Trip Report Avoid RAINBOW REEF AT ALL COSTS

[Jonah Kowall]

You want real scuba diving, you come to the Philippines, Florida is for pussy cats and posers.

Going in Feb, and I've traveled all over the world to dive. If I can go outside my door and get some good diving in I will. Living in the US makes Florida the best way to get my 150 local dives in a year

 

[sbijou]

I'm going to be a little controversial here- It's easy to find fault in the poster's account with Rainbow . Yes , more experienced divers might have solved the issues differently, but Rainbow is in the hospitality business. As per their website , "We strive to give each and every customer the highest level of attention and service possible from the minute they arrive at the dive center, until they depart. Why? It's simple, because we want you to come back and recommend us to your friends." Anyone whose been in any type of business, knows no matter how overloaded, short staffed or busy you are, a little bit of graciousness and attentiveness goes a long way. A simple pause to signify that the customer has value and is appreciated. That's really where the operation failed to deliver.

 

[J12345]

Never ceases to amaze me how supposedly grown men act like children.

"I was seasick and no one helped me!"

The Op must carry around a box of tissues wherever he goes.

That negated the review for me, Also the dive locker.

 

[Outbound]

I'm going to be a little controversial here- It's easy to find fault in the poster's account with Rainbow . Yes , more experienced divers might have solved the issues differently, but Rainbow is in the hospitality business. As per their website , "We strive to give each and every customer the highest level of attention and service possible from the minute they arrive at the dive center, until they depart. Why? It's simple, because we want you to come back and recommend us to your friends." Anyone whose been in any type of business, knows no matter how overloaded, short staffed or busy you are, a little bit of graciousness and attentiveness goes a long way. A simple pause to signify that the customer has value and is appreciated. That's really where the operation failed to deliver.

Perhaps. I agree that it is always in the best interest of a business to deliver great customer service. But too many things in OP's post read like a hit-job.

1) She complained that it wasn't clear who was staff and who were customers. I can understand that. It's a very busy operation, with lots of staff and lots of customers milling about. But if you're not sure what to do or where to go, just ask. The staff all have RR shirts on. It's not that difficult. Dive lockers would be great, but they run umpteen people through there per day. There's just no room for that many people to store gear. It's worth noting in a review that there aren't dive lockers, but I wouldn't ding them for it.

2) She complained that the divemaster "literally guessed divers’ weights based on appearance." I have two big issues with this complaint. First of all, guessing someone's weighting is just that - guessing. And it's gonna be based on appearance (and experience) because there's no other way to guesstimate weighting. Second, she said she's been diving for 20 years. She should know her own weighting and should have enough experience to guesstimate that of her son. So this complaint is completely invalid in my book

3) I highly doubt that ALL of the o-rings were bad, or that "every single tank was half full." I call total BS on that one. Yeah, sometimes you're gonna get a light fill or a tank that wasn't filled at all. That's why you get to the boat on time and check your tank pressure before the boat leaves the dock. But there's just no way every single tank wasn't filled.

4) She wrote that they sat on the boat at the dock for 45 minutes before departure. And what's the problem with that? They tell you to arrive and check in 45 minutes early for a reason - because, inevitably, people will show up late and hold everyone up. So they tell you to get there extra early.

5) She wrote that she got seasick just waiting on the boat at the dock. Really? A diver with 20 years experience got seasick after taking three doses of Bonine on a boat that was still tied up in the marina? I call BS on this one too. If she is that prone to motion sickness then she needs to stick to shore diving.

6) She complained that conditions were terrible. That's not RR's fault. She wrote that the captain was absent. I'm assuming that meant the captain was up on the bridge the whole time. Good. If conditions are bad, then that's where the captain should be. Or did she expect the captain to come down and help her and her son don their gear and offer concierge service?

7) She repeatedly writes that her son is junior open water certified, as if that's a major point. He's still certified, still went through the same training, and has his mother - with 20 years diving experience - right there. Stop being such a snowflake. If you want someone to hold your hand the entire dive then you need to hire a personal guide and tell them why. Guides are there to guide you, not to help you deal with all your anxieties. They are dive pros, not therapists. Sure, a little extra customer service can go a long way. But not providing that doesn't make the operation chaotic and unsafe.

8) If she didn't want to be in the scrum of divers, then she needed to enter the water first not last. Everyone who has done more than one dive trip knows this. But she seems to have wanted it both ways. She wanted to be away from everyone else, but close enough to everyone else to feel safe. Pick a lane, lady.

9) Similarly, the dive guide was nowhere to be found but also was leading everyone in a tight circle that kept everyone congested in one spot. So, move away from the group! But she wasn't comfortable doing that and her son was burning through air so they stayed with the group. #facepalm

10) She got seasick and no one took care of her and they told her to move. Yeah, because she was probably heaving over the railing when they told you to sit by the steps amidships and lean over the side if you were going to puke. No one wants vomit to come flying back onboard. Did she expect the guide to hold her hair for her like she's some drunken sorority chick?

11) Whenever someone talks of/writes of their experience in terms of years and not number of dives, my radar goes off. Because we all know those people take one dive trip a year, rent all their gear, lose half of their skills between dive trips, are total spazzes in the water, but then like to pretend they have a ton of dive experience. But also need a lot of handholding and complain when they don't get it.

There are legitimate reasons to complain about RR, but most of them are because they take divers like the OP out on trips.

 

[Rae HalfTheHill]

As staff member at RRDC (who was coincidentally off yesterday and not involved in this posting), I certainly have questions for the OP.

