Key Largo Rainbow Reef Dives VS. Pirate Island Divers

[Guard Tiffany]

I'm looking at a trip for early May of next year. Hubby & I will be getting certified next month. Was considering Key Largo Bay Marriott Beach Resort which has a diving package with Pirate Island Divers. Also had recommendations for Rainbow Reef Dives which has packages with Courtyard By Marriott. Hubby is VERY picky about where we stay & I don't see that the Courtyard has a beach & it has gotten some not so great reviews. He wants to use a dive center that is close to our resort so he can catch a nap between dives & without driving. So, I guess my question is this; are Pirate island Divers as good as Rainbow Reef? I'm thinking The Bay Marriott is more what hubby will be happy with. If anyone has opinions or other ideas I'd love to hear them.

 

[drrich2]

By a nap between dives, I assume you mean he goes out on 2 2-tank boat trips per day, morning and afternoon, and expects to go take a nap between them, which suggests maybe a 2 or 3 hour 'intermission?'

I'll be very interested to see if any of the op.s will offer such a thing. With Rainbow Reef, I got maybe 40 minutes to an hour.

Richard.

 

[Guard Tiffany]

I've told him the naps probably aren't going to happen if we do two trips a day. He's decided one two trip day and three one trip days. But, it's really going to be weather contingent, I plan on getting the five trip package & will do them as conditions permit.

 

[thebird36]

If you stay right on the water (I did while in key largo) it's like a 1 minute walk. I can't remember exactly which hotel I stayed at but it had a tiki bar and you had to walk across a wooden bridge to get to rainbow reefs dive boat. I loved diving with rainbow reef and would highly recommend them. I can post tomorrow morning about where I stayed. I'm thinking it was a holiday inn.

Edit: it was the holiday inn.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[koozemani]

Island bay resorts was great. <5 drive to conch republic. I know it wasn't a choice, but that's what I would do.

---------- Post added March 10th, 2014 at 11:39 PM ----------

And the have more of a beach than your choices

---------- Post added March 10th, 2014 at 11:42 PM ----------

 

[jimw]

We dive with Rainbow Reef now and then, had never heard of Pirate--and, at $90. a trip; can see why! Rainbow is far less bucks and an good op that puts a DM in the water with you, although you can do your own thing too. I do like that they publish a list of where thet intend to go on the website--makes for easy planning. Holiday Inn across the canal from RR(which ends at US1) is an easy walk. Courtyard by Marriott down the canal a little and on the RR side is easy too........and probably a little nicer! I should say that I've never stayed in either, but have visited both.

 

[Scubagirlfl]

Don't know if you are aware of this, but the Keys do not have traditional "beaches" here.

 

[herbdb]

My son and daughter in law have used both Rainbow Reef and Pirate Island. They like both for diving, but they really liked Pirate Island more because they had more of a valet service. Pirate Island stored their gear overnight and hauled it to the boat for them.

They really appreciated not having to drag wet gear back and forth from their rooms.

As Scubagirlfl mentioned, the beach at the Marriott, like most in the keys is man made. But if you like to lie on hot sand and rinse off in warm salt water, it is there. Can you tell I am not a beach person.