Aquatic Adventures is a PADI 5 Star PADI Dive Center offering scuba diving lessons and equipment.
Founded in January 2000, Aquatic Adventures, Inc. is a PADI 5 Star Dive Center located in Brookfield, Wisconsin, a western suburb of Milwaukee. We are committed to transforming and enriching people’s lives through snorkeling and scuba diving. We provide our customers with safe and sensible products that make diving easier and more enjoyable through our retail store and Aquatic Adventures Online. We combine our product sales with industry-leading service by the best trained and most knowledgeable service technicians. Our training classes emphasize safety above all else. Every class is taught by experienced PADI and DAN instructors committed to diving in our local environment and around the world. In keeping with this commitment, Aquatic Adventures offers local, national, and international dive experiences, including Lake Michigan charters and international dive travel, where our students and customers can explore and learn more about the aquatic world.
Keywords: Aquatic Adventures, scuba, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lake Michigan, diving, diver, scuba training, scuba lessons, scuba equipment
Interview Q&A
How long have you been in business?
We have been in business since 2000. For our first three years, we operated out of the tiny store in Elm Grove. Then in 2003, our landlord believed that a larger business was going to rent out most of our mall. We were asked to move to smaller accommodations that were not going to work for us. So we began looking for another location. Eventually we found an opening in our current location in Brookfield.
What is your primary product or service?
We are committed to transforming and enriching people’s lives through snorkeling and scuba diving. We provide our customers with safe and sensible products that make diving easier and more enjoyable through our retail store and Aquatic Adventures Online.
How did you first become interested in your line of business? (if owner) - What is your background? (If owner or store manager)
In December 1999, Sally Keppert, Brian Hale, and Jerry Otte put together a business plan while sitting around the kitchen table in Jerry's condo in Oak Creek. The plan called for starting a dive center in the Milwaukee area that excelled at customer service and focused on extending dive training to families. At the time, scuba diving in the Milwaukee area was heavily dominated by adult males, and they felt that a dive center that was family-friendly would set itself apart from the competition.
The focus in the early years was on dive training. Jerry had run a business called Learn to Dive that allowed him to teach scuba at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, and that business was folded into Aquatic Adventures when they started up.
How do you differentiate yourself from other businesses in your category and area?
Our training classes emphasize safety above all else. Every class is taught by experienced PADI and DAN instructors committed to diving in our local environment and around the world. In keeping with this commitment, Aquatic Adventures offers local, national, and international dive experiences, including Lake Michigan charters and international dive travel, where our students and customers can explore and learn more about the aquatic world.
Provide detailed directions to your location
From Downtown Milwaukee
Take I-94 West toward Madison. Exit I-94 at Hwy 100 (South). (Second exit after the Zoo interchange.) Take Hwy 100 South to Greenfield Avenue. Approximately 1 mile. Turn right (West) on Greenfield Avenue. Stay on Greenfield for approximately 2 miles. Aquatic Adventures is located in the Brookfield Plaza shopping center on the north side of Greenfield Avenue just east of Sunny Slope Road.
What type of payments do you accept?
• Cash
• Visa
• MasterCard
• American Express
• Discover Card
• Bank Card
• In store financing
What are your hours of operation?
Store Hours
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. CT
Tuesday and Thursday: 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. CT
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. CT
Sunday: 12:00 p.m. to 4 p.m. CT