Tim’s Diving has been serving the Barrie and surrounding communities for over 20 years. Now under new management, we are celebrating our rebranding to “Barrie Scuba House” with a dive community BBQ on Saturday May 25, 2019.
Originally established in 1989, Tim’s Diving was owned and operated by the duo of Tim and Corynne Lester for over 20 years. Coincident with their plans for retirement, the business was recently purchased by Dave Davison, a PADI MSDT Instructor, who is excited to continue the legacy while bringing a fresh perspective to the world of diving.
Dave briefly considered changing his name to “Tim” to continue the legacy but his mom was partial to the name she had given. While a rebranding of the business to “Barrie Scuba House” is underway, unchanged is the unwavering commitment to the diving community. We’ve since completely renovated and updated the store, expanding our range of PADI certified training programs and scuba brands to explore and discover. In October 2018, we received the PADI 5 Star Dive Centre accreditation.
It all started in 2017, following a vacation in Mexico, Dave popped into Tim’s Diving to upgrade his scuba equipment. During the course of a brief conversation, Dave learned that the business was for sale. With much consideration and soul searching, Dave & Karen dove right in and embarked on this new adventure, a lifelong dream for Dave to become a PADI Course Director and operate a business that he’s truly passionate about. The motto of “do what you love and love what you do” is now finally true for Dave.
Dave’s love of scuba began back when he was a teenager where he quickly advanced to become an assistant instructor at a very young age. In 1988, an originally scheduled week-long vacation to the Dominican Republic turned into a yearlong adventure when Dave was offered a partnership in a beach-side scuba business. Little did he know that this gap year in the DR would be an investment in his future. Duty called him back home to Canada but he never lost his passion for the sport. Dave started his official career as a police officer with York Regional Police which then segued into operating a successful residential and commercial construction company in the Barrie area for over 18 years. Now with 3 grown daughters, the pull of scuba has “resurfaced”.
Dave and his expert staff, newly expanded product selection and competitive prices will ensure you get the best gear for the best value. With our own 10’ deep heated 20’ x 40’ pool onsite and a full service bay, the new Barrie Scuba House offers the highest level of scuba training, tank fills, products and service for both the recreational and now the tech diver of every age and every underwater adventure.