Was your booking through RRDC directly or through one of the shops who subsidizes and "boarding passes" on our boats? Many times we have divers who booked through these shops and that will slightly complicate the check in/rental gear process. Additionally, these divers are not privy to the free guides that are offered to RRDC customers at an 8:1 ratio (6:1 for deep/night).

As someone else stated above, if a guide was declined at the time of reservation, one most likely won't be provided. We run those ratios and staff that way because at the end of the day, the business has ton of overhead and employing extra staff on a trip where they aren't needed is extraneous.

Your profile has you listed as a DM, and as such I wouldn't recommend one of our guides anyway. A DM should be able to navigate, plan gas turnarounds, and timing for shallow dives, at a minimum. Diving guided basically ties you to the least common denominator in the eight person group-something an experienced DM probably would feel cheated on.

I won't harp on the seasickness, because on the boats I run, my staff and I will at least periodically check in on the passengers. There's not really anything that can be done once it strikes, but the occasional offer of water helps.

Lastly, the check in process can be less than streamlined-but the shop checks in somewhere between 60-100+ people, twice a day. That's a ton of waivers to match to bookings, cert cards to check, questions to be answered, ect. Steps have been made to cut down on the backups, but things are a work in progress. As with most things in life, its best to go with the flow and enjoy the fact that you get to go diving. My mantra has always been if I wanted to pay $100 to be frustrated, I'd go play golf .

OP, you're free to reach out directly if you'd like, and I'll address what I can.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

The initial posting by @Ritzcat is a "Hit Job" & I don't believe most, if not all of it.

 

[Johnoly]

is a "Hit Job"

Your profile has you listed as a DM,

She's done 'Shame & Blame' hits on Roatan too, but with $800 ear infections.. Just search her poster name

 

[Edward3c]

I spent a week diving with RR in June this year. Whilst not the best of operations, it was cheap as I took the joint accommodation deal.

Reception - I little chaotic, but when I asked someone I was directed to a staff member. Each day I was told which boat I was on. Having setup and tested by kit before ropes-off there were no problems, even with me wanting a DIN fitting.

Dive locker - no they do not provide. No big deal I just bought a kitbag from Divers Direct and transported it between hotel and boat each day.

On the boat - There were a number of briefings each day. First the Captain, then the lead guide followed by the 'assigned' guide. I do use the term 'assigned' loosely. Could some have been done better, sure, but I got what I needed to know (water for my camera, water for me, and to avoid the VIP area.) VIP =Vomiting In Progress - I rather liked the term.

I can't comment on hired kit as I use my own.

The Captain - Only on one day did the Captain come down from the bridge, and that what when moored to a buoy. I prefer them to stay in charge of the boat when not moored up.

Seasick, as VIP. other's kit not the crew's problem - ask your fellow guests to keep a tidy dive station.

After 45+ years diving I still occasionally get sea-sick, that's life.

Would I use RR again? No. Because I prefer smaller groups, I got what I paid for.

 

[CajunDiva]

Chaotic, Unsafe, and Completely Unprofessional – Stay Far Away from Rainbow Reef Dive Center


From the very first phone call, the red flags started. The operators couldn’t tell me where to buy a new snorkel, insisted their own shop was closed when it wasn’t, and gave conflicting information about arrival time. Nobody seemed interested in speaking to us, and that attitude carried all the way through.


When we arrived, it was pure chaos. You couldn’t tell who was staff and who was a customer. There was no clear system for rental gear, loading onto the boat, or storing personal items—no dive lockers, no organization.


Once onboard, the problems got worse. The divemaster was unprofessional and literally guessed divers’ weights based on appearance. I was diving with my junior open water–certified son, so I wanted to rely on the DMs and instructors to help him feel more comfortable and encourage him to ask questions when anxious. Instead, they barely spoke to us, and when they did, it was obvious they weren’t knowledgeable.


The equipment was in shocking condition—all of the O-rings looked rotted out. Every single tank was half full, forcing everyone to swap and test a second tank before we could even leave the dock. We sat on the boat for 45 minutes before departure, which made me seasick before we even got in the water.


Conditions were terrible, the captain was absent, and our side of the boat didn’t even have a dive guide assigned—even though I was with a junior diver. No site briefing, no safety overview. We entered behind the rest of the group to avoid the underwater traffic jam, but my son had mask issues almost immediately. I was helping him while the dive guide was nowhere to be found. Underwater, the guide’s pace was painfully slow and the route was just a tight circle that kept everyone congested in one spot. With the drift and my son burning through air, I wasn’t comfortable straying too far from the line.


Back on the boat, things only got worse. I was very seasick, and no one offered help. Another diver complained about me being sick, and instead of checking on me, the dive guide told me to “move and puke somewhere else.” Gear was tossed haphazardly across the deck—weights left where people could trip. The whole operation felt sloppy and unsafe.


In over 20 years of diving, I’ve never gotten sick on 3 doses of Bonine until now. The lack of professionalism, preparedness, and basic care for divers—especially juniors—was alarming. We canceled our second day with them and booked a different provider for day three.


Long story short: DO NOT dive with Rainbow Reef Dive Center in Key Largo. Unsafe, unorganized, uncaring—stay far away.

Side Note: August 2025; Reef looks like it's recovering. New sponge growth, good variety in sea life. Sargassum to a minimum in French's Reef.

Totally different accounting compared to the MANY dive trips we've experienced with Rainbow Reef Dive Center since 2004