Great dive boat and shop! Plenty of crew and there was basically 1 dive master for four divers. Matt delivered our dive gear into our car trunk. Very good dive briefing. The boat, crew, and equipment was 1st class. read more

Southpoint Divers - Dive Shops Near Me - Key West, Florida

Been out with these guys twice to dive the Vandenberg which is a neat dive, will use them again next time. Really enjoyed our dive master Adam this last trip. A few things to note- Get a guide even if you are an advanced diver. There's a lot to see, and a divemaster will help you make the most of it. I have been diving regularly for 20 years and I wouldn't do this dive without a guide- too much potential for an issue with low visibility and often very strong current. Be safe, don't be Mr. Cocky know-it-all diver that's too good for a guide. Of the 4 companies I have dived with in the keys, this one is more safety oriented than the rest, which I appreciate. The captain runs a tight ship. Well done! Bring snacks and a drink if you want to eat at sea, a water cooler is provided. Rented gear and was happy with it. Was somewhat new and in good condition. Bring or rent gloves to dive the Vandenberg. You will be holding a rope to descend and ascend. If you are renting gear and want a quote for total cost you can get one ahead of time- we didn't have any surprises. Thanks Southpoint Divers, see you soon! read more

Absolutely amazing time with Southpoint. Very relaxed, safe and personal crew! Rental gear was in perfect condition as well. Being new at diving, they definitely helped me be as comfortable and calm as possible! All about customer service and helping you find the perfect spot to dive. read more

Southpoint Divers - Great time with Southpoint! Best crew in Key West. - Dive Shops Near Me - Key West, Florida

I had a great time! Dillion my guide was awesome!! I highly recommend this company and ask for Dillion!!

I got my PADI Open Water Certification from Southpoint Divers in May 2013, and I could not have been more pleased. In particular I want to say how impressed I was with the skill, knowledge, and professionalism of my scuba instructor Gabe Russell. Gabe's extremely thorough instruction enabled me to feel comfortable during my first open water dives. Gabe never made me feel pressured beyond my abilities, and he was always willing to answer any questions with patience. His love of diving was infectious! I feel fortunate to have had such an enthusiastic ambassador introduce me to the world of diving. I'd also like to thank the rest of the office staff, and the dive crew on the boats. Everyone I met at Southpoint was friendly and helpful. Thank you Gabe and Southpoint Divers. read more

We booked a double dip on the Vandenburg and drove down just for this. They called and canceled the trip at 2 PM the day before. Too late for us to cancel our hotel room! Didn't even try to help us with finding another boat. We won't be using them again with this type of short notice. FYI they use an 800 number phone service (very rude too I might add) that has a name "Dive Key West Corp" similar to another dive Operator "Dive Key West Inc" a brick and mortar store. Makes you think you are booking for them and not Southpoint. Totally unhappy with this "corporation". We scrambled and found another operator but not for the vandenburg as was our desire. Trip wasted!!! read more

AMAZING! We did the 2 afternoon reef dives. The staff was so helpful and knowledgeable. My friend and I are beginner divers and had Alex as our guide and he was fantastic. He made sure all of our gear was ready to go and took us step by step on what to expect. We were blown away by how friendly and helpful everyone was. Definitely will be coming back here!! read more

We had a WONDERFUL expirience today! We had a small group (DM, my husband, myself & one other diver). Both dives felt like completly different expiriences. All of the staff was totally cool & really helpful! We'll definitely be back. Best Dives EVER!!! read more

Had the most amazing time getting my open water certification with them. Super helpful and friendly. It was a very welcoming environment. Never made me feel inferior for something I didn't know. Will be diving with them every time I come back to Key West! read more

All the staff were incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and organized during our excursion. I greatly appreciated the help setting up my gear and getting me into the water while geared up. Very relaxed atmosphere which made for great dives and sight seeing. Wouldn't consider diving with anyone else after Southpoint Divers read more

Went on two separate trips with Southpoint. A reef dive and the Vandenberg. The reef wasn't super special. If you often dive in the Caribbean and don't need the dive time you might consider skipping this. On the other hand, do not miss the opportunity to dive the Vandenberg. I hired a guide, Adam, who was very experienced and a quality leader for our dives. He gauged our comfort with swim throughs and once we established that we had buoyancy control he took us in and out of many areas of the ship. It was a unique experience that I will never forget. The crew are very safety conscious and run a tight operation. read more

