There are over 100 spectacular sites that we regularly visit spanning 7 different reef systems just off Key Largo. We are lucky enough to be sitting right smack in the heart of the Dive and Snorkel Capital of the World on the 3rd largest natural barrier reef on the planet! There are NO bad sites around here! We will typically be moored in about 20-35 feet of water, from the surface to the sand, which we know initially sounds DEEP to snorkelers but it's really not and here's why...
We have some of the most stunningly beautiful and dynamic coral formations in the area and most of them rise off the ocean floor by 8-15 feet meaning you will only be about 10-15 away from the corals and plethora of critters in the water. You will be deep enough to get an opportunity to see more than just the itty bitty reef fish that hang out in the super shallow locations. You may get to see stingrays, sea turtles, eels, lobsters, crabs, sharks and so much more! The other benefit of being in the slightly deeper water is that you can be vertical in the water column without having to worry too much about your fins hitting, kicking or damaging the delicate corals below which is a VERY common occurrance in the much shallower locations. Some of the locations we visit WILL be shallow enough for this to happen so be sure to pay close attention to the Captain's directions about where to swim! The last thing we want is to cause more harm to our precious and fragile reefs!
Site selections are Captain's Call. We hire only the most experienced Captains with extensive knowledge of local waters. They are experts on finding the best possible sites based on conditions each day. We select the sites for each trip just before the boat leaves the dock because that's when the Captain will have the most recent and accurate weather, water, safety and other miscellaneous reef conditions available so we can weigh out all the factors and determine where we will be able to get you the safest trip combined with the best conditions such as least amount of current, best visibility and lowest possibility of pesky critters like jellyfish and the fewest #floridaman shennanigans types of incidents! We super duper pinky promise you, we do not visit any bad sites here in Key Largo with paying guests on board. As a small business that depends on reviews and word of mouth recommendations to stay in business, we can't afford to take you to bad spots. We are the longest running dive shop in the Florida Keys so we know we are doing something right. Trust us, we are going to take you somewhere breathtaking!
If you have a special request for a particular location, feel free to talk with the Captain the day of your trip. Whenever possible, we will be happy to try to get you there, if we can't get you there, we will be happy to explain the reasons why!
Our guests have VERY good chances to see any/all of the following critters: Sharks (nurse, Carribbean reef, blacktip reef, hammerhead, dusky, silky, bonnethead, tiger, sandbar, etc.), Sea Turtles (green & hawksbill are the most commonly sighted BUT we do have occasional sightings of loggerheads, leatherbacks and Ridley's as well)! We regularly see southern stingrays, spotted eagle rays, in the summer months we sometimes see manta rays, several species of eels are in the area including green moray, goldentail, brown spotted and several others, barracuda, lobsters, crabs, ALL THE PRETTY REEF FISH you can imagine including: multiple species of parrotfish, Queen Anne, French and gray angelfish, trumpetfish, tangs, sergeant majors, snapper, trunkfish, puffers, and SO MANY more! Plus all the different species and colors of the corals!
Conditions at sea and typical guest experiences...
For some FABULOUS information about sea sickness prevention, please see our "Trip Advice From The Pros" page under the About Us tab!
Flat Calm/Glass = Smiles for miles and absolute perfection!
Less than 1 footers = Smiles for miles but drink plenty of water and take a motion sickness preventative if you get queasy easily!
1 - 2 footers = Mostly smiles and fun, the boat will be rocking and dipping with the motion very noticeably. Unless you are very seasoned on the waves take a seasickness preventative!
2 - 3 footers = 50/50 odds that you will be either all smiles OR feeding the fishies your lunch. Take a preventative, drink lots of water and avoid anything spicy/greasy the day before and day of your trip! Dry starchy carbs and/or smoothies are great options!
3 - 4 footers = We will very likely warn everyone that it's going to be sporty and bumpy on the water. We will often ask snorkelers about experience levels and comfort in the water and offer to rebook your trip or refund you because we want you to have a great time. This is also the typical upper limit for us taking out newer or more inexperienced divers. TAKE A PREVENTATIVE!!!
4 - 5 footers = VERY experienced/advanced divers ONLY. X-Games level seas and with very few exceptions, we will not leave the dock with seas any higher than this. TAKE A PREVENTATIVE and maintain a minimum of 3 points of contact at ALL times on the boat.
Some of the exceptions to these conditions are slow rollers. These are waves that slowly roll over the reef and don't necessarily present unsafe/unpleasant contitions. We have cancelled trips with very choppy and confused seas that were only 2 footers but when combined with high winds and strong current/poor visibility it would be an absolute nightmare in the water. Think about it like this, we do this twice a day, seven days a week weather permitting. We are REALLY good at knowing what conditions make a safe, enjoyable trip and what conditions will leave people huddled on the floor, puking and being miserable. I'm sure y'all have seen a few reviews that mention half the boat feeding the fish, and YES it does occasionally happen. BUT what those reviews don't mention is that we spoke at length with each and every guest on board those trips and explained in detail what conditions would be like, offered to rebook/refund them and they insisted they wanted to go out and found out that we were very accurate in our descriptions of what conditions would be like. We genuinely are here to show you and your group the BEST possible experience and we will be very honest with you about what to expect on the day of your trip!
