Four things to look at before you hand over money, wherever in the world you are standing.
You arrive on an island, there are two or three dive centres, and you have no way of telling them apart. Here are the four things we would look at, and every one of them takes a minute.
First, ask to see the air quality test certificate for the compressor. There should be one on the wall with a date in the last few months. A centre that has to go and look for it, or that has one from three years ago, is telling you something about everything else.
Second, look at the tank necks. There is a visual inspection sticker and a pressure test stamp on every tank in the world and both carry dates. Walk along the rack and read a few.
Third, ask what the emergency plan is. The answer should be immediate and specific: where the oxygen is, who on the boat is trained, which chamber, how long it takes to get there and who gets called first. An answer that begins with a pause is an answer.
Fourth, ask what the student to instructor ratio is on a course, and then ask what it is in a busy week. The two answers should be the same number.
None of that is about how new the equipment looks or how nice the shop is, and neither of those tells you much. A tired jacket that is serviced on schedule is safer than a new one that is not.