Best beginner dive center and shallow diving near Miami and Ft Lauderdale

[sportxlh]

For the beginner, timid diver, no doubt at all, go to Key Largo. Shallow reefs, little to no current. I have a home in SE Florida and recommend it to many. The deeper, drift dives are better left to later.

Scubadada: what do you think about the shallow reefs in Pompano and LBTS? I agree that the deeper ones might not make sense for a newbie. The shallow reefs and Copenhagen wreck are pretty shallow 25 foot dives and are fairly easy. There are a lot of shops that do training on those shallow reefs

 

[scubadada]

Scubadada: what do you think about the shallow reefs in Pompano and LBTS? I agree that the deeper ones might not make sense for a newbie. The shallow reefs and Copenhagen wreck are pretty shallow 25 foot dives and are fairly easy. There are a lot of shops that do training on those shallow reefs

Hi @sportxlh

I spent about a dozen years diving in the upper Keys and SE FL before I decided to buy my home in Hypoluxo, just north of Boynton Beach. In my opinion, the multiple shallow reefs without current in Key Largo are the easiest place for new divers. Of course, I decided to live in one of the best drift diving areas anywhere

Good diving, Craig

 

[motorref]

I can only relate personal experience, as I am not as knowledgeable about the local area as some of the others here, but I was in a similar situation last year with my wife - "water timid" was a great way to describe her (and still is) as she was reluctant to get her hair and face wet; we connected with Alec out of the Force E Boca Raton store, and I cannot say enough good things about him - knowledgeable, patient, calming,,, I could go on and on.
Valerie (my wife) had difficulties with the mask removal tasking, and I had I had to spend several nights working with her in the pool before she was comfortable enough with it to pass; we then scheduled a trip to Pompano Beach, spoke with Alec, and he suggested Blue Heron Bridge as a starter, to get her comfortable in the water. This was probably the best thing he could have done!
Once he was satisfied with her skills, only then did we do a boat dive, where he had her repeat the skills test; after a few "tense" moments Valerie finally accomplished everything required, and we did a couple of dives in the ocean; she doesn't dive as much as I do, but likes to do shallow reefs, etc., and is slowly becoming an addict!

I think the key here isn't so much as where you do it, but the instructor that she will have; I'd strongly urge you to reach out and talk to them to make sure they understand your (and your wife's) concerns; a couple of months ago we were staying at Singer Island, and my wife had a new (prescription) mask that she wanted to try out, so I hired a guide from a local shop; I explained that my wife was timid and that we needed an experienced guide that would stay with her; things were good until we got to the shop and changed guides on us. The person we were given was a complete waste of my time and money, as all she said was "keep up"; my wife got so frustrated that she walked out 10 minutes later.

KevinL

 

[luscioman]

The reefs in Miami-Dade are around 20-30 feet on avg. They are for the most part too far to swim to from the beach so you will need to go on a charter boat. There is also a the Neptune memorial which is a rendition of the lost city of Atlantis that is pretty neat in about 40 feet. There are 2 different charter companies that do trips in the area.

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