Ocean Divers

Despite the intense swells on the sea and a lot of sea sickness, we had a great afternoon of diving with Ocean Divers!
My husband had to take a refresher course in the morning because, despite having plenty of experience, it had been a few years since his last dive. He can be a cranky old man sometimes when it comes to things like this but the instructor worked really well with him and respected his experience while making sure they got the requirements out of the way.
Meanwhile, we were supposed to have two snorkelers with us and Ocean Divers called me early in the morning to warn us of the swells, allowing them to make an informed decision. The snorkelers decided to bail (and thank God they did because the swells were 3 – 5′ that day) with no financial consequences.
I had to rent my BCD and regulator. The gear was practically brand new and very well maintained. Boat was in great shape too.
The captain and the dive masters/​staff were very helpful getting us in and out, especially with the rocky seas.
This was my first post-​certification dive and even though there are a ton of dive centers in KEy Largo, I am absolutely glad we went with Ocean Divers. I was given plenty of room to exercise my certification but the staff was very approachable, patient, and helpful when I had questions or needed assistance.

Great day of diving. Dived the Spiegel Grove. Perfect Day

My dive buddy and I had booked two days of diving with Ocean Divers well in advance. The idea was to dive the Duane and the Spiegel Grove on two consecutive days. I got a call from the dive shop a few days before we were due to arrive, telling me that the schedule had been changed and that we couldn’t dive the Duane. I sent an e-​mail to Terry Schaefer, one of the supervisors and received a response within a couple of hours. She and Connie, the manager of the dive shop, made arrangements for me to dive the Duane with another shop and to dive the Spiegel Grove with them the following day. This is one of the very best customer service experiences that I have ever had.
Ocean Divers is a very professional, well run dive op. They take safety very seriously. They were meticulous in roll calls, boat briefings and pre-​dive briefings. Captain Joe is a good guy. We had a great day of diving and I would strongly recommend them.

We had such a great dive experience with ocean divers. We made the trip out to snapper ledge and molasses reef. Incredible! We hired a guide, abby, who spotted everything for us. Tons of sharks that day, turtles, lobster, rays and thousands of fish. The best dive company I have gone out with.

We had a great scuba dive with Ocean Divers. The boat was not packed with people for one and they accommodated both snorkeling and diving on the same trip. They were safety conscience without being overboard. I am a new diver, so I appreciated that they had a dive master on board. I had problems adjusting my weights and they were really calm and patient helping me with my issues.
They were the first ones out on the sights so we got the prime spots. I highly recommend them.

Great experience with Ocean Divers. The boats are well equipped and very nice folks, captain, dive master, first matte and staff onboard very knowledgeable and pleasant. Great trips to the artificial reef shipwrecks off the coast of Key Largo and beautiful snorkling. The water was clear and we saw many fish and turtles. Prices are reasonable. An incredible experience!

I came to get my stepson and me certified for open water diving. Ocean Divers’ professional and courteous staff helped us through everything. Our instructor, Dave, was caring and very competent. Go to Ocean Divers for your training and ask for Dave! Connie was awesome, too, on setting our arrangements and explaining everything. The one thing you have to watch is your medical release. They want everything done perfectly (which is a good thing). Make sure to ask about anything you do not understand! They will help you do things right!

Had a great time diving with Ocean Divers. My husband and I did out check out dive with them and Kim was an excellent instructor. She made sure we felt safe and confident in the water and helped us every step of them way.
After getting certified we did a few dives as official certified divers with Ocean Divers and had an equally amazing experience. The crew was friendly and helpful, the equipment was top of the line and the diving itself was truly incredible.

Had a really great experience with Ocean divers. My wife and I used Kim at Ocean Divers for our open water check out dive.
Kim made sure we were comfortable in every situation and was an excellent teacher. As a former teacher myself, she embodies many of the qualities a good teacher should be. If you have the choice, use her!
Apart from Kim, the company had it’s act together. Good equipment, friendly staff, and good dive sites.

Wonderful staff. Wonderful trip. Got certified this week and it was awesome. Very nice folks, captains, dive masters, first mates, other divers etc. I enjoyed this trip and since it was my fist open water experience, they made it very easy!
Thanks

One of my favorite charters and dive shops in the Keys. I did my divemaster and IDC there in 2007 and have been back several times to dive with them. The staff is great and very knowledgeable. I will definitely dive with them again next time I’m in the Keys.

AVOID THEM!
I dove with them in Dec of ’12 and still remember my bad experience. At the time I had just gotten my open water dive certification and went diving in FL with Ocean Divers.
Several key things bothered me:
1) After getting my open water dive certification in the midwest this was my FIRST dive in the ocean. I made that known to the dive master. When we were ready to jump in the dive master DID NOT accompany any of the divers on the dive. While this may be acceptable by diving guidelines I have NEVER seen that in almost subsequent 40 dives in Mexico, Thailand, Cuba, etc. I was a total rookie and they let me jump into the ocean with a complete stranger (dive buddy). Sure he tried to do his best to help with minor issues I had but to me I’ll never go diving with a shop where the dive master doesn’t accompany a group. It feels like bad practice to let someone so inexperienced figure it out in the ocean and risk their life. I kept my cool and managed to get through it okay but what about someone that panics? To not have a dive master there to watch over you and show you around terrain and sea life you’re not familiar with is a scary idea! In retrospect I shouldn’t have gotten off the boat and I should have asked for my money back.
2) I called several times and was told their 2 tank dive rates were the same as everyone else I had called (about $ 115 including gear for 2 tank dives). When I got there they charged me $ 150!
Do yourself a favor and avoid this place. The money isn’t as big a deal as the dive master not joining all the other divers. If I were a dive master or shop the safety of my customers would be #1 not just for the sake of my shops reputation but also for my own personal standards of safety.
Good luck & dive safe.

