Starfish Scuba — Attraction in Boynton Beach

We booked a last-minute dive trip with this boat company weeks ago and wanted to share my experience. We, three girls, were accommodated on short notice, which was appreciated, and joined another girl and her guide for the dive on the same morning. The Captain asked for $200 for our group to join the guide to have her services. However, a few aspects of the trip left me with a less-than-positive impression.

Upon arriving, we informed the staff that this was our second open-water dive and, of course, our first time diving in rough conditions like that day. Unfortunately, our interaction with the guide was limited since she was booked in advance for the other girl. I faced difficulty descending (I needed more weight, and one of my fins came off and fell, but one of my friends was able to get it back to me). I was in the process of calming down to continue descending, but the guide kept descending with the rest of the group. Since the conditions weren’t the best, at some point, the guide disappeared below me into the dark water. As a result, I had to decide whether to try to chase after the guide or ascend. Feeling stressed by the turbulent water, I chose to surface. After waiting several minutes, the guide still didn't show up, but my other friend did.

We attempted to grab the attention of the boat crew, waving and shouting for help. When they finally came to get us, the dive master (I don’t remember his name) was exceptional and very thoughtful with us. When we were already on the boat (more than 10 min after we ascended), the guide finally showed up on the surface to check about us. Since we, my friend and I, realized the guide (that we paid in advance) couldn’t give the service that we were expecting as new divers, as explained on their website: “Our dive guides offer a personalized experience from start to finish with you and your group. Your dive guide is there to be your personal super star of the day. They will help you with your equipment, go over dive theory, help refresh you with certain skills if you wish… Our guides are willing to help with anything and everything. We believe a dive guide is not just there to carry a flag or point out a certain fish but to help guide you to being a better all around diver.”, we decided to stay in the boat.

However, despite several attempts to address my concerns with the captain, Christ, since we felt that the reason we didn’t have a successful dive that day was that the person who was supposed to ensure our safety, enjoyment, and be our guide failed to do any of the things we hired her for.

The Captain showed a complete lack of concern, compassion, or professionalism. He not only disagreed but berated and ridiculed us with comments such as "We're not here to babysit you" and "You should go back and get re-certified," which were not only unprofessional but also discouraging.

This review is to share an account of my experience. I hope it serves as feedback for these new divers who are looking for a good experience. This is not the place. The Captain (and owner of the boat) was very clear about not having any intention to offer a quality service for new divers.

Moreover, the Captain charged me more money on my credit card than we agreed, and he didn’t send me any receipt for the transaction. Not only extremely rude...

Chris runs one of the top dive companies in all of South Florida, which puts Starfish Scuba as the best out of Boynton Beach. Their 36' boat is well fitted and gives plenty of space and shade. Two ladders help ease pickup from the drift diving, and a max dive time of 60 min on both dives (EAN) /45 on air (I think). I've never waited more than 3 mins after surfacing to get picked up. Like other charters South of West Palm, a DM would need to be booked privately to be in the water, and someone in your dive group needs to carry a dive flag. They have them on board, since most divers don't tend to bring. (SMB does NOT count) İf you have an extra reel in your arsenal, bring it. Otherwise it's a simple rope and Trident float line holder. I've used this on my dozens of dives, and it's straight forward. Honestly, with the reefs around 60' and the reef system not quite so defined in ledges like Jupiter, I like that they always have eyes on your location. I probably should have led with th this, but Boynton Beach has the best reef diversity north of The Keys. Barrel sponges for days, and many schooling fish. Great for macro photos and learning our local fish. You'll be hard pressed not to find examples of all SoFlo's reef fish. Sharks, rays, and turtles make regular appearances. Chris and crew give excellent dive briefings to really help maximize dive planning with your buddy and your day under the water, taking into consideration the dive profile and experience of friends. even doing multiple drops for groups geared up vs waiting for stragglers or a last minute gear shift. It both gives newer or slower divers ample time without the pressure of a whole boat waiting, And for those ready quickly - or seasick! - gets us in the water faster. they're the only charter I've seen do this, and not just dropping hunters first. We've never had a complaint or even criticism of the trips. Katie is a spectacular deck hand. Tho it had been a year since we last went out, they recognized us, our diving experience, and gave us a separate briefing with waypoints and landmarks that were clear enough for us to follow, as if she was in the water with us. So, just book 'em already! You might see a...

Incredible experience. Maggie the instructor had the "patience of Job" with me. I'm almost a 60years old, and have two children ages 15 and 18 years and I have dreamed of scuba diving since I was very young. Maggie taught all the skills needed for open water diving certification in a pool, then used those skills in the ocean at 15 feet with 2 dives at a spectacular place where we saw giant starfish, small stingrays, beautiful blue colored fish, with purple and yellow colored fish too. We saw barrel coral that looked like the petrified forest underwater, and the best part we had at least a 1000 1-2" inch school of fish surround us like a tornado for several minutes and as the light reflected on them there were flashes of pearl and silver light so bright it looked like fireworks going off in unison as the fish moved one direction that another. On the 3-4th dive we were able to dive down to 60 feet, we saw red, purple blue, green, yellow, orange colored fish, beautiful colored giant fan coral, other types of coral, large lobster, pufferfish, larger stingrays, and some sleeping nurse sharks, and schools of fish. You are so amazed that every turn of your head you are blasted with another changing scenery of an amazing underworld of sealife. Wow I wish I could tell you how safe we felt as maggie had other scuba helpers and instructor go with us down on our last dive. All our instructions allowed us a safe and amazing experience I shall never forget. Definitely a bucket list highlight of my life, and my children still can't stop talking about it. I am definitely excited about my completed open water certification and feel confident this summer I can continue diving following Maggie's diving instructions. Next time I am hoping to see a sea turtle. Thank you starfish, you are by far the best diving...