Wendy was incredibly helpful with gear recommendation, spots to check out on our visit & ways to get comfortable under the water before booking with them. Would recommend this spot over bigger stores any day. Thank you! read more

Scuba Jesus was awesome and my kids and I had a great time for their first snuba trip. Highly recommend! read more

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Great little dive shop in Marathon. Wendy was super helpful with local diving and snorkeling. Picked up some fins and snorkels. Great prices. Did not have time to go diving, but will surely go through them next time I am in the Keyes! read more

I booked with Tilden's in September after seeing all the great reviews. What I didn't realize until we were already on the water is that this is essentially DIY diving. The boat is beautiful and the equipment is solid, but once you hit the water you're on your own. My situation turned dangerous fast. My rental mask (I'd left mine at home) wasn't sealing. I stayed on the surface too long trying to fix it and finally decided to swim back to the boat. It was over 400 yards away, the tide was pushing hard against me, and there was a moment where I genuinely didn't know if I could make it back. I could see both guides on the boat watching, but neither moved to help. When I finally reached the boat, I was yelled at to remove my fins while waves were crashing against the ladder. I had to climb back up, fully fatigued, in full scuba gear after fighting the current. Once I got on board, exhausted and barely able to move, one of the guides geared up and immediately jumped back in to continue the dive with the other client who had been assigned as my buddy. I was flabbergasted. Why would they help him and not me? After the trip I called the manager to try to understand why no one assisted me in the water. My call was never returned. I've been on many dive charters and have never experienced such a lack of in-water supervision or concern for diver safety. If you are expecting guided diving or any kind of help after you leave the boat, be aware that this is not that. read more

Allison helped set us up, everything fits and works great!! The prices were good and the personable attention to properly fitting each of us was greatly appreciated. read more

Went on a snorkeling trip from Isla Bella Resort with Squeak and Doug and it exceeded expectations! They were very clear with instructions and things that are implemented for the safety of the passengers. The boat was clean and there was a cooler for drinks, water, and a trash can! They were very knowledgeable and made sure we had the best time. We even got to see some dolphins on the way back in because they were so attentive!!! Will definitely be back here on future vacations! read more

Tilden's Scuba Center - The lighthouse we snorkeled near on our first stop! - Scuba Diving Near Me - Marathon, Florida

The trip was amazing, got to spend a lot of time snorkeling. The boat was nice and the captain and diver were great.

Went scuba diving for the first time with Tilden's/dive isla Bella. I was very nervous going into it and it was something I thought I could never do but I felt much more comfortable after the pool training course. The knowledge and patience that this crew has is amazing and I couldn't have asked for a better first dive. read more

Tilden's Scuba Center - Scuba Diving Near Me - Marathon, Florida

easy review. capt and dive guy were awesome. good fun. great dive spots for a beginner like me finishing up open water scuba.

Great organization! Went out on the Miss Jackie to dive. Crew is super nice and accommodating. Thorough briefings and had a crew member for each group that needed to be guided. I felt safe the entire afternoon. After diving there's an extra special "spa" treat to freshen up. You can get rinsed and condition your hair. Wendy has a beautiful boat and spectacular places to see the fishes on the reefs. Have fun! Thank you to the whole crew. read more

Another company canceled on us, we did not get to go out with Tilden BUT the staff was so knowledgeable and friendly. Next trip to the keys we will totally use them! read more

Very helpful, We thought they didn't have the piece I needed for my GoPro and the staff kept looking and looking and found the piece I needed the day before Mini Lobster season nonetheless!!! Will definitely go back whenever I need any diving or GoPro equipment. read more

Tilden's Scuba Center - Scuba Diving Near Me - Marathon, Florida

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Awesome dive/water/snorkel shop. Super knowledgeable and helpful staff! Made two purchases during stay in marathon. Once for a pro grade snorkel mask (I was having fogging issues and they offered to address my Amazon mask for free but because of their help and kindness, I just purchased from them instead) Also bought a nice entry level spear gun which we had a blast with. I did see they offer spear hunting class/guide- which I would check out next run through. All in all a great place and I more than recommend for anything water-sport here in the Keys. read more

We did the 2 reef dive scuba. The boat was very nice. The captain was awesome. We were told up front there could be snorkelers and scuba divers on the dive so we wouldn't be deep diving. However, we only had scuba divers on the boat. They took us out to the sombrero reef for the first dive and moved over 5 minutes to another reef on sombrero. The depth wasn't the issue, the reefs side by side seemed a little lazy on their part. It would have been nice to go for a boat ride to another reef for the second dive. We went out at 8 AM and were back by 11 AM. read more