Went on this trip with 5 people. 1 of us is a rescue diver and the other 4 were sold a snorkel trip. We all went because he would get to dive and we would snorkel at the same time. Not so much. If your idea of snorkeling is "here is a pool noodle" and jump in the middle of the ocean with no guide with you then I guess go for it. After 10 min in the water we all got back in the boat. Not long after that sea sickness set in for us after being on a boat and not in the water. It was the worst experience I have ever had! They should never sell a snorkel trip! This was a waste of money. The diver we had with us said the dive was very underwhelming and no guide was with them. Crew was nice enough but we were sold a trip they could not provide! read more

It was a great experience! My only concern was the lack of social distancing on the boat.

Had an amazing time. Lots of fish a black tip reef shark and great clarity. The crew was great. Highly recommend this trip.

The people who work there are not only very knowledgeable about diving but are very passionate about it as well. I went diving with them 3 days in a row as my girlfriend was learning to dive through them and watching how they interacted/taught her and how they interacted with me I would definitely recommend them and I will be back for more dives with them. read more

This is a great group to go with, especially if you are new to diving, like I was. All of the staff members are attentive and respectful and never make you feel less important than the seasoned divers. Big shout out to Captain Mike for making everything so easy. Five stars. read more

GREAT CREW!! My daughter and I booked a two tank dive. I am a certified diver and I booked a discover scuba tour for my daughter. My mother came along as a bubble watcher and two of our friends came as snorkelers. Arden did a great job teaching my daughter skills in the pool and worked closely with her without neglecting the other guests. Once we got into the ocean, my daughter could not clear her ears, and had to snorkel instead. She was upset and Zach immediately took her snorkeling instead and they went to "look for sharks." She ended up seeing a puffer fish and turtle, which she told me about when I returned from my dive. Despite not being able to scuba, my daughter had a great time ... we ALL did!! The employees are awesome, take safety first, and make sure everyone is having a great time! Anytime I am in Key West, I will definitely be diving with Southpoint Divers!! HIGHLY recommend them. read more

Kate at the dive shop was extremely friendly, helpful, and professional. I chose Southpoint Divers because Kate was so great. However, our actual diving experience was mediocre. The divemaster was average and the dives were boring. read more

I recently did two certification dives here and was very happy in all areas...first, very central location that is easy to walk to from downtown KW and the boat docks across the street at the Hyatt, second the staff at the shop was friendly and knowledgeable about the operation and the dive and training I needed to do. Third, the value was great - For the dive, and all scuba equipment (I brought wetsuit, mask fins and snorkel), left enough money in my wallet for a nice staff tip. Next, the instructor Mike was very patient with the students (three of us) and very safe, the boat captain was a real pro and the rest of the crew were excellent and very friendly. Finally, despite this being a check dive, I had fun and had a nice dive at Sand Key while learning and working through our skills. I will definitely be coming back here. read more

Couldn't have been worse... staffs there are irresponsible... would never come back ever again. I'm a PADI certified diver but after a year haven't been dive, I need to take a refresh class to keep up. However, the price there was ridiculous and the guy who teach us the class was also impatience with us and keep mentioning our races and etc. make me really annoying. Also he had a really bad attitude with us although we tried our best in this trip. This diving ruined our trip to key west and their irresponsibility would absolutely influence the quality of their service. read more

July 5, 2009 obviously follows July 4, 2009. I pity the people that have to get up to work on the 5th, as they probably had to curtail their plans a bit the night before. When we arrived at the dive shop the morning of the 5th for our dive of the Vandenberg wreck, there were others waiting outside. Why outside? Because the shop wasn't open yet. One of the divemasters was there, but she didn't have keys. It seems the shop manager had blown off work that day and he had one set of keys. they tried with the boat captain, and the rest that were there, but they didn't have keys. They tried the owner, who apparently couldn't be troubled to answer his phone, either. This created a bit of a problem for the staff that actually did go through the trouble of showing up, they couldn't access dive certifications without help from outside their shop, they couldn't ring anyone's dive up, and one couple bailed out of the dive because they had their own gear locked up in the shop. Sadly, it was their last full morning in Key West, so they missed out on diving what turned out to be a great wreck, and a very interesting dive. Our dive masters/guides, Dave and a nice young woman whose name is on the tip of my tongue but can't remember were fantastic. I just finished a refresher course elsewhere, but was still a bit nervous for what was a pretty deep dive, the deck of the Vandenberg being at about 100 feet down. The gear was all in good shape, the boat was one of the nicest I've been on, etc. The captain and the rest of the staff all top notch. One thing I found odd, though, is that they had no snacks at all for between and after the dives. This is the norm at other dive shops. Had we known beforehand that there would bee no snacks provided, no big deal, we can bring our own, but it annoyed me a bit to not have anything available, since we're paying about $130 a piece for the trip. I liked them, but wouldn't hesitate to try other dive shops. read more

