Ritzcat
Registered
Chaotic, Unsafe, and Completely Unprofessional – Stay Far Away from Rainbow Reef Dive Center
From the very first phone call, the red flags started. The operators couldn’t tell me where to buy a new snorkel, insisted their own shop was closed when it wasn’t, and gave conflicting information about arrival time. Nobody seemed interested in speaking to us, and that attitude carried all the way through.
When we arrived, it was pure chaos. You couldn’t tell who was staff and who was a customer. There was no clear system for rental gear, loading onto the boat, or storing personal items—no dive lockers, no organization.
Once onboard, the problems got worse. The divemaster was unprofessional and literally guessed divers’ weights based on appearance. I was diving with my junior open water–certified son, so I wanted to rely on the DMs and instructors to help him feel more comfortable and encourage him to ask questions when anxious. Instead, they barely spoke to us, and when they did, it was obvious they weren’t knowledgeable.
The equipment was in shocking condition—all of the O-rings looked rotted out. Every single tank was half full, forcing everyone to swap and test a second tank before we could even leave the dock. We sat on the boat for 45 minutes before departure, which made me seasick before we even got in the water.
Conditions were terrible, the captain was absent, and our side of the boat didn’t even have a dive guide assigned—even though I was with a junior diver. No site briefing, no safety overview. We entered behind the rest of the group to avoid the underwater traffic jam, but my son had mask issues almost immediately. I was helping him while the dive guide was nowhere to be found. Underwater, the guide’s pace was painfully slow and the route was just a tight circle that kept everyone congested in one spot. With the drift and my son burning through air, I wasn’t comfortable straying too far from the line.
Back on the boat, things only got worse. I was very seasick, and no one offered help. Another diver complained about me being sick, and instead of checking on me, the dive guide told me to “move and puke somewhere else.” Gear was tossed haphazardly across the deck—weights left where people could trip. The whole operation felt sloppy and unsafe.
In over 20 years of diving, I’ve never gotten sick on 3 doses of Bonine until now. The lack of professionalism, preparedness, and basic care for divers—especially juniors—was alarming. We canceled our second day with them and booked a different provider for day three.
Long story short: DO NOT dive with Rainbow Reef Dive Center in Key Largo. Unsafe, unorganized, uncaring—stay far away.
Side Note: August 2025; Reef looks like it's recovering. New sponge growth, good variety in sea life. Sargassum to a minimum in French's Reef.
From the very first phone call, the red flags started. The operators couldn’t tell me where to buy a new snorkel, insisted their own shop was closed when it wasn’t, and gave conflicting information about arrival time. Nobody seemed interested in speaking to us, and that attitude carried all the way through.
When we arrived, it was pure chaos. You couldn’t tell who was staff and who was a customer. There was no clear system for rental gear, loading onto the boat, or storing personal items—no dive lockers, no organization.
Once onboard, the problems got worse. The divemaster was unprofessional and literally guessed divers’ weights based on appearance. I was diving with my junior open water–certified son, so I wanted to rely on the DMs and instructors to help him feel more comfortable and encourage him to ask questions when anxious. Instead, they barely spoke to us, and when they did, it was obvious they weren’t knowledgeable.
The equipment was in shocking condition—all of the O-rings looked rotted out. Every single tank was half full, forcing everyone to swap and test a second tank before we could even leave the dock. We sat on the boat for 45 minutes before departure, which made me seasick before we even got in the water.
Conditions were terrible, the captain was absent, and our side of the boat didn’t even have a dive guide assigned—even though I was with a junior diver. No site briefing, no safety overview. We entered behind the rest of the group to avoid the underwater traffic jam, but my son had mask issues almost immediately. I was helping him while the dive guide was nowhere to be found. Underwater, the guide’s pace was painfully slow and the route was just a tight circle that kept everyone congested in one spot. With the drift and my son burning through air, I wasn’t comfortable straying too far from the line.
Back on the boat, things only got worse. I was very seasick, and no one offered help. Another diver complained about me being sick, and instead of checking on me, the dive guide told me to “move and puke somewhere else.” Gear was tossed haphazardly across the deck—weights left where people could trip. The whole operation felt sloppy and unsafe.
In over 20 years of diving, I’ve never gotten sick on 3 doses of Bonine until now. The lack of professionalism, preparedness, and basic care for divers—especially juniors—was alarming. We canceled our second day with them and booked a different provider for day three.
Long story short: DO NOT dive with Rainbow Reef Dive Center in Key Largo. Unsafe, unorganized, uncaring—stay far away.
Side Note: August 2025; Reef looks like it's recovering. New sponge growth, good variety in sea life. Sargassum to a minimum in French's Reef.
