alexdives
Registered
My wife was certified several months ago so we planned a dive trip to Key Largo to break in her new certification card. I have been certified for many years but just don't dive that often. After a bit of research I made a reservation with Rainbow Reef. Our plan was to arrive on Sunday and dive, take a break and do other stuff on Monday, Dive Tuesday then leave Wednesday
As the trip got closer I started to reconsider some things. My wife still had some anxiety being newly certified and I started to think that a boat with 26 divers might not be the best first experience. We decided to take the Peak Performance Buoyancy course on Sunday then dive Monday and Tuesday. I thought having the instructor for the first day plus the training would really boost her confidence and make the trip more fun.
Arranging the original trip and then changing it involved several calls to RR. I was super impressed by their phone staff. They are divers and they know their stuff. If you ask for advice on where to go they seem to have a thorough knowledge of all the trips and locations and it comes from experience. Very patient as well.
The instructor, Jesseca, called prior to the class to ask us to show up a few minutes before check in and answer any questions.
The check in staff was great on all 3 days, efficient and informative.
We got on the boat, headed out and ran into a bit of an issue. The weather was just not good with very high currents and choppy waves. It proved very difficult to teach a class in those conditions. The captain spent quite a bit of time on the radio with other boats trying to figure out an alternative for the second dive but it was pretty bad everywhere. Jesseca called her supervisor and the class was rescheduled for the following day at no additional charge to us. The sites involved were Molasses reef and sand bottom cave.
The next day we had great conditions! Fairly calm sea and little current. The class was great. My wife stated she learned a ton and felt far more comfortable diving following the class. We finished the class and had time for some practical application as well. Sites were The city of Washington Wreck and Mike's Wreck
The third day was calm as well. For those not familiar with their system, with RR you can dive on your own or you have the option of a free guide. Gage had been the mate on our first 2 days of diving, this was purely by coincidence as all the other crew members were different. Today he was leading a dive. Very experienced diver, he had been very helpful on the boat. He kept the dive fun and interesting! Today's sites were French Reef and the Benwood wreck
Overall we had a very positive experience with Rainbow Reef and I would recommend them For inexperienced divers I would also recommend adding on the class if possible, it really made things much more comfortable for a beginning diver.
As the trip got closer I started to reconsider some things. My wife still had some anxiety being newly certified and I started to think that a boat with 26 divers might not be the best first experience. We decided to take the Peak Performance Buoyancy course on Sunday then dive Monday and Tuesday. I thought having the instructor for the first day plus the training would really boost her confidence and make the trip more fun.
Arranging the original trip and then changing it involved several calls to RR. I was super impressed by their phone staff. They are divers and they know their stuff. If you ask for advice on where to go they seem to have a thorough knowledge of all the trips and locations and it comes from experience. Very patient as well.
The instructor, Jesseca, called prior to the class to ask us to show up a few minutes before check in and answer any questions.
The check in staff was great on all 3 days, efficient and informative.
We got on the boat, headed out and ran into a bit of an issue. The weather was just not good with very high currents and choppy waves. It proved very difficult to teach a class in those conditions. The captain spent quite a bit of time on the radio with other boats trying to figure out an alternative for the second dive but it was pretty bad everywhere. Jesseca called her supervisor and the class was rescheduled for the following day at no additional charge to us. The sites involved were Molasses reef and sand bottom cave.
The next day we had great conditions! Fairly calm sea and little current. The class was great. My wife stated she learned a ton and felt far more comfortable diving following the class. We finished the class and had time for some practical application as well. Sites were The city of Washington Wreck and Mike's Wreck
The third day was calm as well. For those not familiar with their system, with RR you can dive on your own or you have the option of a free guide. Gage had been the mate on our first 2 days of diving, this was purely by coincidence as all the other crew members were different. Today he was leading a dive. Very experienced diver, he had been very helpful on the boat. He kept the dive fun and interesting! Today's sites were French Reef and the Benwood wreck
Overall we had a very positive experience with Rainbow Reef and I would recommend them For inexperienced divers I would also recommend adding on the class if possible, it really made things much more comfortable for a beginning diver.
