Scuba diving in Key Largo?

Question

Help!

Im going scuba diving in kay largo, Fl over Spring break.

what are some good shops to rent gear and dive with???

prices??

Answer 1

There are plenty of dive shops all over Key Largo to rent from. I dove Key Largo yrs. ago & it was some of the best diving I've done. The coral reefs & colorful tropicl fish are just like the Caribbean. You'll love it & the water down will be warm, even at this time of yr. You may not need a full wetsuit.

I would recommend renting from a dive shop that also offers a dive charter & then rent your gear from them & take the charter with them. They may have a package price which includes the rental price & charter price. Just drive & look. There are dive flags all over the place {red with white diagonal stripe}. This means that there's a dive shop and/or dive charter there.

There are plenty of dive shops & there are all great in Key Largo except for anything on the west coast. Don't dive the west coast no matter what. All the best diving is on the east coast of the island.

I believe I paid about $40.00 for my charter & it was a two tank dive for half the day--7 or 8 a.m. until about noon. The boats are all great & you'll dive to about 40-50 feet which is all you need down there to see everything.

The price has probably gone up since the last time I dove there was almost 20 yrs. ago. Also, I own my own equip. so I didn't have to rent but I do know a lot places have package deals & you save a lot so just ask. You can also snorkel or skin dive on these charters. GOOD LUCK!!

If you wnat more details then search the web for diving in Key Largo--they are plenty of websites for all your info.

Answer 2

Hi -

When I dove in Key Largo, I went out with the operator in Pennenkamp State Park (which is a marine preserve). I had my own equipment and I don't recall them having rentals.

There were lots of shops that sold dive gear and they may have also rented it.

So - to answer your question, I dog into my old Scuba Diving magazines. The February 2007 issue had reader ratings of Florida Key dive operators. The top rated operator in Key Largo was Horizon Divers with an overall rating of 94.8 (out of 100). Next was a tie between Amy Slate's Amoray Dive Resort and Ocean Divers at 88.9, then Rainbow Reef at 84.2 and Silent world at 83.7. Horizon Divers charged $75 for a two tank boat dive with weights - most others also charge $75, but Ocean Divers charged $80. Silent World charged $65.  I don't know how much it costs to rent gear.

Favorite Key Largo dives were the Elbow, Molasses, Carysfort, and French Reefs, and the Spiegel Grove (wreck).

When you aren't diving, you might enjoy kayaking on the bay side.  

Have a great time diving - and I hope this helps.