We were the only two on our snuba tour to Sombrero Reef and our team of John, Juree and Captain Larry were wonderful in taking care of us and especially protective of my partner who had never been underneath the water. After he quit, Captain Larry entertained him on board while John and Juree and I continued on our tour of the beautiful reef, and we saw all kinds of fish, jellyfish, and coral, and even some preservationists working on the reef! Would highly recommend. read more

Stopped in to buy snorkeling setups for myself and my six year old son. They had a great selection, and we picked up some great gear that we were thrilled with once we got in the water. Big shout out to Cheyenne who helped get us set up. She was incredibly knowledgeable, very sweet with my little boy, and just wonderful to work with! All too rare to find that combination of expertise and personable service these days. read more

Incredibly helpful & kind staff!! We bought snorkel gear for our 3 kids and the lady working in the store helped make sure everything fit properly, she really guided us towards gear that wasn't more pricey than what we needed. My youngest son's mask ended up breaking later in the day (he dropped it at least once). We went back to see if there was a replacement piece that we could buy to fix it. The lady in the store replaced his mask free of charge So incredibly nice!! My little boy's day was made THANK YOU!!! read more

I was in search of a company to dive with that only took a small number of Divers. Many in the area take snorkels and divers, up to 40 divers! Not what we wanted. On our trip 12 were scheduled but only 9 arrived...perfection! Our family had a great time diving with Tilden's. Nikki, Wayne, and Billy ensured that we had a safe and beautiful dive with our family. We enjoyed diving at Ivory Wreck and Sombrero. Two beautiful locations. This was the first dive for both my daughters, ages 12 and 13, since their recent certification. The crew ensured that all the equipment was connected correctly and got us in and out of the water safely. I realized, as I was trying to descend (unsuccessfully) that I was probably in need of more weight. Before I knew it, Billy was in the water attaching weight to me! Our family visits Marathon at least twice a year. We will definitely dive with Tilden's on our next visit. read more

Tilden's Scuba Center - Scuba Diving Near Me - Marathon, Florida

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They have what you'll need if you're already in the keys needing something. Little pricy but.. it's the keys. Good service and normally have tanks filled before estimated time read more

Stopped to get info for my AOW Cert and while the young lady at the counter was nice, her knowledge was limited and she had no great info to make me feel comfortable. Tilden's is a great place for sport diving gear and may be awesome once you hit the open water but my initial encounter wasn't great. read more