Signed up on wed for a fri morning dive, called back the next day to check, and they had nothing on me, no reservation, lost all my info. These dives where for the Vandenburg. Thanks Jude Re reserved a spot, showed up, thorough shop, good rentals. Boat a few minutes walk away, so good so far, except I had requested a 32% nitrox tnks, they said 1, we will only fill to 30, and 2 you will be buddied up with an air diver, so they is no advantage to nitrox. Asked for it anyway. What salesmanship. Tha captains briefing was really fast, as he talks at 90 miles an hour when briefing, but not when just talking to people, seemed to be more concerned with his spotless safety record than actually allowing you to understand his briefing. Fast ride out, BUT I HAVE NEVER Been on a boat that offers NOTHING, except water for their divers in between dives. NEVER. Super conservative, can't use your computer for multi level diving, max depth 100 ft, max bottom time 17 min, and or using the rule of thirds for air consumption, as in come up after using 1000 psi, or 17 minutes bottom time, making your total bottom time max 25 minutes, with a third of that time ascending. Everyone on board had a dive computer, they have been in use for recreational diving for 30 years. I don't understand such conservative profiles, except to sacrifice every divers profile for the sake of a perfect safety record. I have also never had the crew record my tank pressure before and after the dive and check my computer for max time and depth after the dive. The short 45 minutes SI, is 15 minutes short of recommendations. For a very experienced diver, I was completely put off by the briefings, and the REALLY conservative mandatory profiles, would NOT recommend these guys unless you feel the need to be coddled, and told what to, and what not to do while you are trying to enjoy yourself U/W These guys need to take a long look at who on their boat is worthy of diving within their OWN profiles, and who needs their DM'S attention and help Would only recommend these guys to absolute newbs read more

Nice boat. Ok gear. The compliments end there. I have been diving for years and if you are accustomed to snacks In between dives, you're not going to get them here. No juice, no guidance and no service. When the boat anchored, we were guided to the back. no teams chosen, no idea of the terrain and while i was evaluating events, the group all submerged in different directions. I waited for the group to return and went snorkeling. During the snorkel a woman who was new and on a resort dive tagged along, mid way she had a hard time - no one on the boat to help, we struggled back together - this was dangerous. For the second dive, i took the initiative and formed a small group. Again no guidance from the crew {at all}. So we entered the water and searched around - for the most interesting aspects. It would have been better to simply snorkel from shore. This outfit is very poorly run and relies on relationships with resorts. They're customer service is terrible and i found it dangerous. They as well, had terrible bathroom facilities. Spend time ahead of time and look elsewhere, it wont be hard to do better. read more

My wife and I had a great dive experience diving 2 dives on the Vandenburg. The dive crew was great! They explained every nook and crany on the ship and how to find it. We are experienced wreck divers and did not need a guide to explore it. The day we dove, there was a very strong current. The way the crew rigged the ropes under the boat to the bouy line was exceptional. They tied a line from the back of the boat to the front and then attached it to the bouy line. This was we could pull ourselves against the stiff current. Without those ropes, we never would have made it down to the wreck. The wreck is huge so it definitely takes more than 2 dives to explore it! This is not a dive for the inexperienced because of the strong current, marginal visibility and depth. It is one of the best wrecks we have dove on. Their boat is clean, FAST, and modern. The only complaint we had was that the shop told us that there was no Nitrox available, yet when we arrived on the boat 6 other divers had Nitrox. Next time we'll have to reserve it ahead of time! Had a great time and will definitely be back! read more

I completed my PADI open water certification with Southpoint Divers. What a great experience! The instructors were all knowledgeable, nice, and best of all, patient. Special thanks to Scott and Thomas. You guys did great. I would recommend this company for certifications and all your diving needs. read more

