My girlfriend and myself live right by the key in an awesome lake condo and decided at the last minute to snorkel after being in bed most of the day. We called last minute evening and were told the whole day was booked but to call back at 8:15am because they still hadn't heard from a large group that was planning to come. (Donna was very pleasant and broke the "already booked" news with sympathy.) Well, we just decided to arrive at 8am and let them know we were ready if they had availability. As luck would have it, we got on. ATTENTION: ANYONE GOING ON THEIR WEBSITE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE THE ONLINE COUPON THAT DISCOUNTS THE TICKET AND AN UNDERWATER CAMERA IF YOU WISH TO PURCHASE ONE!!! ALSO, THE PRICES ARE VERY WELL POSTED.
We were bringing the equipment we needed since I have een an advance diver for over four years now and was more than prepared, we boarded with 30 other people. Yes, seating was tight and some had to sit on a quasi "seat" near the front. The captain (Tom, I think) was very direct, non nonsense, and safety oriented. He also had an amusingly dry sense of humor.
His crew were helpful and friendly. The only suggestion I would have is for Oscar to speak very loudly when he's at the end of the boat. The crew was great to my girlfriend, who was her first time in open ocean and was scared of everything. The captain was VERY clear about the snorkeling rules and Florida Laws concerning the reef, which us Floridians REALLY appreciated.
The reef was amazing. Just deep enough for this mom who found the trip to the Christ statue with a John Pennekamp trip a little too deep. I know a lot of people are worried about jellyfish, so I want to say I only saw one. Everything about this trip was great and we will definitely be visiting this business when we return. After reading some of the negative reviews earlier this year, I want to support this business's commitment to safety. There is nothing more important out on the water than safety and a captain is responsible for returning his passengers safely home. Period.
Overall we got to see tons of fish including yellow tale,groupers, chubbs which were funny and at some point were surrounding us. We saw a huge trumpet fish and a few barracudas. the reef was gorgeous full of royal purple sea fans and brain coral. The waters was pristine and a huge visibility. my girlfriend saw a small shark and maintained calm. i was so proud of her, she got comfortable right away going for long swims and even diving greeting closer to the fish. Now she is hooked into snorkeling and the ocean overall which makes me very happy as it is a way of living for me. I'm glad this company made the day for us and now we an use them often and enjoy for of the reefs. The reef was about 15-20 feet deep, for me i was like a pool, for her it was an open water adventure. So blessed to have gotten acclimated with the big blue world , now she is hooked and cant get enough SALT read more