Meh. I've experienced better. Operator totally unresponsive to e-mails in advance of dive. On today's outing, we had 5 paying customers and 5 crew members (a captain, a dive master, and three trainees) on a very cramped, overloaded boat with little shade for the paying customers. Very hot, very sunny, very long, uncomfortable day without shade (more on why it was a such a long day later). We were informed early that we were not allowed in the small shaded area on the boat, which according to the crew, is reserved for the crew (by regulation). Actually, this was the area nearest the captain where the five crew members, including the captain, were engaged in social conversation most of the morning, oblivious to an impending potentially very dangerous event that will play out later in the morning. Frustratingly, five crew members were unable or unwilling to assist paying customers or check their tanks and air before departing. Much too busy doing nothing important, really. Before we departed, I checked the air pressure in my tank (which I had not yet secured to the boat with the bungee cord). The tank and regulator tumbled over, broke my 0-ring, causing a free-flow of air. None of the five crew members rushed to turn off the air--instead, I was scolded for not securing my tank with the bungee cord. I lost 700 lbs of air. Did anyone suggest I switch tanks to ensure I had enough air for our first (deep) dive? No. When they saw that I had the presence of mind to make that decision myself, did they offer to assist? No. My God, there are FIVE crew members aboard to assist us!! They're supposed to be pros. Not the passengers. A bad start to the day that for me at least, set the tone. The seas were pretty high--about 4-foot swells all day. The high seas required the captain to go a little slower than normal out to the Thunderbolt, a deep dive on a wreck, about a 45-minute trip from the dive shop. The captain was unable to put us over the wreck on the first couple passes due to the swells. In hundreds of dive trips, I've never experienced a captain and crew unable to put the boat on a mooring--often in seas much higher than this. Lots of wasted time. Crew not instilling confidence. The first avoidable problem occurred when the decision was made to allow a very inexperienced trainee to jump in the water to secure the boat to the mooring line. The trainee failed to secure his mask to his face (a novice mistake). Of course he lost the mask when he jumped in the water, forcing him to abort the attempt to secure the boat to the mooring line. More lost time. Finally, the dive master jumped in to secure the boat. Everyone's baking in the sun in their dive gear. Tick tock. Down time was minimal--about 20 minutes, then back on board. The next dive site was a shallow reef, 30 feet max depth, further from the dive shop. On this stop, it was decided by the crew that the visibility was too poor to dive on this reef, so we headed off to a third reef, "the donut"--a circular shaped reef with a sandy bottom in the middle of the reef formation. Tick tock. Again, it took several attempts for the captain to put the boat over this reef and to set anchor (no mooring here). This profile did not require the dive master, so more social time for the crew while the divers were down. We had about 40 minutes of bottom time at the Donut in about 20 feet of visibility, ascended, pulled anchor, and started back for the 45-minute trip back to the dive shop. Approximately 3/4 of the way back to the dive shop, we ran out of diesel and were adrift without power. Huh? This was a first for me, but given the inexperience and inattention of the crew, not all that surprising. The captain tried, but was unable to start the engine. A trainee was finally able to prime the fuel pump. The captain ready to give up trying to restart the engine. Finally he was able to start the engine after someone on the crew manually was able to get the auxiliary tank connected to the fuel line. Most boats, and probably this one, have an auxiliary fuel tank. When the main tank is running low-before it's completely empty, there is usually a toggle to switch over to the auxiliary tank. The problem arises when the captain is too distracted with too many other talkative crew members to pay attention to fuel levels and check his fuel gauge! At this point, it's appropriate to ask why the fuel tank wasn't full when we set out in the morning? I fail to believe we consumed all the diesel of a full tank. If it was not full, there is no excuse I can think of to justify taking an over-loaded boat with 10 people and their scuba gear out without a full tank of diesel. The second question is was the fuel gauge working? Third question is if the fuel gauge was working, why would the capital allow the boat to run out of fuel, full of passengers and crew? Too may crew members, none of them with their or the the safety of their passengers on their minds. read more

Had an amazing trip snorkeling with our guys (Larry, James, Dave, and our man from Houston, TX). We had a great trip they showed us some amazing sites with lots of fish even a small shark. They made sure everyone was safe And comfortable, while enjoying their trip. We will come back and snorkel with them again in the future. Highly recommended group. read more

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We used Tilden for a scuba trip. Boat staff was great, very professional and friendly. Boat was in great shape and very comfortable. My only complaint is that their prices are so freaking expensive and I'm not sure why. I have logged over 50 dives and have never encountered such high prices. That being said, they treat their divers well and I felt very safe on their boat. read more

The crew was super wonderful and friendly. Jake is AWESOME. He helped me every step of the way. So these are good folks and yes I would consider going there again. But--when we signed up, Amber (super nice) told us we would be going to Sombrero Reef, which is well reviewed. But when we got there they told us we couldn't go to Sombrero because we had "hunters" on the boat, who wanted to catch lobster, and you can't do that at Sombrero. There were 2 hunters, and 4 of us doing snorkel, snuba or scuba....whatever, they told us the places we'd go were just as good. But the first place they took us was not good at all. A lot of sandy bottom and the same few kinds of fish over and over. That was disappointing. Maybe this kind of thing happens everywhere, but for me I'll want to make sure I'm not on a boat with hunters, because they seem to take precedence, at least at Tilden. read more

This is a class act, Wendy my dive instructor was amazing and fun to get my certification. Thank you very much an experience I will not forget. read more

We did a dive with them last week. We did the resort training at our resort pool and it was great. The dive masters (Booker and Robin) were great. We really felt like we learned a lot with them and became very comfortable with the equipment and actually being in the water. I felt like they did more than the basics that were required. We were scheduled to dive the following morning which we did but unfortunately, a storm came through and the visibility was bad. We made the best of the hand we were dealt and did 2 dives and had a fun morning. Obviously no one can control the weather. The dive masters were positive, gave great coaching, went above and beyond to give us an awesome experience which at the end of the day, that's all you can ask for. read more

The experience was amazing and the crew could not have been better. We we had beautiful weather and the sites we went to provided a lot to be seen. We will definitely book again during our next trip. read more

We had such a nice time. Wonderful crew. Very safe and thoughtful. Provided everything for a hassle free and experience. Highly recommend this business. read more

