HELP, I'm stressing over my Key Largo Trip

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planecrazy29

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Ok, I've done searches, read the sticky's and I still am clueless as to what dive charter to use on my Key Largo Trip. I'm a newly certified diver. I took the OW and AOW course back to back and have done 4 dives outside of my education. I have booked a vacation to Key Largo and would like to do some diving (duh!). The dilemma is that I have no dive buddy and I'm going during (what I'm told is) the off season so I'm worried that I will not have another single person on the boat and the operator will charge me for a guide which will double the price of the trip.

I've done alot of online research and have found 2 operators with guides included. One, I didn't bookmark and I lost. The other is Rainbow Reef out of Key Largo and Islamorada. I think this is a reasonable alternative, altho they are a little more money (not even close to double, however).

Does anyone have any experience with this company? Does anyone know the other operator that I lost? I need to get this in order as I have just over a month before we leave. We have booked at Ocean Pointe also, so opinions would be welcome on them. TIA!

-Aaron
 
Rainbow Reef was great for us in Spring of 2005. Could not have asked for more helpful and friendly staff. Dives were top-notch -- they will put you on different oats depending on your experience and/or if you want to dive the "Grove" or other wrecks. The only cpmplaint I had was that there were no cookies on the third day, and if that was the worst of my troubles it was a great trip. They have packages on their web site, lots of specials that should keep the price in line with the others.

When we went, some of the people on the boat had buddies, the others were paired up,a nd all went as a group (of buddied couples or 3-somes) with the guide. I think you will find the non wreck dives easy and very interesting -- low stress/high wow factor. If you feel comfortable diving the wrecks, they can accomodate that too.
 
planecrazy29:
Ok, I've done searches, read the sticky's and I still am clueless as to what dive charter to use on my Key Largo Trip.
... but don't worry because they're all good down there.

I've never heard of anybody being charged for a guide because they showed up alone, but I suppose it could happen. Ask when you make the reservation if they'd do that to you. If the answer is "yes" then keep trying.

You might also ask whether they'll want to see relevant experience in a dive log as well, since you are fairly new. I know a couple of destinations and operators that would probably want you to get some experience elsewhere first because of their preferred dive sites.

And... relax, you have plenty of time so don't stress about it. Most people don't make reservations off-season until the night before they drive down.
 
Well, I just got back from Key Largo and used Silent World. They were great, and if you book for five or more trips it's only 39.95 per trip with tanks and weights. They were very personable and we had a lot of fun with them. Definitely not a cattle boat.

I also know that Key Largo Brent on here works for Blue World and they are a great little outfit too.
 
I did 4 dives last weekend with Bluewater Divers of Key Largo. Saturday afternoon we did two reef dives and they paired me up with another diver on the boat. Sunday morning we dove the USCG Cutter Duane and this is an advanced deep dive. I paid $50.00 for a instructor from Bluewater named Sally as a guide. Yes, it cost me but I learned so much from that experiance. The second dive was a drift dive and I learned even more! Currently, I have 14 dives logged in my book. See my thread on Bluewater Divers of Key Largo, FL.

Give Bluewaters a try! Their boat holds only ten divers...this is great.

http://www.bluewaterdiver.net/

Tim
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/
https://xf2.scubaboard.com/community/forums/cave-diving.45/

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