Rainbow Reef Dive Center — Local services in Key Largo

What a wonderful way to become acquainted with the underwater world. We were coming to Florida for my daughter’s senior trip and decided that scuba diving would be the icing on the cake. We talked to Lou when we called in to make arrangements. Originally we were just going to discover diving for a one-day experience, but found out that if we were willing to take the class before that we could do our complete certification in two days of diving in open water diving on the reef out in Key Largo. We decided that all three of us would participate and what an amazing experience!!! The class you take before was definitely at least eight hours long online but you could hop on hop off. And the information was solid. When you’re going to participate in some thing that has life or death consequences, you want to make sure that you understand everything. And through the course and then through the personal instruction, we felt completely safe and prepared to handle any possible emergency. Our instructor Todd was fantastic. It was just the three of us in the class and he gave us all the time and attention we needed to accomplish each skill in an orderly fashion. He would describe and then demonstrate, and then go through the steps again and make sure we understood what we were going to do when we were under the water. but we were able to jump right into the pool and begin understanding what it was that we needed to do and by the afternoon he had us out in the open water being able to experience that amazing part of our world that most people don’t ever get to see. Safety was obviously highest importance, but he taught in such a way that you never felt controlled or belittled. Everything he did was empowering. We stayed on the ropes and had eyes on us at all times to make sure that we were comfortable and safe for most of the first day. We learned underwater communications so that we could, let the instructor and our fellow drivers know how we were doing. We did all of the skills in the open water that we had learned in the pool that morning. I was amazed at how much we were able to accomplish in such a short time. A few hours in the pool in the morning and then, a half hour or so to a Reef out in the keys. Everyone on the boat was super helpful and friendly. I did get sick the first day, but that was handled beautifully and I was able to get out and get under the water where I didn’t feel sick anymore. I don’t know how I could more highly recommend this as an opportunity to certify in such a short time, but yet feels so thoroughly confident. In two days of diving, we saw barracuda, a reef, shark, a stingray, literally thousands of fish, a memorial to a fallen diver, and tons of coral and plant life. I’m completely hooked. My daughters are as well. Now we need to get my husband and my sons out there for a course. The classes are very reasonably priced. I will note that the instructor is paid less than minimum wage and therefore a hefty tip is greatly appreciated. And after you spend two solid days with him introducing you to an entire new world and making sure that you’re safe in the process, you’ll feel very comfortable making that...

The staff and crew were friendly and welcoming, and the equipment was modern and well-maintained, initially suggesting a positive experience. However, issues arose with the divemaster and dive experience.

As a rescue diver with 50+ dives, I found the divemaster’s behavior alarming and unsafe. Typically, divemaster's conduct pre-dive briefings, coordinate descents, and create a safe environment. This divemaster, however, operated with a “every man for himself” attitude, descending without coordination and swimming off immediately.

My dive buddy, a beginner on her 3rd post-certification dive, had trouble descending due to jaw pain. Despite my attempts to signal the divemaster with a rattle, he was already too far away. After assessing my buddy’s issue at the surface and attempting a second descent with the backup regulator (at the advice of the boat crew), we couldn’t locate the divemaster or our group. My buddy's jaw pain continued and she decided to surface and return to the boat, leaving me to end my dive as well due to unfamiliarity with the dive site and lack of navigation equipment (the divemaster and group no where in sight).

When I confronted the divemaster, he claimed that he had heard my rattle and surfaced. He apparently watched us from afar and when he saw us descend the 2nd time, he assumed we were diving on our own (this was never discussed and he knew nothing of our skill levels or equipment) and didn’t check on us. Such assumptions and lack of coordination are unacceptable for divemaster conduct.

The staff discussed the situation and refunded my tank, showing friendliness and cooperation. However, the manager’s dismissal of the issue and partial blame on me for not asking the boat crew where the divers were was disheartening. Yes, I could have asked the boat crew where the group was. Why was that the situation in the first place? And no, I didn't feel like diving without a buddy and with a divemaster who was willing to leave us behind without any communication or coordination. The divemaster's behavior, especially leaving us during descent, is unacceptable.

The manager also said that his staff don't do pre-dive briefings and planning because if we have a guide we are supposed to follow him and they don't want their divers following a pre-dive plan in case the guide decides to make a change. I'll leave that idiotic logic there for you to process, but also add, that is not what PADI safety standards dictate and I have never had a divemaster not provide a briefing.

Despite the friendly staff and good equipment, I cannot recommend this dive shop due to their poor divemaster training and safety practices. Experienced divers who prefer navigating themselves might find it acceptable, but for those relying on divemaster support and safety, I would advise against diving with this shop. Additionally, the dive was cut short at 42 minutes with ample air remaining, raising questions about...

The overall experience was pretty good.

Pros: The boats are pretty big. There's plenty of room onboard for a large bag, but if you have a dive box, you can simply leave it by the picnic tables behind the dive shop, which is conveniently located right next to the docks. The crew was friendly and knowledgeable, for the most part. The dive shop has two restrooms (men's/women's) inside and six changing stations out back, along with a gear rinse station.

Cons: The check-in process was a complete disaster. I don't know if the crew was just having an off-day or it was a problem with their systems or what... but it was pretty messy. Somehow, they weren't tracking that I ordered NITROX for our dives. So we had to stand in line for 20 minutes to get it added, only to find out that the line we were in couldn't process that part of the check-in... Luckily, the next person in line for the other station let us skip ahead. Then, once everyone was on the boat, the crew had quite a hard time reading the names off. Some people weren't on the list at all, while others were listed twice, which of course led to another delay. Lastly, they waited until the boat was underway to give their briefs. If they DID brief their ladder etiquette, I didn't hear it. On other boat dives, they want you to firmly grasp the lowest step of the ladder and keep it at arm's length while you remove your fins. When I attempted to do that on this charter, you'd have thought I drowned a baby dolphin. The crew were NOT happy about that. So, I backed up and flailed about on a lose line for 2 minutes trying to get my fins off...

This last point is somewhat beyond the control of the dive crew, but it did impact our overall experience with the shop. I booked this dive charter specifically to see the Spiegel Grove wreck. I paid an extra fee for NITROX for that dive. Spent hours watching videos and looking at dive maps for that dive. When we arrived on the wreck site, one of the dive masters got in to check the conditions. There was a decent amount of current above the wreck. The decision was made to change the dive location because a class of open-water students was on board, and they were concerned about the current. Now, had they mentioned that anywhere at all online or during the payment process or check-in, I'd have no issues with that. But we were never told that our dive location could potentially be moved because of the inexperience of other divers onboard until it was happening. Personally, I don't think the Spiegel Grove location is an appropriate site for instruction. But, hey, that's just me.

As it were, it was a positive experience. Fletch was our guide and did a very good job showing us around and keeping us safe. If you want to have a good experience with Rainbow Reef, bring plenty of patience and pay attention to the briefs. If you can't hear them, ask them to repeat what they're saying. It might save you the headache we...