Had a great time with these professional, well knowledgeable staff members on 2 scuba diving trips. I would highly recommend them!! I also was able to get my NAUI Open Water Certification thanks to Zack!! read more

No better place in Marathon to use for diving that we have found. Great run business and love to dive off their boats. Plan early and you may get to choose the destination. Thanks Tilden team! read more

My 2 sons and I had the pleasure of using their services doing snuba diving. The crew was excellent. Very polite, professional and very informative. Our safety was their #1 concern the entire time. We booked through Dive Isla Bella on Marathon. It was the first time my sons and I ever did any type of diving and we had a great time. Now that we got our feet wet. Next time we come back, we'll definitely be using them again. read more

First time Scuba diving!! Great experience all around. My sister and I did the resort course with Instructor Donald. He made the whole experience easy to understand and made us feel comfortable. We went from not knowing anything about scuba, to being able to confidently dive at Sombrero Reef, along with Wendy who led the way. She helped us out when we needed it and also gave us some freedom. I believe Larry was our boat captain and he was eager to help us with all of our equipment as well. Overall wonderful trip and guides, highly recommend. read more

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Great experience from start to finish. Had a great experience with all staff, especially Lynne, and the diving at Sombrero Key was phenomenal. I have two teenage sons who are new to open water diving in the ocean and they were well supported. Very organized, safety conscious, and fun! read more

Tilden's Scuba Center - Snorkeling after a dive. - Scuba Diving Near Me - Marathon, Florida

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Me and by boyfriend went on their snuba diving trip. We had Lisa (the instructor) and Larry (the captain), these two did a phenomenal job together! We had little to no experience with this trip, but Lisa was an amazing instructor and went over the instructions very clear. We snuba dived a barge wreck and sombrero reef. It was beautiful and so full of life. We did see a shark but it wasn't scary at all. Also got to keep a empty shell from the barge wreck. Highly recommend this experience! Definitely will be back read more

Tilden's Scuba Center - Shell from barge wreck - Scuba Diving Near Me - Marathon, Florida

This is our second dive with Tilden's & everything was perfect! The boat & crew took care of everything so we could focus on the water. It helped to have had a perfect day at Sombrero Reef & Ivory Wreck. Thanks for taking care of my family! We'll be back read more

We had the best day ever taking a SNUBA trip to Sombrero reef with the excellent team from Tilden's. Everybody was so helpful and nice and made this reluctant diver totally comfortable - they take their jobs (and their guests' safety) very seriously, and really go out of their way to make sure things run smoothly. Big shout out to Stony and Wendy in particular - they are both terrific. By the way, if you haven't tried SNUBA, do it!! It is very cool, I can't wait to go again! read more

Friendly crew on the boat. They knew we had been on a dive earlier in the week and wanted to take us to a spot where we hadn't dived yet. Took an interest in the customers on the boat. Good quality rental equipment and concerned for safety. We had a great trip. read more

I'd give this place a 1 Star for their customer service and how they're running their business. If it wasn't for our AWESOME CAPTAIN AND DIVE GUIDES we wouldn't even consider booking them again. We booked days in advance, and they made no mention that there was a profit margin that needed to be met in order to take the boat out. 45 minutes before departure the front desk calls us and informs us they're canceling the dive because there aren't enough people! Then they told us we would have to pay DOUBLE what they charged us to take the boat out. We paid, as we had no other options...lady at the desk is a total B***H. The captain and crew are tremendous and put us right on top of beautiful reefs all of our dives. They were happy to help with all of our gear and needs. They did an excellent job. 5 Star experience once we got on the boat..... read more

Marathon has some excellent dive sites. The boat was spacious and in perfect condition. The staff was friendly and willing to help out. Dive briefings were thorough and very useful. Given that the trip was scheduled through the hotel, it was costly--double most dive shops in the same area. Gratuity was added ($70.00 for two divers) yet the crew asked for more tips. At this price, I would expect snacks and drinks to be on the boat but there were none provided. The crew will keep you safe getting you there and back. read more

We did the snuba trip, because we wanted to dive without spending a day training for scuba. It really was the perfect compromise between snorkel and scuba, with the experience of diving without the hassle. The staff was very friendly, professional, and attentive. They were quick to notice and address any issues that came up, and the sites they showed us were beautiful. We were even able to hold some of the ocean wildlife, and they had a GoPro to take pictures of us under the water. We all had a wonderful time-- it was definitely one of the high points of our vacation. read more