I primarily dive Palm Beach reefs and wrecks with some well established operations for whom most would consider to be the gold standard to reference on how to run not only a dive boat but a dive shop, so, for me, my expectations are always based on the excellent level of customer service I've always received. Dixie Divers does not disappoint and in Broward county it will be difficult to not only find a well stocked shop like Dixie Divers, but you'll find it hard to compare against their dive boat (Lady Go Diver), which is why they'll be my go-to for dives in Broward county.
The shop has a great selection and the staff are super friendly and willing to help with any questions you have. We're Tech divers and we were not disappointed with the selection of equipment for Technical diving either; however, I cannot vouch for expertise in Tech diving in general as we haven't done any technical gear sales, service, or dives (yet) with them but I suspect I wouldn't be disappointed. The fill station offers banked EaN and at the time I got fills the only bank offering was 35%. Normally, where I primarily get my fills, I have three banked options: 32%, 34%, and 36%, so having a single mix choice isn't exactly "ideal" but for the majority of the open water dives most people perform this mixture is just fine, but for the more discerning divers they'll offer to blend the mix down, but this does take a bit more time to accomplish. Partial pressure fill are not offered in their fill station, this is neither a good or bad thing as lots of places don't do it because of the risks involved and the constant training of staff can be daunting; thus, if you need a partial pressure fill for something you'll have to find another fill station. Finally, they do offer fill cards based on the sizes of tanks you're planning to fill, so they're "per-fill" cards.
The boat is a 46' Newton, which is the quintessential dive boat. There is plenty of room on the boat and the under-bench storage has plenty of room. Parking is free and close by where the boat will dock so you're not walking very far. The crew will take your tanks on the boat for you; however, they won't put your gear on the boat, which is different than the boats in Palm Beach where the crew puts all your gear on and off, which is not just a customer service "thing" but also a safety precaution as we've already witnessed multiple accidents with people carrying gear on and off; however, I am positive if you requested they load and unload your gear the crew would likely do it for you. The boat offers free drinks and snacks along with fruit when you're coming back to the shop while you're in the calm waters of the inter-coastal waterway,
The boat has two standard swim ladders, you will need to take your fins off before you can climb the ladders. If you've been on a boat with christmas tree ladders then you already know how sweet it is to simply climb aboard with your fins on, we love them, so if there were any upgrades we'd love to see on the boat it is christmas tree ladders. Now, in rougher seas they will throw a tag line out for you to remove your fins and the crew will pull you in. I know this shouldn't razzle dazzle my brain, but the fact they use the tag line correctly amazes me! Why? Well, there are other, lesser, operations who'll throw the tagline out to you and expect you to pull yourself in (insert rolling eyes emoji here). The crew knows what they're doing and we feel safe while in the water with them.
Finally, the crew is professional and friendly, even the captain will come to speak with you. Even though we had only been on their boat twice before the captain come to chat with us to get to know us a little better. One super last thing I forgot to mention is they offer a multi-dive pass (or frequent diver card as its called in other places) and you'll be hard pressed to beat the savings, we'll be buying lots of those.
There are many choices in Broward but DX Divers is our only choice and should be yours. read more