ISSA Diving Center
ISSA Diving Center
4.5
8:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Sunday
8:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Full view
About
Issa Diving Center is first diving center on island Vis, since 1996. We offer technical diving, scuba diving and all type of diving. Our instructors speak French, English, Polish, Spanish, German, Russian, Italian language.
Komiza, Croatia
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
150 reviews
Excellent
137
Very good
2
Average
0
Poor
5
Terrible
6
Sam Ori F
3 contributions
Aug 2024 • Friends
We had the most incredible experience at this small diving center! The staff were all about adapting to our needs, always in a security centered and very chill way. Our instructor, Leo, shared with us his exceptional knowledge and passion about diving, which made the whole experience even more enjoyable and fun. He showed us stunning underwater landscapes. Also, the equipment was top-notch. Whether you're a seasoned diver or a beginner, this is the perfect place to explore the Adriatic Sea. As an experienced diver myself, I can't recommend this diving center enough !
Written September 2, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CoppaWineBar
5 contributions
Jul 2021 • Friends
Awesome morning experience with my friends in a crystal clear sea. Great staff, friendly instructor (Marko) and all in all great tour. Since it was our first time diving, they gave us a full tutorial of what and how to do it which made all our fears and anxiety disappear....highly recommended, and looking forward to doing it all again ! Keep up the good work guys :) greetings from Mate, Ivan, Luka, Maria, Nikol and Barbara
Written July 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wwglobetrotr
501 contributions
Oct 2013 • Friends
Issa Dive Centre is tucked away at the north end of lovely Komiza, near Hotel Bisevo. The owner/operator Sinisa Izakovic was extremely helpful in helping us make arrangements for both diving and accommodations (we had a lovely rooftop apartment 5 minutes walk to dive shop, 5 minutes walk to town/main riva). Pre-arranged for a full rental of dive gear which became a bit of a concern as the only attachments to the BC were the tanks, associated pressure gauge and regulator. There was no dive computer to track depth and time, thus had to completely rely on the dive master for everything including safety stop (which was actually a safety swim - it was fine, just unexpected). Also, as it was at the end of the season, the booties were worn through at the heel, so it was more like dive sandals rather than dive booties. Given the chilly water temperature (wore both a shortie and full hoody wetsuit, 6ml each) it would have been nice to not have exposed skin.
Dive master was excellent - helpful, friendly, engaging and safe. There had been storms the day before, with a bit of residual weather on dive day, thus restricting our options for dive sites. Did two semi-drift dives along the wall at the north end of the bay. Few fish, some interesting corals, very monochromatic. Overall, while everyone was great, it seems better suited for technical divers and/or people who like to dive deep, rather than the more casual, recreational diver. Still glad we did it.
Dive master was excellent - helpful, friendly, engaging and safe. There had been storms the day before, with a bit of residual weather on dive day, thus restricting our options for dive sites. Did two semi-drift dives along the wall at the north end of the bay. Few fish, some interesting corals, very monochromatic. Overall, while everyone was great, it seems better suited for technical divers and/or people who like to dive deep, rather than the more casual, recreational diver. Still glad we did it.
Written November 30, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
unfugmail-trip
Cologne, Germany159 contributions
Aug 2020
I did a six dive package here and was not overly impressed with the company. I came as a single experienced recreational diver and was either put into a group of tech divers clearly above my experience level or people that were quite unexperienced (in one case even an OWD course dive) . This resulted in dives where we either couldn't get to the interesting parts because people had issues with equalizing etc. or we had to go to shallow dive sites right from the start, where there was nothing much to see.
With six dives I only saw three different locations, the least interesting one of them was visited three times in a row. I understand that you can't always make everyone happy when planning the dive sites and weather and groups have to be taken into account, but I didn't have the feeling they were even trying. When I was asking where we would be going i usually got a "let's see" as an answer without any further explanations. In general I had to ask many questions two or three times to get an answer, because Marco (I guess he is the owner) as well as some other staff members were grumpy and not even providing the essential information. E.g. they used tanks of different weights that look pretty much the same, and it's up to you to find out which are which to decide whether you'll need an extra four kilo or not. When asking I was told, to just take some extra weight, but I didn't want to use 4 kg more than needed. The weights are another issue because they have a wild assortment of different forms and sizes and it was hard to get the exact same amount of weights as the day before.
