Review / trip report Rainbow Reef Dive Center, Key Largo FL

[PoolsOpen]

HI @scubadada,
Yes from what Ive seen if you dive without a guide they will let you splash 1st and out of the water last so you will get a bit more time. They do run a tight schedule so the 1 hr dive time means back on the boat and already out of the water in 1 hr.
I have also noticed that the deep boats while full are less packed. @1000RR did u go on the shallow (2 shallow dives) boat?
Those are packed tighter...

 

[RTC'83]

Great review. Will look them up when I go there

 

[wgw04024]

Reef dives are an hour. Speigal and Duane are usually 30-40 mins. We averaged 35-38 mins for the deeps this weekend, hitting 100' then gradually ascending watching ndl. I am the weak link for me and my son, so we basically dive on my air consumption. We can finish our deeps after 38 minutes, and he still has 1900 psi...wtf?! Low vis from all the rain I believe, and slight current.

 

[wgw04024]

Oh, one last thing, shoulder space.....Even on the 6 pack boats, the spacing is going to be very similar on the RR boats. Maybe the smaller operators will be different. I hear what you're saying, but really, you are spending 3 or 4 minutes of the whole 3 hour trip sitting on the bench, I'd rather not pay for that little bit of extra luxury. I buckle in, make my checks, jump in, and tighten anything up that needs it. It always tightens differently in the water anyway.

 

[The Chairman]

Overall they're great and it's nice to have a guide when going by myself and diving with an insta-buddy

I found that to be the case as well.

I've been missing the Key Largo wrecks lately,

"Don't forget where you left your Keys..."

I'm interested in the 45 minute dive time. That seems about OK for the Duane, a little short for the Spiegel Grove,

I always got an hour, more if I was doing as double dip and on doubles or my rebreather.

 

[Dan G]

I've been out with RR a bunch of times. Virtually all the people they hire are really really great and seem to love their job. They run a very organized operation. If you get a chance to dive with Aqua, then do so. He's one of the best DMs I've ever been with and perhaps the strongest swimmer I have ever seen first hand in the water.

One thing I do not like is the SI they provide. On the shallower reef dives, the SI can often be around 10 mins. On the deeper dives, I have gotten as many as 60 mins, but oftentimes the SI is "start putting your gear on in 45 mins" after you get back on the boat. The Capt starts the dive clock at the end of the SI they call for, so even if you slow roll it, you are expected back on the boat within the allotted dive time ( usually < 60 mins) from when the designated SI ends.

 

[1000RR]

@PoolsOpen - 'Yes', we did go on a shallow dive both dives. If that was the cause of the less than enough space for donning gear I would certainly like to try them again (for deeper dives). I liked everything else about their outfit, etc... just not the cattle boat style. Maybe next time we'll do a wreck and see if it's better?!

 

[2airishuman]

Not sure if they have 6-packs down there due to the tourist business they attract, but maybe there's a happy medium?

The distance from the marinas to the usual dive sites, and the sea conditions, make 6-packs less workable in the Keys.

 

[2airishuman]

Hi @PoolsOpen and others,

I'm interested in the 45 minute dive time. That seems about OK for the Duane, a little short for the Spiegel Grove, considerably too short for the shallow reefs/Benwood. Is this strict, enforced policy, or is it flexible depending on site, etc?

I have emailed RR for information

I have dived with them on these sites. It is my experience that they group divers with DMs more or less at random without regard to experience levels. They will conclude the dive when any diver reaches a predetermined turn pressure or when the one-hour "pool's open" window closes. Some of my dives with them have been over 50 minutes. On the other hand, my dive with them on the Spiegel Grove was 28 minutes because one of the divers was a tiny thin person who only had an AL63 but still breathed quite a lot. If you have a buddy they will let you dive without a DM and dive the earlier of your tank or NDL, but if that is what you have in mind, there are other operators that may be a better fit.

 

[2airishuman]

Cons-
[...]
They only have AL80 tanks and dives are about 45 minutes in the water. You will have a lot of air left over, especially on the shallow reefs.

They will give you an AL63 or an AL100 if you ask at the time you make the reservation. The AL100s will be short filled but will still give you 90 cf.