Diving in Key Kargo end of May

[loveIIdive]

Heading to Key Largo for a week. Need some recommendations on dive boats and dive shops. Looking for an outfit that has nitrox, boat with no more then 10 divers, a guide. We're all recrecational divers, no tech. Have 100+ dives, own our gear, experienced ocean divers. Don't want to lug gear around all week, so storage at the shop or boat would be great. Don't want to drive a distance to and from the boat amd hotel. Have heard good and bad on Scuba Do. Does Silent World have a guide with you in the water. Want to do wrecks and reefs, sharks etc. Want to hear the good, the bad and the ugly.

 

[oly5050user]

Rainbow reef..Marriott hotel..makes it easy.no extra charge for guide as other places do.

 

[sportxlh]

Only a few dive ops put free guides in the water in the Keys: I've never used a boat that provides a guide while in the Key Largo and with 100 ocean dives you probably don't need one either. If you decide that a guide is for you, I've always heard good things about Rainbow Reef and they provide guides. It really is pretty hard to get lost on the deep wrecks and the shallow reefs generally allow you to pop up to the surface to double check the location of the dive boat if you get lost. The only place I personally think a guide may be helpful is a deeper reef like Conch Wall.

Silent World does not provide a guide but you can hire one. I use them and Conch Republic when I'm in the Keys, but Conch's boat is bigger than you are looking for but I like the stability.

 

[CajunDiva]

I agree...Rainbow Reef Dive Center is a great option in Key Largo. They offer very convenient discounted dive & stay packages at several properties around the marina, the closest being the above mentioned Marriott, which is located AT the dive shop.

Also, if you are going to be there for a week, you will get discounts on your diving. The first discount is for diving at least 3 days, and you get an additional discount for 5 days of diving. It's a great deal and they run a very safe and professional operation. We've been diving with them for over 10 years now.
Key Largo Diving Package Specials | Rainbow Reef Dive Center | Key Largo, Florida Keys

Rainbow Reef runs the "Tropical Adventure", a 42' Newton and the "Tropical Voyager", a 40' ??? - and the "Tropical Explorer", a 30' Island Hopper that might be perfect for your group. In a couple of weeks they will be adding the "Tropical Odyssey", a 46' Newton custom dive boat. I have made many dives off of these vessels, and have never felt crowded in the least. They are very comfortable dive boats.
Our Fleet of Dive Boats | Rainbow Reef Dive Center | Key Largo, Florida Keys

Dive guides are included in the standard dive price. You can either follow them or you may choose to do your own thing. Just let them know so they won't be trying to watch out for you during the dive. When we do group trips with them, we dive in our own group, but when it's just the two of us, we don't miss out on diving with the guides - they're so much FUN! Plus they know those dive sites so well, they might know just where to find the critter you're dying to see

 

[mikeb21072]

My wife and i have dove ~50 dives with Rainbow Reef, and we have never had a bad experience with the crew or the dive guides. We are headed back in April and we are diving with them again. The free dive guides are great for being able to see the cool stuff on each site, but you can always just do your own thing. They will just tell you what time to be back on the boat, but still give a briefing of where the cool stuff is located.
Top notch and highly professional group, I would dive with them anytime.

 

[T.C.]

Wow...I don't know how Rainbow buys all these recommendations; but they're bogus. You like diving on a boat with 25-35 divers? Fighting to get on and off? Being part of the underwater thundering herd? Yep, you'll see all of these with Rainbow's cattle boats; Same with Silent world and Conch. Look at the size of their boats; they pack them full as they can, and the end of May will be Memorial Day weekend. You'll be swamped with other divers on these company's boat. I PROMISE.

Here's who you want: Quiescence Diving Services, World Class Diving in Key Largo, FL

Nitrox: Check.
Boat with less than 10 divers: Check. They ONLY run six divers per boat. NEVER any more. NEVER.
ON-SITE Gear storage: Check. They'll even haul it to/from the boat for you, in a nifty little cart.
Close to hotel: Check. It's the closest you can get to the center of the island; right next to the cut.
Wreck and reef: Check. They'll go to any site you want, and they have a list of sites that only they visit; that aren't moored sites.

There are so many benefits with them. They have secure parking; you'll never have to worry about what you leave in the car. Neutral AL80 tanks, without the big bouyancy swing common to AL80s. The best staff I've dealt with. They have guides for hire, but honestly, I don't think you'll want/need one. The reefs are shallow, and easy to navigate.

Now, I can't say that there'll be sharks. Nor can anyone; unless they're Neptune.

 

[sportxlh]

Wow...I don't know how Rainbow buys all these recommendations; but they're bogus.

Wow TC: that's kinnda nasty of you. People are giving their honest opinions and you go and accuse them of being bought off: I'm thinking you need to go back to social media manners school. I've had fantastic experiences with both Conch and Silent World. I know from CajanDiva's prior posts that she's had years of positive dive experiences with Rainbow. Conch's main boat is huge with a wide beam... even if it is filled to the gills with divers (which it seldom is) it is very comfortable. Silent World runs some fairly unique trips like double dips on the deeper wrecks that few operators bother with.

I do think Quiescence is a viable option and I've recommended them in the past but for some reason I thought the original poster was looking to accommodate approximately 10 divers (I misread the post) which the 6 pack boats at Quiescence won't do. Like Conch and Silent World, Quiescence does not provide a dive guide (which as I stated I don't think is really needed) though one can be hired.

 

[CajunDiva]

Wow TC: that's kinnda nasty of you.

That's just how some people roll. We all have opinions...some just express them differently.

I will also add that the folks at Quiescence are REALLY good to deal with. I have not been diving with them, but they went above and beyond to help me with a dive computer issue last time we were there, and I really appreciated that.

 

[scallop]

Try Sailfish scuba. No more than 6 on boat, can make arrangements that your party is the only one onboard. In water dive guide that also takes photos of your group, included in price.

Jen and Chris are super nice people. Even held the boat for us with no penalty of time in water due to an unexpected delay because a local representative of the law found my speed excessive while en-route to the boat.

Sail Fish Scuba

 

[T.C.]

Wow TC: that's kinnda nasty of you. People are giving their honest opinions and you go and accuse them of being bought off: I'm thinking you need to go back to social media manners school.

I’m tired of seeing just about every thread of “where to dive in Key Largo” being filled by the Rainbow fan-boy club. They aren’t that good. No one who smashes that many divers on one boat is any good. So why all the recommendations?

Second; this operation is the 180 opposite of what the OP was looking for. Why all the recommendations for an operation that is NOT what they’re looking for?

You say they’re “seldom” filled with divers- every time I’ve seen them they are packed on like sardines. And the OP is going at the end of May; i.e. Memorial Day weekend. Every diver who has a c-card will be flocking down to there. Those boats will be packed full of vacation divers.

And how is a double dip on a deep wreck any good? It’s cheap for the dive operation; they don’t have to move the boat. And since they’re still required to be back at the same time, your short surface interval means that second dive is going to be really short. This isn’t “unique”, it’s a cost saving ploy foisted on unsuspecting divers who don’t think beyond “neat-o!”

I resent the implication that my post was rude or nasty. Saying that I need “manners school” just shows that yours may be lacking as well.


And to the OP: I didn’t notice it before, but I’d avoid Scuba Do. They seem to have a high rate of dive accidents and fatalities.