The worst thing was the extremely relaxed attitude towards security measures. PADI rules were ignored in many occasions. Most of the time there was nothing much of a briefing. On one day when there was actually one, which Marco did, he explained things in some detail in Croatian only. My briefing was done with a "follow them", which in the end led to me following the wrong group of divers. I was thinking that my group would be worried about loosing me, but nobody seemed to worry about things like that.
After all the complaints a few positive things to mention: there were two friendly members of staff as well that at least seem to care about the clients a bit, the two ship wrecks I saw were definitely worth visiting and the visibility was in general quite good (never below 15m).
I also checked out the diving school next door (Manta) because I wanted to go to one of the plane wrecks, which unfortunately was impossible due to timing and weather conditions. They left a better first impression. I would go there should I return to Komiza.
With six dives I only saw three different locations, the least interesting one of them was visited three times in a row. I understand that you can't always make everyone happy when planning the dive sites and weather and groups have to be taken into account, but I didn't have the feeling they were even trying. When I was asking where we would be going i usually got a "let's see" as an answer without any further explanations. In general I had to ask many questions two or three times to get an answer, because Marco (I guess he is the owner) as well as some other staff members were grumpy and not even providing the essential information. E.g. they used tanks of different weights that look pretty much the same, and it's up to you to find out which are which to decide whether you'll need an extra four kilo or not. When asking I was told, to just take some extra weight, but I didn't want to use 4 kg more than needed. The weights are another issue because they have a wild assortment of different forms and sizes and it was hard to get the exact same amount of weights as the day before.
The worst thing was the extremely relaxed attitude towards security measures. PADI rules were ignored in many occasions. Most of the time there was nothing much of a briefing. On one day when there was actually one, which Marco did, he explained things in some detail in Croatian only. My briefing was done with a "follow them", which in the end led to me following the wrong group of divers. I was thinking that my group would be worried about loosing me, but nobody seemed to worry about things like that.
After all the complaints a few positive things to mention: there were two friendly members of staff as well that at least seem to care about the clients a bit, the two ship wrecks I saw were definitely worth visiting and the visibility was in general quite good (never below 15m).
I also checked out the diving school next door (Manta) because I wanted to go to one of the plane wrecks, which unfortunately was impossible due to timing and weather conditions. They left a better first impression. I would go there should I return to Komiza.
Written September 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
krnly
5 contributions
Sep 2016 • Friends
We booked a week of diving with Issa Dive Centre in September. We only stayed for 1,5 days before moving to another dive center, something which I have never done before. This is after 15 years of diving with at least 1-2 diving holidays per year, and having obtained various technical (Trimix, cave) certifications and instructor licences.
My luggage was delayed, so I had to rent some equipment from Issa. The first BCD they gave me had a cracked backplate (that is, the plastic part that holds the tank was broken side to side) and should never have been in the rental pool. So I had to ask for a replacement.
They didn't want to give me a compass or safety equipment (DSMB/marker buoy), because I "won't need them".
The first regulator they gave me had a strong mouldy taste (which is not a surprise, as it was stored in a box in the warm and damp compressor room). The second one they gave me still had a funny taste but was slightly better, so I reluctantly took it to do the dive.
On the second day, the regulator I had used on the first day had been taken away, so with the previous experience in mind I asked for two regulators so I could use the better one. The first one again had a strong mouldy taste. The second one was even worse - it had clearly visible black residue in the mouth piece, which looked like something was growing inside.
This is not something that should be acceptable anywhere, but I kindly asked to check another one to see if it was better.
At this point the dive guide started arguing loudly, telling me that he wouldn't let me check another one, that I could take it or not go diving, as obviously they didn't have what I wanted (which was nothing more than clean and working equipment). He then loudly claimed in front of all the other customers that I was the most complicated customer he had encountered in 20 years, which I can only describe as utterly unprofessional.
