Summary: Haphazard but mildly helpful and I still did get my certification, however I’ll likely re do it elsewhere before seriously diving. Update: the owner is now pretending this experience never happened rather than taking responsibility and perhaps learning from aspects of the feedback. Details: I signed up for a private scuba certification. Sandra said the water would be very cold, so I also had to do the DrySuit certification. The planning process was rather scattered and difficult. One particularly annoying example of this was Sandra’s insistence I show up on time the first day. I was there 20 minutes early. She was over an hour late. And she didn’t have the necessary supplies prepped (eg full tanks, etc). Or that she called me while we were both driving up that morning to review concepts I studied online. I had to insist I was uncomfortable reviewing while driving. Not to mention trying to learn and reinforce ideas while driving just can’t be an effective learning technique. I’d characterize her instruction style as rote, repetitive and disordered. Perhaps it’s helpful for some people, but she simply would not stop talking. I found it difficult to find space to just think. The entire class felt chaotic, disordered and haphazard. I found it difficult to follow her lectures or more aptly rants. Instead I’d simply re read sections of the textbook at night, since I rarely got a straightforward or helpful answer. I don’t doubt Sandra is an incredible scuba practitioner, but I feel she struggled with effective teaching. I’m a strong swimmer and swam competitively for 8+ years, was a lifeguard and a swim instructor. However I felt unsafe after suiting up in multiple layers and in an ill fitting dry suit. I did the necessary test swim, but frankly regret doing so. That’s the first time I’ve felt at risk of drowning in the water in a long time. On the last day of class, her brother came to join for some of the test dives. They spent over an hour, during class time, in a back and forth, heated spat. I’ll omit the details for their privacy’s sake, but that’s rather unprofessional and just felt awkward to be around. I also played the mediator and tried to defuse the situation. Frankly, I paid a fair bit of money to dive, not listen to family arguments. Sandra also requested I not leave a public review unless it’s 5 stars as this is her business and livelihood. I decided to respect that request for some time, but I think I was wrong to do that. Also such a request felt a bit slimy. Sandra’s clearly very passionate about scuba diving and she’s certainly a great diver. But I think she could seriously improve her teaching style and organization/professionalism. Edit: shortly after writing this review I received a phone call from Sandra. She was understandably annoyed. But kept asking: “why would you hurt me? Why would you hurt my business like this? Why are you hurting small businesses?” I tried to highlight that exactly this kind of guilting is part of the issue and my aim is to inform others of my honest experience and hopefully provide avenues where she may improve. Not to mention extremely inappropriate and unprofessional. Unfortunately she only continued to ask: “why would you hurt me like this?” I can only imagine many other more critical reviews have been taken down. Edit #2: Before I hung up, I stated twice, clearly: “please do not contact me again”. However, I am clearly lucky as I received this follow up text message: “I am appalled that I gave you a last minute class at a group rate, 3 days private lesson with one diver (note: I assume she’s referring to her brother who she fought with) joining the afternoon of day 3. … 2 years later you hurt my business with a bad review? I went way above minimum standards for your class and have the video footage, which is not a public link on your bad review. “ Edit #3: I once again told her do not contact me again. To that text, she replied: “I gave you a good class, and 2 years later you reached out to hurt my business. YOU contacted me! “

When I started my research into local scuba diving instruction in 2015, I was hesitant to quickly pick the closest instructor or go with the biggest shop in town. Instead, I was looking a mentor who would guide me well into my scuba diving career. Sandra is not only competent and well experienced, she is also highly active in the sport. She has dived all over the world with cutting edge technology and the latest in safety methods . Her mastery of techniques and knowledge of the gear is amazing. When we first met I had some questions and she quickly put me at ease with the right answers. She has a great personality, not pushy and forgiving to the newbies. However, she emphasizes good form and buddy awareness. After day one, I knew I had made the right decision. By the end of this year, I will have taken almost 10 certifications with Sandra from “open water” all the way to technical level classes. In hindsight I wouldn’t change a thing. I implore you to do your research and give Sandra a call. Cheers

Sandra runs a small but highly professional dive operation based in the east village. She's an extremely knowledgeable diver and an all-around cool person. Unlike some other dive operations I've been out with Sandra has you do all your own kit yourself but checks and double checks your work. Importantly she explains the thought process behind her decisions. You'll be a more confident and competently diver after going out with her. I did my dry suit diving certification with her before a trip to Iceland, and she was able to work around my tight and chaotic schedule to make it happen. I'm looking forward to some ice and wreck diving with her in the future!

Sandra is a great instructor incredibly knowledgeable and thorough while at the same time keeping the class fun. I was looking for a course to get me ready for tech diving and her Kicking Techniques class put me on the right track. You can tell she really loves what she does and she really cares about making her students better divers.

Urban Manta's private technical diving lessons were outstanding. Instructor Sandra's in-depth knowledge and hands-on guidance elevated my skills to the next level. A thorough and rewarding experience for those seeking advanced underwater exploration. Highly recommend!

Sandra is an great instructor who truly cares about the progress of her students, helping them achieve their goals and become skilled and safe divers at all levels! I had spoken with a few other instructors about my interest in becoming a tech diver - it wasn’t until I did my dry suit certification with Sandra and talked to her about it that I found an instructor who took the time to discuss what that involve at length and is helping me develop a path forward to make that happen. Highly recommend to anyone from beginner to advanced :)

Sandra is an expert and it shows. She has taken me from an advanced open water diver through rescue diver to master diver. She is generous with her time and sharing her knowledge. Her patience and flexibility is second to none. I cannot recommend her enough!!! This amazingly strong woman will encourage your adventurous spirit while teaching you the necessary skills to dive safely!

I took Intro to Tec and Advanced Nitrox with Urban Manta a few weeks ago, and really leveled up my diving abilities with them. They went above and beyond: I had help setting up and customizing all of my gear, and had one-on-one instruction on how to improve my buoyancy, trim, and kicking techniques. During the weekend, I learned so much, and was able to create a really good foundation for my technical diving career. I’m looking forward to continuing learning by taking decompression procedures with them soon. Don’t look anywhere else for technical diving training: Urban Manta is the place to learn.

Sidemount class was more than I expected! The detail oriented feedback and attention to every detail my instructor provided me during all portions of this program was exactly what I needed. The instructor explained the nuances of how sidemount diving is approached differently in different regions and showed me both options so I would be more prepared when traveling to work with the different types of tanks (aluminum vs. steel). I also appreciated her focus on buoyancy control, trim and team diving.

Under the expert guidance of instructor Sandra, my scuba experience was safe and enjoyable. Sandra's clear instruction was key during my combined drysuit and OW20 certification. The well-maintained equipment, thorough briefings, and Sandra's attentive approach have prepared me to start a scuba hobby with confidence. Choosing a scuba instructor is more than a class sign-up; it's a personal choice, and Sandra's passion for diving makes her an excellent one.

Great training! Sandra made quite easy for our group to improve our kicking techniques. She was professional and the experience fun. I would recommend it for anyone trying to improve buoyancy, trim and kicking.