I had thought it was because they maybe operated a cattle boat, or they offered less service, or their location saved on fuel, etc...
No, the *real reason* the Pennekamp dive shop charges less is because the bloody scuba tanks are NOT included in the trip fee. Yea that's right, you pay for tank rentals separately. Is this (bizarre in my diving experience) listed on their website? No it is not. Should it be listed on their FAQ? Heck yeah it should. I mean, who does this??
So now, factoring in renting tanks, the Pennekamp operator is like $3-8 bucks cheaper than everyone else in Key Largo. However, throw on top the Pennekamp park entrance fee ($4.50 per person), and the cost difference disappears. Needless to say on my next Key Largo trip I will be perusing this fine board for an alternative boat operator. I don't want to have to put up with the park entry fee, finding parking, waiting in lines for the horribly understaffed people to get to me, pay *extra* for tank rentals, blah blah blah. Jeez, I even went mid-week to hopefully avoid seeing a lot of people. I shudder to think what it's like on a weekend in there...
All that said, I liked the boat, the boat crew, and the dive sites were OK. If for some reason I bring my own tanks down (and pull the tank boots off, ugh), I might save a few bucks and go with the Pennekamp dive shop.
No, the *real reason* the Pennekamp dive shop charges less is because the bloody scuba tanks are NOT included in the trip fee. Yea that's right, you pay for tank rentals separately. Is this (bizarre in my diving experience) listed on their website? No it is not. Should it be listed on their FAQ? Heck yeah it should. I mean, who does this??
So now, factoring in renting tanks, the Pennekamp operator is like $3-8 bucks cheaper than everyone else in Key Largo. However, throw on top the Pennekamp park entrance fee ($4.50 per person), and the cost difference disappears. Needless to say on my next Key Largo trip I will be perusing this fine board for an alternative boat operator. I don't want to have to put up with the park entry fee, finding parking, waiting in lines for the horribly understaffed people to get to me, pay *extra* for tank rentals, blah blah blah. Jeez, I even went mid-week to hopefully avoid seeing a lot of people. I shudder to think what it's like on a weekend in there...
All that said, I liked the boat, the boat crew, and the dive sites were OK. If for some reason I bring my own tanks down (and pull the tank boots off, ugh), I might save a few bucks and go with the Pennekamp dive shop.