A normal reaction would have been at least some embarrassment that the bad equipment hadn't been noticed before, and then to take it out for service and to try and settle the matter as quietly as possible.
I asked him to breathe from the regulator or even look at it, which he refused. I then asked when the regulators were last serviced, to which he replied that it was none of my business(!), again loudly and in front of all the other customers.
So after the second dive our group of 3 packed our bags and moved to the diving center next door, which had clean and new equipment and was friendly and professional.
Other issues that were annoying but would not necessarily have been a showstopper:
- The facilities are crowded and much too small for the number of divers. There were two "shifts" of divers sharing the space, with the incoming group and the outgoing group stepping on each others toes while preparing and dekitting.
- To get on the boat, divers have to wade through waist-high water on a rocky beach. This is a bit annoying, but normal for the area and not too much of a problem, unless you have heavy equipment.
- Dive briefings were almost non-existent. On the wall dive, literally the only information was "we go right, 40 minutes". Which might be excusable for this particular dive, as there was absolutely nothing to see at all underwater. But even on the wreck dive, there was no background information whatsoever about the wreck.
- Dive time was limited to 1 hour for the wreck and 40 minutes for the wall dive.
- During the dive, the guide was sometimes so far in front that we could barely make him out, although visibility was at least 15-20m. He did not point out any interesting features, sealife etc. Had there been a problem, he would not have been able to help. Had I dived like this on my instructor course, I would have failed on the first day.
I have to say that my worst interactions all were with the same dive guide. However, none of the other staff tried to rectify the situation or at least seemed to empathise.
I cannot urge you enough to avoid this place - it is not only unsafe, but also utterly unprofessional. In fact I have never experienced such blatant aggressive behaviour in any kind of (diving or non-diving) shop before.
My luggage was delayed, so I had to rent some equipment from Issa. The first BCD they gave me had a cracked backplate (that is, the plastic part that holds the tank was broken side to side) and should never have been in the rental pool. So I had to ask for a replacement.
They didn't want to give me a compass or safety equipment (DSMB/marker buoy), because I "won't need them".
The first regulator they gave me had a strong mouldy taste (which is not a surprise, as it was stored in a box in the warm and damp compressor room). The second one they gave me still had a funny taste but was slightly better, so I reluctantly took it to do the dive.
On the second day, the regulator I had used on the first day had been taken away, so with the previous experience in mind I asked for two regulators so I could use the better one. The first one again had a strong mouldy taste. The second one was even worse - it had clearly visible black residue in the mouth piece, which looked like something was growing inside.
This is not something that should be acceptable anywhere, but I kindly asked to check another one to see if it was better.
At this point the dive guide started arguing loudly, telling me that he wouldn't let me check another one, that I could take it or not go diving, as obviously they didn't have what I wanted (which was nothing more than clean and working equipment). He then loudly claimed in front of all the other customers that I was the most complicated customer he had encountered in 20 years, which I can only describe as utterly unprofessional.
A normal reaction would have been at least some embarrassment that the bad equipment hadn't been noticed before, and then to take it out for service and to try and settle the matter as quietly as possible.
I asked him to breathe from the regulator or even look at it, which he refused. I then asked when the regulators were last serviced, to which he replied that it was none of my business(!), again loudly and in front of all the other customers.
So after the second dive our group of 3 packed our bags and moved to the diving center next door, which had clean and new equipment and was friendly and professional.
Other issues that were annoying but would not necessarily have been a showstopper:
- The facilities are crowded and much too small for the number of divers. There were two "shifts" of divers sharing the space, with the incoming group and the outgoing group stepping on each others toes while preparing and dekitting.
- To get on the boat, divers have to wade through waist-high water on a rocky beach. This is a bit annoying, but normal for the area and not too much of a problem, unless you have heavy equipment.
- Dive briefings were almost non-existent. On the wall dive, literally the only information was "we go right, 40 minutes". Which might be excusable for this particular dive, as there was absolutely nothing to see at all underwater. But even on the wreck dive, there was no background information whatsoever about the wreck.
- Dive time was limited to 1 hour for the wreck and 40 minutes for the wall dive.
