Any suggestions on a decent priced place in the Keys or somewhere else in Fl that will do a resort dive. I have 100s of hours underwater with a hooka rig dredging for gold, and have SCUBA dived, but not certified. GF and I will be down in the last week of Oct and I think she would enjoy it.

Aviator

@Aviator

Check out Rainbow Reef. Friends of mine love them.

Discover Scuba

It's $175 (full day class) - can't say how that compares price wise as DSDs in the Midwest are done in pools and last several hours total, not all day!

Thanks Marie!

Aviator

I have no personal experience with them, but Rainbow Reef gets a thumbs-up from a couple of my dive buddies. They prefer them over any of the other operations on Key Largo or Key West.

any decent diving on the Keys??

Surely you’re joking?

nope. I couldn't even find many beaches down there!!  

He's not. Beach diving in the Keys is abysmal- you absolutely need a boat to reach the good diving. This is the principal reason why I have never dove in the Keys, since my boats have always been more suited for river and lake fishing than diving.

Besides, Bimini was closer when I had my airplane.

What part of the keys are you planning to stay in? If in or near Key largo, I can recommend Quiescence Diving Services as a full service shop with training, gears sales and maintenance, and three 6 pack boats that go out to Pennecamp Marine Park for shallow dives. Stay in any of the nicer hotels in the keys. Just review them first, there are some recycled "dump" hotels in the keys, or if staying a week use VRBO to book lodging in a condo or vacation house. (Avoid the Seafarer Lodge.)

Amy Slate's Amoray Dive Resort gets good reviews and will put you in lodging that is a short walk to the boat. We have driven onto the property but never used them. The villas are the typical old Keys small block and concrete structures that have been refurbished.

When we go down, we usually rent one of the VRBO listed condos in Seagull Condo Complex in Tavernier and dive with Conch Republic Divers in Tavernier. Our back up is to use Florida Keys Dive Center or use Quiescence Diving Services if we just want shallow dives.

Thanks again everyone. I do appreciate the input!

Aviator

Rainbow Reef is pretty great. The only one I have first-hand knowledge with.

They have awesome boats, great employees, and the diving in the keys is great.
Their dive shop is amazing. They do all certifications. So you could do the online parts before going out, run through a quick classroom orientation, they have a pool right there for confined water training, and then open water is done off the boats. You could probably get your OWD in a couple days with them. Your best bet is to do classes, because, if I'm not mistaken, rental equipment and the boat prices are rolled into the cost of the courses. So if you're going to be diving anyway, get your OWD and AOW.

I did my Rescue, DM, and IDC there and had a great time.

Save your money and do PADI eLearning and a one day pool cert.  Do you open water dives in FLA.

I've dove with Rainbow Reef, and I am most definitely not a fan.  They're friendly enough, but diving with 35 other divers on a 25' deep reef for 40 minutes makes for a crowded and very rushed situation.

I much prefer the smaller operations, like Quiesence.  They have "6-pack" boats, and take as much time on your dive site as you need before moving along.

All KL dive shop prices for two dives are within $20 of each other, but you get a much more personal experience with the smaller outfits.

Key Largo is a weekend getaway for me.
I am down there a fair bit.

Things to consider (killing some pre-conceived notions by those that have not been before).
> there are no real beaches there.  Plenty of rocky, solid shoreline.  Most of it is private.   There are parks you can go to to get water access.  Most will have an entrance fee for non locals.
> above leads to: very little places to stay with with actual ocean view.  If you find one, it's pretty damn expensive.  I have found some boutique places with ocean views that are reasonable.  im me for info.  Rainbow Reef offers lodging and dive packages with close by hotels.   I have done that before and stayed at the Mariot next door.  Nice hotel with marina view (extra $$).  Parking lot view available
> Key West Inn, also next door, is pretty nice, now.  Recent renovations and all rooms have marina (canal) view.
> Doc's diner is across the road from both places and is a must if you like to eat big ass breakfasts

The comments above about crowding on RR boats are true, but not likely during the off season, which is now and the time you are going.  I wouldn't fret about that.
Sea Dwellers is a good option as well.  Their boat is located across the canal from RR. Their shop is nearby on 1.  I have stayed at the Holiday Inn (were their boat is tied up) and would not recommend staying there.  They have rooms with canal views and balcony, but they are a joke being so small and your neighbour's window shaker venting right at you.  Sea Dwellers run only one boat, but there is plenty of room even when full.  I have observed check out dives on both boats, and can say it is definitely more one on one on Sea Dwellers.  Sea Dwellers is not known for 5 min surface intervals,  RR is (basically dropping you 3 min further down the road on the second dive).  I am not trying to disparage RR, I like them as they have their shit together and are pleasant to patronize.  But, their boats are run a strict schedule.

I personally don't mind the cattle-car boats. If you're in a class you're with an instructor. They usually have students wait until the experienced divers are in the ater before entering since it's pretty likely a new diver will suck down a tank faster. So the students shouldn't feel rushed to get off the boat. They almost always have people crewing the boats that will help with rental equipment so once you're done your dives they collect all the weights, regs, and BCs, etc.

If you're just diving, IIRC, the other big sell for RR is they don't charge for dive guides. I believe they're the only game in town that does that, but that might show in the prices.

Does Quiesence have their own pool for confined water instruction?

Every one should dive the Reefs once in there life.

anywhere in the key largo area has many scuba diving options. Get certified and try spear fishing. You can rent a spearfishing gun and have some fun. I did with Key Largo Scuba Diving they were great.