Great two dives in key largo.

If you are looking for a wonderful diving instructor, this is hands down the place to go! I started my scuba certification process earlier this summer in Key West and had a horrible experience with an even more horrible instructor. So much so that I almost gave up on diving altogether. When I returned home, I had someone recommend Ocean Divers in Key Largo to me, and said I should try them before quitting. I am so glad that I did. I just spent 2 days diving with «Scuba Steve», finished my certification, and am now super excited to go diving again! He went above and beyond with answering questions and making scuba a fun experience! Even though the weather was not conducive to boat dives, Steve found other alternatives so we could get experience diving and finish our certs. All the people in the shop were fun and friendly, as well as knowledgable. I would definitely recommend this dive shop !

In order to keep this short I’m only going to focus on the biggest issue I had with them. I went on a boat with my husband (my dive buddy) we were told before boarding that there were 6 people on board. Once we were on our way we were grouped into two groups of 3. No one bothered to ok this with my husband and me first, which as far as I was taught is a big safety issue. We should never have agreed to this, but we were trying to be corporative. First dive, we spent time talking with the 3^rd guy going over gear and signals as well as the dive plan. During the dive this guy didn’t follow a single bit of the plan among a bunch of other issues. Neither my husband or I felt comfortable diving with him again.
When we got back on the boat I quietly explained this to one of the crew. I assumed that would be the end of that. No. Second dive comes up, I get told by the captain that he «isn’t able to accommodate my request» A bunch of fuss and hassle later, my husband and I are not allowed to dive without the 3^rd guy. We were told, «He paid for two dives.»
This is completely absurd. He paid for dives. Not to dive with us. Simple, done.
Once we got back to shore we demanded a refund, which we eventually got. I may have upped the rating to 2 stars because of this, but they were about as rude as they could be while giving the refund. No apology, no promise to revise this add on diver policy. And the worst bit as we were leaving we were told. «That guy you are complaining about is a master scuba instructor and therefore more qualified than you.» First this comment isn’t helpful, it’s rude. Second, if truly was that qualified he should not have done 90% of the things he did during that dive.
Find another dive shop. If for some reason you think they still deserve your business at least be VERY clear before you give them money what you will and will not be doing.

Excellent dive shop with professional friendly people! Everyone who works for sun divers is fully knowledgeable of what their role is within this family own business! Great people to have a conversation! The captain does not mind sharing his experience with the divers and he can come up with great stories!!!

Excellent dive shop with professional and friendly staff, located right on the water so you don’t have to lug your gear too far. I really only wish I lived closer to be able to dive with them weekly or at the very least monthly. They explained the dives well, assisted as much as expected and had sliced oranges after the last dive, that coupled with the fact that they fit us in at the last minute and are priced right tipped me to 5 stars.
Bonus is that Sharkey’s is right there (no, not the one with the pier) so you can grab a beer and burger when you get done!

They are good, not a petie operator, large but friendly and good attentions to details and safety. Magan could be intemidating with her voice and style of communication but she is nice. Captial Joe is very nice, very detail explanation on dives sites and gave recommendation on how to explore. I spent 4.5 hours below 1 day with a couple of dives went to 80 minutes still with 900psi air left. They didn’t give us any adtitute … Highly recommended.

I’ve dived with Ocean divers in 1998 and 2010. They have always been helpful with equipment issues. They’re easy to rent from and give you a good heads up about what to look for that’s of interest at each dive site.

I am caught between a 3.5 and a full fledged 4. They’re missing that SOMETHING that’ll push it to a 4 or a 5.
I went on a total of 14 dives with them this year (10 last year) with my college group. They didn’t do anything wrong… I just feel they didn’t do enough. We were certifying perhaps 10 people for open water and advanced. These new divers, like all new divers, needed help and some rescues (minor rescues). The boat crew didn’t do much to help out with the rescues and let the school group do most of them.
In fact, last year when I was getting my Open Water with my college group on Ocean Divers, we were on the line waiting to get on the ladder to board the boat– the dude infront of the line slid off and banged my face with his tank (ouch!) and my mask and reg came out. The crew did nothing to help me and as a 100% new comer, I panicked. But the crew still did nothing. Who helped? My school teacher; he JUMPED into the water, lost his glasses, wallet and so forth. He waited a little bit to see if I would self-​rescue, but sadly I was too scared and didn’t.
I was a brand new diver! give me some slack!
…yes… I can kind of understand why they didn’t help… The school group was large and my teacher is a great rescuer and wonderful person… but a part of their job is to keep us alive… The dive master jumped in a little after my professor did– it would look too bad if he didn’t go. So during that entire time I was choking on water and panicking… no one came until my professor did.
The crew did all the basics of helping when we asked, providing services when we needed it… but I cannot say they deserve all 5 precious stars.
I did not personally feel the crew was BAD; they just were not GREAT.
The boat was fully equipped for divers and they go out to great wrecks like the Duane and Spiegel Grove. No Bibb but I’m not surprised– the Bibb is a SERIOUSLY scary ass wreck that claims divers lives every year.
I will reiterate– Ocean Divers is a good reliable group. However theyre missing that something that brings them above and beyond. I do trust them and do plan to dive with them again.
They offer multi dive packs at a discount– otherwise it was $ 90 for a two tank dive to Duane– ask for a 10% discount and theyll give it to you– but you gotta ask