- During the dive, the guide was sometimes so far in front that we could barely make him out, although visibility was at least 15-20m. He did not point out any interesting features, sealife etc. Had there been a problem, he would not have been able to help. Had I dived like this on my instructor course, I would have failed on the first day.
I have to say that my worst interactions all were with the same dive guide. However, none of the other staff tried to rectify the situation or at least seemed to empathise.
I cannot urge you enough to avoid this place - it is not only unsafe, but also utterly unprofessional. In fact I have never experienced such blatant aggressive behaviour in any kind of (diving or non-diving) shop before.
Written September 27, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robert K
16 contributions
Divecenter poorly organized, without a harbor .For boat you must to swim with equipment pushing before box with dry clothes .For this they do not keeps contract price. I do not recommend.
Written October 25, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sjdance02
Los Angeles, CA38 contributions
Aug 2014 • Couples
This dive operator was quite disappointing. Firstly....the dive master was so rude and grumpy, didnt even bother to learn my husband and my name, he didn't say hello or speak to us (just grunted), didn't review the dive.....just a very unpleasant experience with him (I mean.....come on.....this is supposed to be FUN.....).
Beyond the rude dive master......My husband and I are Advanced Open Water certified divers....and they decided they needed to "test" us on our first dive....completely wasting our time and pairing us with an intro "exploration" diver who was a mess, while the other divers dove the wreck and we were stuck looking at boring rock in 22m of water with a flailing diver. We were SOOO mad (since we only had 1 day of diving). Our second dive was great (no more intro diver).....but I think it was ridiculous that we had to prove our skills when we are ADVANCED divers.....i mean, that's why you go through a certification!!!!
I say use Manta diving which is right nearby....you might have a more pleasant experience!!
Beyond the rude dive master......My husband and I are Advanced Open Water certified divers....and they decided they needed to "test" us on our first dive....completely wasting our time and pairing us with an intro "exploration" diver who was a mess, while the other divers dove the wreck and we were stuck looking at boring rock in 22m of water with a flailing diver. We were SOOO mad (since we only had 1 day of diving). Our second dive was great (no more intro diver).....but I think it was ridiculous that we had to prove our skills when we are ADVANCED divers.....i mean, that's why you go through a certification!!!!
I say use Manta diving which is right nearby....you might have a more pleasant experience!!
Written September 4, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
237mich
Sittingbourne, UK38 contributions
Oct 2019
We travelled as a party of 11 divers to this great dive centre. The staff were very friendly and made everyone feel at ease. Marko was always at the end of emails to help sort the week. Nothing was too much trouble. Will definitely return.
Written October 6, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Saša K
1 contribution
Jul 2019 • Couples
We are diving for many years now and always love to return to dive with ISSA diving center on Vis Island. Dive instructors are true professionals with lots of experiences and knowledge, speaking multiple languages and holds lots of valid certifications, so divers can feel very safe and secure in their hands! Diving sites are beyond amazing here, with superb flora and fauna, as well as so many fantastic wracks all around the Island. We can only recommend to dive with ISSA! Also, note, you can get all the equipment at ISSA, so all you need to bring with you is your enthusiasm for diving :)...
Written July 3, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sonja
4 contributions
Jul 2019 • Friends
We had a great experience diving @Issa. The staff is extremely helpful and friendly and everything is well organized. Five stars all the way. Locations are beautiful and worth the money
Written July 2, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Igor š
Kranjska Gora, Slovenia
prihajamo konec junija na vis in bi rad svojem tastu plačal prvi potop z opremo. zanima me če so kakšne omejitve glede let , koliko bi stal potop z vašo opremo in na kakšno globino se potaplja na prvem potopu. hvala in lep pozdrav. Igor
Written June 2, 2021
I have open water PADI certification. Can I dive any of the wrecks with that certification? Do you rent wetsuits for the dive? Coming with nothing but my PADI card and a dive computer.
Written July 18, 2015
I dived last week on wreck at 25 meters with this club, I also have the openwater.
I came with nothing and rented everything in the club.
Written September 27, 2016
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