November 2018 by jatradesmof01
Great location close to the highways and the interstate access.