We read a ton of reviews of dive shops before we booked our dive. We are mid-level divers. We have enough dives under our belts to graduate from beginner, but we're not advanced. So we were concerned when we started reading reviews of dive companies in the area with poor service and no dive masters and questionable equipment. Southpoint had the best reviews and so we booked with them. We couldn't have made a better choice. The shop was right down the street, and the boat across the street from that. We booked the afternoon reef dive. Tropical Mike was our skipper and he was full of wonderful information. The reef dives do not exceed 30 feet (very shallow for experienced divers) and so they do not provide a guide or dive master unless you are just getting certified. My girlfriend and I came prepared for this as this (NOTE: This is the norm in Key West). So we buddied up, brought our own dive computers, and wish we'd had a compass. But the instructions for the dive site were given clearly and with such shallow dives, the dive master really wasn't all that necessary. Unfortunately, the dive conditions were less than pleasant, with the gulf stream pushing lots of material through the area, we could only see about 5 feet in front of us. This brought us into contact with a few large barracudas, but we stayed calm and swam different directions. We did get to see some great coral formations and interesting wildlife, but I bet there would have been tons more just a few feet in front of us, if we could have just seen it. I ended up having an inner ear issue after the reef dives, and we called the store the next morning before our dive on the Vandenburg to see if we could push the dive back a day or two so his ears could clear. The owner, Dave, answered and couldn't have been nicer. He said of course we could push the dive back, for both of us! And better yet, he admitted the conditions were poor lately and so if we wanted to scrap the dive completely, they would refund our Vandenburg dive. The inner ear issue never cleared enough for us to feel comfortable at 80-100 feet so we contacted the shop the next day, and without any hassle, they refunded our Vandenburg dive. I would only dive with Southpoint Divers in Key West! They were professional, understanding, and the best shop on the island!! read more

Made reservations to go dive the Vandenberg, the day we showed up they told be I needed a guide since I'm only open water certified. My dive buddy is a dive master and I have already dove the Vandenberg. Then I didn't have a computer so they wanted me to rent one from them. I know dive computers are great, I just didn't invest in one yet. But, we all learned how to use a dive chart. So a $85 dive would have an added 30 for a guide and from the reviews for guides they aren't that good, and another 30 for a computer, so my dive would now be $145 plus tax. I like to dive but I don't like to be tricked. The said on the phone before we made reservations that since we have a dive master I don't need a guide. I support honest businesses not deceitful ones. We canceled the dive at the store. This is in response to the rebuttal. It seems like from the other reviews, your words do not have action behind them. I'm sure almost every tourist can agree Key West is not a cheap place to visit. Hiding information from me cost me a day of my vacation. That's time off work, sunk costs in lodging and transportation. You know that you have a high turnover rate for people visiting and service quality isn't important if the "no body" off the street doesn't pay then who cares! Next week will be another set of tourists. Or you think people will pay an extra suprise cost because they came all this way, knowing you already pulled them from a competitor. So you now have divers standing there in your shop making this decision. As anyone who works in retail or management understands, getting people in the door is one of the hardest tasks. You got us in the door but you didn't earn my money. read more

Well, our experience started off with a misunderstanding about the requirements of getting my 12 yr old daughter, uncertified, into a scuba dive trip. While I asked specifically if she needed a pool session, the person on the phone said no, since she'd done a resort program w/i the past two years. When we arrived, they said she couldn't dive, even with a guide, without a pool session. It being our last day before flying home, we'd missed our chance. Here's where the great part comes in. They quickly arranged a 30 minute instruction at the beach near the dock, and she got to go! These guys pulled it off. They met all the requirements, ensured that my daughter was safe on the trip, and really made her vacation. She would have been so bummed if she didn't get to dive. As it was, the seas were extra rough and it was tough diving. But, once we got down, we saw more fish at Sand Key and Dry Rocks than I've ever seen there. Tarpon, barracuda, an enormous grouper, and much more. And, Shauna, her guide, took extra good care of her. Thanks, South Point, for making it all happen! read more

We dove 2 days, one on a reef with our group of friends who were snorkeling, and then the next day on the Vandenburg. Most of us were new divers, so nothing to gauge against, but we enjoyed ourselves. Crew was helpful and friendly, boat was nice and we had a great time. read more

