We had been told that taking a scuba diving lesson was not worth our time in aruba given the other options. but decided to give it a try. We could not have had a better experience. JP, the owner picked us up at our hotel, pointed out historical spots along the ride and was our guide through the experience. One of the best things about JADS is that the ratio of instructors to divers was 1 instructor for every 2 divers. My girlfriend and I dove with another couple and 2 instructors. After a quick video and a basic lesson we were on our way for our first dive. We were given the option to leave from the nearby shore or to take a boat. We chose to leave from baby beach. JP was very attentive to our safety while both he and the other instructor took several underwater pictures and videos of us during the dive. Our experience was so great, we decided to take JP out for drinks after the dive. JADS was perfect for our first dive and we would definitely go back on our next visit to aruba. JP, the owner is very sensitive to making sure that the dive locations are not disturbed by divers and really wants everyone to love scuba diving as much as he does. He also gave cards that allow us to apply our dive to our PADI open water certification back home.

My two brothers and I did our referral portion of the open water certification with JP and crew at JADS in aruba. As my instructor up home said afterward - we did it right. It was the three of us, and one or two instructors on each of the four dives. JP evaluated our comfort level and challenged us to make these dives fun- we still saw cool things, but did all of the skills and all feel very confident we are well trained.
We did 2 additional dives later in the week on the JADS boat. 5 divers 2 divemasters per dive. And on the first dive when the 2 guys with more experience still had a lot more air left, they split the groups so those two could have longer dive. The current was very strong so we did drift dives on both- allowing us to see more.

These guys specialize in small groups, they won't do big ones. Some people in the world you just know are good people, these are good people.
JP (the owner and our main certification instructor), wouldn't accept a tip... but asked if I could give it to his staff instead. They were psyched.
email JP for any questions before you go- he will answer any questions or concerns you may have.
Nearby Baby beach and Rogers beach are good places to spend the day if others in the group won't be diving-

Although I am a novice diver, JADS has spoiled me for any other dive shop. I don't think any others can compare to the individualized service JP, the owner, has made a standard for all of his staff. They are all friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable, not only about the intricacies of SCUBA, but about the best dive sites in Aruba. Each and everytime I have gone out with them has been memorable, not only for the scenery beneath the sea, but for the customer service JADS has made their number one priority. I can't wait to visit them all again!

As a reef enthusiast, one of my goals for my vacation to Aruba was to try diving. My girlfriend and I did lots of research and decided on JADS. We visited the shop earlier in our vacation and rented some snorkeling gear to check the place out. We found the crew at JADS to all be very professional, knowledgeable and friendly, so we decided to go ahead and book our dive. It turned out to be a great decision. Since JADS prefers small groups, we were informed that we would be the only 2 in our dive group. This was perfect for us as first timers. Our lead instructor was JP (owner of JADS) with a big assist from Kristi (dive master in training). To have 2 trainers working one-on-one with only myself and my girlfriend is unheard of; and it paid great dividends for us. When I first got in the water i was having a hard time getting acquainted with breathing underwater. On the verge of giving up several times, I was continuously encouraged by JP and Kristi to try different things to relax (including playing catch with a toy torpedo underwater). Afterall I was still only in 4 feet of water and could stand up at any time! JP and Kristi let us work at our own pace, so we spent "as much time as needed" getting comfortable breathing unrder water in very shallow waters, before we moved on. With their guidance, I was able to overcome my breathing fears and enjoyed a great dive experiance. We went to 30-35 feet deep, which was about all I was ready for on my first dive. My girlfriend had some cramping in her leg and had to surface a little early, so I was very thankful that both JP and Krisit and were with us b/c it allowed me to be able to stay down with a spotter while she surfaced.

I originally thought that visiting the natural pool in Aruba would have been my best experiance on the island, but the dive with PADS topped it for me. The team at PADS was nothing short of excellent. They picked us up at our hotel at 1:30 when we were pretty nervous about the dive and dropped us back off there at 6:30 very excited about wanting to dive again! The cost for this experiance was $89 per person. If the price was double that, it would have still been well worth every penny. Looking forward to a return trip, possibly in September/October; which is a great time for viewing mating coral!