Dive shop recommendation in upper or middle keys for infrequent/newer diver

[jennfl]

Hello it has been a while since I've been on these boards. We will be in the keys the last part of August. I only have one or two days to dive. We will be staying south of Key Largo. I'm looking for a dive shop with small groups, that tends to visit shallower dive sites. And also a dive shop that provides a guide in the water. Any suggestions? Thank you very much. I only get to dive maybe once a year. And have only been diving 3 times since I was certified about 6 years ago. So I am still learning. I took a refresher course last year before we went to Roatan Which helped tremendously. Thanks again for any suggestions

 

[mikeb21072]

My two cents, I would highly recommend Rainbow Reef Dive Center at mile marker 100 in KL. They have a website that offers deals on the hotels by the canal where the dive boats are docked.
They will have higher numbers than the small 6-pack boats, since they run the Newton (40-46 ft) custom dive boats. They are roomy and more stable than the smaller boats. They do put guides in the water for free, the only Op I am aware that offers free guides, with the guides leading ~4-6 divers each. You can also hire a private guide for the trip if you want. They are usually instructors that are guiding the dives.
My wife and I have done ~60 dives with them, and they are the only outfit we call when we are in KL, usually about 5-6 trips a year. Ocean Divers is another highly recommended outfit, but I have never dove with them. I believe they were recently bought out by Divers Direct.

If you have been out of the water, you may want to do another refresher before you head out on the reef. Rainbow Reef offers the refresher then a private guide for a dive on the shallow reef.

You will get a ton of comments on dive Op's, but the main thing is you get back in the water and have fun.

Mike

 

[marcushall]

Second the recommendation for Rainbow Reef. My son and I got AOW certified and spent three more days diving with them earlier this year. We really enjoyed the trip and always felt very well taken care of. Everyone was very helpful and made sure that we had whatever we needed every trip. We're planning on diving with them again when whenever we get to Key Largo.

 

[Chasin' Tales]

Third the recommendation for Rainbow Reef. Ask for Jesus to be your guide. You won't be disappointed.

 

[Rich Keller]

You should check out Sea Monkeys Water Sports at MM80 behind the Hampton Inn. They run a six pack boat, always put a guide in the water with you at no charge and are right by Alligator Reef. This reef is rarely visited by boats coming out of Key Largo and is one of the best shallow water reefs I have seen in the Keys.

 

[jennfl]

Thank you all for the recommendations. I did a lot of emailing and reading reviews and decided on SeaMonkeys. My husband and son are coming along as snorkelers and I'm going to dive. They said we will go to alligator reef, max 30 ft. There's only 3 spots left so it will feel fairly custom I'm thinking. Their reviews are all really good too. Thanks again for the replies.

---------- Post added July 19th, 2015 at 10:49 PM ----------

Rich, I have a question about SeaMonkey Dive shop. I was just back looking on their site and it doesn't say anything about being PADI or NAUI or anything. We've always used a PADI dive shop. It's affiliated with the resort and I can't find a bad review. Just wondering if I should be concerned?

 

[Rich Keller]

I have no idea who they are affiliated with. It really dosn't matter as long as they are good and I can tell you from first hand experience they are very good.