A closer look at a scuba diving business in the Valley

The land-locked desert state of Arizona may not be what first comes to mind when one thinks of scuba diving. However, in The Valley alone there are over a dozen scuba diving stores. No Limits Scuba in Tempe has been around for just over 10 years and is known for its family-friendly dive shop environment.

The scuba diving business is a multifaceted business encompassing equipment services and repairs, rental equipment, scuba certifications and travel. No Limits Scuba is a Professional Association of Dive Instructors, or PADI, five-stare business. The store is uniquely owned by four co-owners: Gary Greb, Leslie Sherlin, and Chris and Kelly Kibbee. No Limits Scuba has a large staff with over 20 dive professionals qualified to help with scuba certifications. The store opened in 2013 and recently celebrated its tenth anniversary in the fall of 2023.

Chris Kibbee a co-owner and the store manager at No Limits Scuba described the shop’s family-oriented and community-focused approach as a reason the store stands out compared to competitors.

“I think what sets No Limits apart has always been that they're very focused on everybody else. It's not like you’re just a customer here. It’s never been that you’re just kind of like a number. It’s always been like you become a friend and you become a family member,” Kibbee said.

Store staff greets every customer that comes into the store while making the effort to try and remember every customer upon a possible future return said Kibbee.

Additionally, No Limits Scuba hosts various events that are meant to encourage people to keep diving while socializing with others in the scuba diving community.

Every so often the store sponsors a dive get-together at Lake Pleasant where certified divers can meet up and refresh their diving skills. Post-dive the store hosts a barbecue where people can continue to hang out and get to know each other.

On top of these events, No Limits Scuba also hosts various international trips throughout the year. These trips allow customers to continue their diving abroad with No Limits Scuba. According to Kibbee, these trips usually have around 20 to 24 people on them, allowing members of the scuba community to engage with each other.

Social dive events and diving trips help build a community at No Limits Scuba. Additionally, the familial aspect of the shop coupled with customer service differentiates the store from other scuba shops in The Valley.

“Their focus is on safety and fun and I immediately felt like family no matter how many Point Break movie quotes I said. Everyone here is passionate and you can tell it's not just a job,” said Andrew Johnson in a recent review of the store.

No Limits Scuba is home to a scuba membership plan, which the owners came up with all on their own, according to Kibbee. The subscription-type program started seven years ago but Kibbee admitted it took a year of that to fine-tune it.

“So a scuba membership is something that’s unique to us. The scuba membership is something we built to keep people diving, keep people in the water,” Kibbee said. “The more that you dive, the more involved with the shop you’re going to be.”

“I actually took the zero-to-hero program through the membership plan and even though I’m no longer in Phoenix I still keep up with people from NLS,” said Nicole Peterson, a past student of No Limits Scuba, and a scuba manager at a separate dive shop in Texas.

This unique membership plan allows customers to choose their service tier in exchange for different monthly payments. Currently, Kibbee says there are 24 elite members. The idea of the program is to allow those who want to keep learning about scuba to do so in a manner that saves money. The membership offers discounts on equipment and possible repairs or annual services necessary for the equipment and applies discounts of up to 25% on class materials.

No Limits Scuba has a big family. It has a staff of over 20 people including instructors and other store staff, but also has a community of customers loyal to the shop. Kibbee said when finding ways for his staff to feel connected he tries to put aside outside beliefs and focus on common ground, scuba diving. Kibbee said he looks for people who love scuba and that loving scuba helps foster the feeling of family that the shop strives for.

“It’s really about the people that are passionate about diving. It doesn't matter what walk of life you come from but the reality is we all have the same passion for scuba,” Kibbee said. “Everyone likes each other and gets along because we all share the same passion for scuba.”