I've been wanting to go scuba diving for a long time and I finally got the chance. I'd never been before but was on the high school swim team so I was feeling pretty confident. Long story short: The boat ride out was awesome, but once I got in the water I kinda panicked a bit and clammed up so eventually I got back on the boat. Then it hit me as soon as I got back on the boat, I got sea sick! I've never been sea sick before. So that kinda ruined the rest of my trip. The only reason I give them three stars is because I wish I'd had more instruction and practice in the swimming pool before heading out in the boat. I just didn't feel very confident with how the equipment worked and how to use it in different situations and that was part of the reason I clammed up. And I now know to take some motion sickness pills before I head out next time! I was there in November of 2016 read more

Highly recommend! First time diver... Was kind of nervous going into water! Alex was my instructor and he was absolutely amazing... Patient, kind, and an amazing smile. :) made you feel relaxed during the actual dives. Had hour or so class in morning and then 130-430 trip on boat for two dives. Saw barracudas, sharks,sea turtles and beautiful fish. Alex was amazing at pointing different sea creatures out. And was so patient with the beginners. Dive master of boat and captain of ship are very kind and encouraging as well. Don't forget to bring a wallet to tip instructor and dive master! I wish I was going back tomorrow! read more

Chuck was in charge of setting up divers with thier gear. There were twenty of us waiting around for him. Five crew members were on board fiddling with their cell phones while we all patiently waited our turn for Chuck to outfit everyone. Chuck was stressed and unorganized. We requested as diver master as we did not know the waters. He told us we could not have one. We went to the shop and requested a refund which we received. Chuck was on the phone berating us to the woman who helped us get refunded as we heard him though the earpiece. My husband is a certified dive instructor and also a dive master. As he put it: One should never dive with an outfit that appears unorganized and unprepared. We were very disappointed as we looked forwards to the disvoveries beneath the Florida surface. I highly UN RECOMMEND Southpoint Divers. read more

The people at SouthPoint Divers are great to deal with. The boat was great. No issues with gear. We dove the Vandenburg on Nitrox. All good. I will use them again next time I go down. We wanted to get inside the wreck, so we hired a DM to lead. Drew was great and very relaxing to dive with. read more

Great crew, clean boat, organized, captain was very attentive. Would definitely recommend!

Hunter was our scuba guide. Very professional and nice. The reef was great especially compared to our other diving experience. The whole crew was very helpful to me and my family and taught us a lot despite me and my son (half of our family attending) were already certified open water diving. read more

First time for my best friend and me in real condition and it was awesome!! 1hour of practice in a swimming pool then twice one hour of scuba diving at 10 meters with a very nice guide. Boat crew was cool too. Enjoy it! read more

It was our first time to dive. Awesome! Crew members were nice and instructions were very clear. Although we vomited due to the wave, we really enjoyed our time under the sea! read more

Had a wonderful afternoon with helpful, professional crew. Briefs were great, helpful and spot on. Fruit, sliced oranges were yummy and Capt great too! read more

The crew was very professional! My wife and I did the AM wreck dive which goes down about 100 ft. We had to get a guide since we are not advanced open water certified. The guide was about $60 and it covered two AM dives of the stern and the bow of the Vanderberg. The dives only last about 17 minutes. Our guide Thomas was knowledgeable, safety oriented, friendly, and professional. He took us through at least one swim thru. My wife decided not to do one of the swim thrus because she couldn't see the guide since he was ahead of me. I turned back to check on her and the guide followed. My wife also had a problem clearing her mask. I helped her through this and the guide eventually came back to check on us. This is a great experience and as Tropical Mike claims-It's one of the most famous dives listed in some Scuba magazine. Totally worth it, if you are going to the keys. Nice to break up the monotony of the reef dives which are not as great as other reefs we have done in Belize or Hawaii. If I had to do it over again, I would do only one reef dive and try and do some of the other wreck dives in the area. It would also be great to check out the statue of Christ that is in Key Largo. The highlight of the reef dive was definitely when we came face to face with a 3-4ft sea turtle! We also saw lobster, Goliath grouper, reef sharks, nurse shark, eel, tons of barracuda and many tropical fish. On another note, the reef dives are only about 30 ft deep, so it would be great for somebody trying to get their open water certification. read more

Flew down for a vacation. Wanting to learn how to scuba dive. Mike, Ben, Zack and Thomas are amazing at what they do. Highly recommend going with them if you have the chance and are in the area. Had a great time read more