We have some of the most stunningly beautiful and dynamic coral formations in the area and most of them rise off the ocean floor by 8-15 feet meaning you will only be about 10-15 away from the corals and plethora of critters in the water. You will be deep enough to get an opportunity to see more than just the itty bitty reef fish that hang out in the super shallow locations. You may get to see stingrays, sea turtles, eels, lobsters, crabs, sharks and so much more! The other benefit of being in the slightly deeper water is that you can be vertical in the water column without having to worry too much about your fins hitting, kicking or damaging the delicate corals below which is a VERY common occurrance in the much shallower locations. Some of the locations we visit WILL be shallow enough for this to happen so be sure to pay close attention to the Captain's directions about where to swim! The last thing we want is to cause more harm to our precious and fragile reefs!
Site selections are Captain's Call. We hire only the most experienced Captains with extensive knowledge of local waters. They are experts on finding the best possible sites based on conditions each day. We select the sites for each trip just before the boat leaves the dock because that's when the Captain will have the most recent and accurate weather, water, safety and other miscellaneous reef conditions available so we can weigh out all the factors and determine where we will be able to get you the safest trip combined with the best conditions such as least amount of current, best visibility and lowest possibility of pesky critters like jellyfish and the fewest #floridaman shennanigans types of incidents! We super duper pinky promise you, we do not visit any bad sites here in Key Largo with paying guests on board. As a small business that depends on reviews and word of mouth recommendations to stay in business, we can't afford to take you to bad spots. We are the longest running dive shop in the Florida Keys so we know we are doing something right. Trust us, we are going to take you somewhere breathtaking!
If you have a special request for a particular location, feel free to talk with the Captain the day of your trip. Whenever possible, we will be happy to try to get you there, if we can't get you there, we will be happy to explain the reasons why!
Our guests have VERY good chances to see any/all of the following critters: Sharks (nurse, Carribbean reef, blacktip reef, hammerhead, dusky, silky, bonnethead, tiger, sandbar, etc.), Sea Turtles (green & hawksbill are the most commonly sighted BUT we do have occasional sightings of loggerheads, leatherbacks and Ridley's as well)! We regularly see southern stingrays, spotted eagle rays, in the summer months we sometimes see manta rays, several species of eels are in the area including green moray, goldentail, brown spotted and several others, barracuda, lobsters, crabs, ALL THE PRETTY REEF FISH you can imagine including: multiple species of parrotfish, Queen Anne, French and gray angelfish, trumpetfish, tangs, sergeant majors, snapper, trunkfish, puffers, and SO MANY more! Plus all the different species and colors of the corals!
Conditions at sea and typical guest experiences...
For some FABULOUS information about sea sickness prevention, please see our "Trip Advice From The Pros" page under the About Us tab!
Flat Calm/Glass = Smiles for miles and absolute perfection!
Less than 1 footers = Smiles for miles but drink plenty of water and take a motion sickness preventative if you get queasy easily!
1 - 2 footers = Mostly smiles and fun, the boat will be rocking and dipping with the motion very noticeably. Unless you are very seasoned on the waves take a seasickness preventative!
2 - 3 footers = 50/50 odds that you will be either all smiles OR feeding the fishies your lunch. Take a preventative, drink lots of water and avoid anything spicy/greasy the day before and day of your trip! Dry starchy carbs and/or smoothies are great options!
3 - 4 footers = We will very likely warn everyone that it's going to be sporty and bumpy on the water. We will often ask snorkelers about experience levels and comfort in the water and offer to rebook your trip or refund you because we want you to have a great time. This is also the typical upper limit for us taking out newer or more inexperienced divers. TAKE A PREVENTATIVE!!!
4 - 5 footers = VERY experienced/advanced divers ONLY. X-Games level seas and with very few exceptions, we will not leave the dock with seas any higher than this. TAKE A PREVENTATIVE and maintain a minimum of 3 points of contact at ALL times on the boat.
Some of the exceptions to these conditions are slow rollers. These are waves that slowly roll over the reef and don't necessarily present unsafe/unpleasant contitions. We have cancelled trips with very choppy and confused seas that were only 2 footers but when combined with high winds and strong current/poor visibility it would be an absolute nightmare in the water. Think about it like this, we do this twice a day, seven days a week weather permitting. We are REALLY good at knowing what conditions make a safe, enjoyable trip and what conditions will leave people huddled on the floor, puking and being miserable. I'm sure y'all have seen a few reviews that mention half the boat feeding the fish, and YES it does occasionally happen. BUT what those reviews don't mention is that we spoke at length with each and every guest on board those trips and explained in detail what conditions would be like, offered to rebook/refund them and they insisted they wanted to go out and found out that we were very accurate in our descriptions of what conditions would be like. We genuinely are here to show you and your group the BEST possible experience and we will be very honest with you about what to expect on the day of your trip!