New Divers looking for Key Largo advice

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

I pretty much retired from RR in March 2020. I have been back a couple of times to help out and am probably going over 4 July for a week or so.

All the ops you mentioned run fine trips and you cannot go wrong with them.

Always personal preference as to who you decide to go with.

 

[tkaelin]

Side note, will not have car so dive operation on site is key

Took a trip to Key Largo last month diving with RR and staying at the Marriott. Not sure how you plan on getting to Key Largo without a car, but once there and from the Marriott you can walk to the RR boats and three restaurants within walking distance (Skippers, Sharkeys and Conch House. RR has its boats on both sides of the canal with offices on both sides. The location on the north side of the canal is much closer to the Marriott but both still easily walkable unless you are carrying a ton of gear. You probably want to book your actual dives with RR in advance as I see their boats filling up and you may not get the boat you want if you wait until last minute. Good luck

 

[Jake 10]

We will be in Key Largo at the end of the month, and plan to dive with RRDC. Will let you know how it goes.

 

[Dan G]

I pretty much retired from RR in March 2020. I have been back a couple of times to help out and am probably going over 4 July for a week or so.

All the ops you mentioned run fine trips and you cannot go wrong with them.

Always personal preference as to who you decide to go with.

Congrats on your retirement, Jim!

+1 with "personal preference" being the driving factor. It's good to get recommendations here on SB and then go diving with different ops. Eventually, people will find their favorite(s) and go with them. There are plenty of good ops to choose from on Key Largo.

 

[Jake 10]

I pretty much retired from RR in March 2020. I have been back a couple of times to help out and am probably going over 4 July for a week or so.
.

Happy retirement Jim

 

[Da Wolf]

My brother and I go to Key Largo for a week every year (except for last year, obviously), and we will be there starting July 17th. We always stay at the Courtyard (next to the Marriott), and will be using RRDC during that week. We really like RRDC as we have always had good experiences with them. Yes, you do get plenty of people on their boats. We love the fact that they provide a dive guide with every dive. This gives us a "stress" free dive vacation without having to pay for the guide service. We can just dive, and not worry about navigating areas we are not familiar with. We always stay in the back of the dive group, but always within sight of the guide. This allows us an easy dive without the other divers getting to close to us, but still able to communicate with the guide if/when need be. We have used other shops in the area, and have had bad experiences with them. Like others have mentioned, there are plenty of restaurants near those two hotels along with grocery store, drug store, and even a Diver's Direct next door to the Marriott in case you need new gear, or get something fixed.

How are you planning on getting to Key Largo without a car? Miami is the nearest airport, and its almost 1.5 hours away from Key Largo. Key West also has an airport, but it is around 2.5 hours from Key Largo.

 

[Skeptic14]

I almost get the selling point of a free guide provided... but then not really.

The additional cost of a private guide if desired with all the other sunk cost for a dive trip... it's pretty inconsequential.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

I almost get the selling point of a free guide provided... but then not really.

The additional cost of a private guide if desired with all the other sunk cost for a dive trip... it's pretty inconsequential.

For some newer divers it takes a lot of stress of diving out of the equation. I know I wanted a guide in the beginning...and now I don't. Plenty of people feel more comfortable with a guide. I like diving with people that have dove the area, but not necessarily guides.

 

[Cali Native]

My Daughter and I just got back from diving 3 days RR in Key Largo and 2 days Sea Monkeys in Islamorada.
I bought a Suunto D5 through RR's dive shop and got a good deal and a free dive so that was most appreciated !
RR was fully packed with experienced divers on our afternoon and morning trips and if any of the operation was not well oiled it wasn't apparent to us.
Nitrox % was carefully checked and logged , dive briefings were adequate and with the low visibility of maybe 50 75 feet we had on the Duane and the Spiegel Grove I would not have wanted to dive without a guide for a first timer . Thanks to Richard our guide we confidently explored and penetrated the wreck at various points.
Our RR boat a nice smoke free 46' Newton did not have a soak tank for cameras which seemed a little lacking but also know that the heads are closed on the boats and in the office due to Covid apparently which would be problematic if you really needed to go and hopefully that ends soon. I read the Keys are also having problems with sewer hook ups and I don't know if that played into their rest rooms being out of service.
Unfortunately most hotels were booked and all I could find was the Waterside Suites and Marina which was Ok inside and you are right next door to RR however
please be warned when booking I didn't realize the popular Sharky's Bar is directly opposite this hotel and plays live music until at least 10 every night . That's not too bad and I like live music but one night we both awoke at 1:30am to the bass thumping and that was a bit much .
Other than that we had a great time , by the way Snooks is a beautiful setting for dinner.

 

[jejton]

For some newer divers it takes a lot of stress of diving out of the equation. I know I wanted a guide in the beginning...and now I don't. Plenty of people feel more comfortable with a guide. I like diving with people that have dove the area, but not necessarily guides.

Having a private guide in the water is great, particularly for new or inexperienced divers but that is not what they would be getting with RR unless they hire a private guide (which is what I did since it was my first diving postcert and I did not want to instabuddy). RR is a great op (at least when I went with them years ago) but it is true that the boats carry a lot of passengers and it can get quite crowded on some of the dive sites. Whether you use them or not, give a lot consideration to hiring a private DM/dive guide. Can significantly improve your diving experience.