would give a negative if i could due to the numerous safety violations that the instructor did. Instructor (Gerry Asta, OW57.351489, member number 351489) did not ask the me to sign the various PADI forms (medical statement forms etc) before proceeding with the course (which is a big red flag and warning sign). During the first open water dive, he lost control of both his students and allowed me and the other student to float up to the surface when I was having an issue with my buoyancy as he was distracted by his gopro and focusing on filming the reef. When I got home, a specialist appointment discovered that i suffered a barotrauma to my middle ear due to the rapid uncontrolled ascent during the first dive. He undermined the severity of the incident, downplays it and dismisses my concerns and the trauma i suffered. He also undermined the likelihood of decompression sickness and pressured me into taking part in the next dive. He runs a highly unethical dive shop that i would not recommend anyone to go to. Gerry clearly prioritises profit over the safety of his students and refused to give a partial refund of 40% which i only requested due to the pressure-related injury that i suffered. His excuse was by claiming that everything has been arranged which was why i requested for partial refund instead of a full refund. He is also extremely unapologetic and refuses to acknowledge his lack of due diligence in safety protocols.

First time spent in Batam. Been taking care by Max and his great choice in coffee in the morning at the shop before heading of diving with Gerry. Nice chat during the drive to the boat. Gerry is knowledgeable, cheerful and passionate by diving. I did two fun dives with a break on really nice white sand beach. The visibility was as expected for the area with some colourful corals, a few nudibranches, some fun with a curious batfish and a final touch with 10-20 clown fishes in anemons. So overall an enjoyable day in great company and nice dives. I will be back

Made a trip to Batam and met up with the nice and friendly boss here. An unique dive Shop with cafe on the first floor. Had a good experience with Max dive centre - sharing his previous dive and some of his interesting underwater photographing. Overall, I would say making a trip less than two hours from Singapore to reach there is worthwhile.

Instructor Gerry is the man. I was fortunate to be the only student and my open diver course was memorable. Gerry is very knowledgeable and qualified, patient and skilled. Over the three days, it was well organized, equipment maintained and very informative. I highly recommend Gerry and Max’s Dive Center for anyone wanting to learn or veterans who want to go dive. Would definitely come back again.

Very good experience for my Open Water, Max and Gerry are really nice, and qualified. I highly recommend this dive center if you want to be truely prepared for all the diving licences, keep it up guys !!

You would never think that Batam has such places! With the company that we had and a funny DM, I had such an awesome time diving today! I am a new diver and Gerry helped me a lot. I really do recommend you give Max Dive Centre a try!

Cafe at the front, dive centre at the back and dive shop/class room upstairs. Friendly and professional customer service. Great local coffee selection for pre or post dives. We did the day trip to Petong Island with upto 3 dives and snorkelling on offer and local cusine for lunch provided. if you want to check out the diving in batam I recommend using Max's dive centre. Thanks for a great day out!

Gerry went above and beyond. We couldn't dive in the initial spot so he took it upon himself to find an alternative spot. It was an exhilarating first dive as we are met with difficult dive conditions, but after that everything else become really easy. He is also extraordinarily patient in teaching us and answering our questions. You can see that he is very good at what he does underwater, he is in his elements. I can't recommend this place enough, because it's all that I want a dive experience to be. Admittedly, the dive spot could've been better but this is, quite often, something beyond our control, with the lack of pristine spot in Batam. In conclusion, I heartily recommend this place to get your certification.

Thank you for a most memorable experience diving in Batam! I did my Rescue Diver cert with Gerry, who was very helpful, patient and thorough with the course materials and teaching. I had lots of fun, and acquired many new skills. Thank you Gerry for being so encouraging!

Very passionate crew and staff. Gerry and Max are very accommodating and willing to share their experience and knowledge especially on photography. Will be joining more of their future photography dive trips