Rainbow Reef Retail Center, Key Largo FL

Great instructors and guides here! Nice selection of gear to shop. My favorite part is the wheel they let you spin after a dive with them that gets you a discount or other bonus from the shop. One person got a $50 bag for $25, and one deal of the day was 50% off a wetsuit. I only got 15% off dive accessories, but hey, still got a little off some items I wanted to get anyway.

We had the pleasure of Diving with Rainbow Reef this past week. The free dive guides are an extra bonus! I would definitely dive with them again.

As a solo diver, this is one of the only dive shops in Key Largo that doesn't give me a hard time about not having a buddy. Staff is mostly young, but are good at what they do.

Nice clean shop with a lot of inventory but didn't have the Dive Rite mask I was looking for. Tried a few others but still couldn't find the fit I liked. Would return for sure if I need anything else

Great place, great people. They go out of their way to make your experience great. Did a dive class and some other dives. Would definitely recommend.

Rainbow reef was an excellent place to learn how to dove! The dive shop and training center was clean and organized. The rental gear was also well kept. I ended up buying gear and received an awesome discount on the course. Our instructor Payton was absolutely amazing throughout our whole course. She was clear and thorough with all instructions and skills ensuring we had a clear understanding and remained safe. Her advanced skills and clear knowledge made me feel calm and confident during the course. She had on overall fun and chill personality that helped keep us having fun the whole time (even while sea sick). I would definitely return to Rainbow Reef and request Payton to advance our diving knowledge.

As far as the retail center and dive charter operation, I have no complaints. I am leaving a review for the Career Development Center CDC/IDC. I would not recommend this center if you are considering any kind of professional training at Divemaster or Instructor level. The Course Director here is accustomed to training 20 something year old divers, luring them in with promises of a job and a career, and they come there in hopes of pursuing their career and obtaining a job in the industry. My wife and I were enrolled in IDC but upon arrival and after seeing the lack of professionalism of the Course Director and the Training Staff, we immediately chose another CDC. We even got hassled by the Course Director for requesting our training materials which we had paid for in advance and which he would not refund. This place is an Instructor mill, producing so called certified Dive Instructors in quantity and at great expense to you and profit for them. Would not recommend. Choose another CDC.

Amazing dives with a great and safe crew. Paige and Hailey did outstanding jobs of making sure the minor in our group was safe the entire trip. At the end of the dive when talking to Paige she made some great points about why we should own our own regs and BCDs and Hailey announced a spin the wheel program at the shop. We spun the wheel with Tony won some awesome discounts and Tony and Chris spent hours us at the shopping making sure we understood everything about equipment and set up and even dive computers. They hooked us up with a ton of gear at great prices and the best part truly was their service and knowledgeability. We could really trust their experience to help us make the best choices. This Dive shop and crew are awesome from the captain, mates and guides to Tony and Chris at the shop! Thank you Rainbow Reef!

TLDR: Came here to complete our PADI Advance Open Water cert, would highly recommend Sam R. Great Cpts. & Staff, awesome dives, good equipment.

My wife and I visited to take and complete our PADI Advanced Open Water (AOW) certification which includes a few specialty skills. We did rent octos and bcds both days, a flashlight for 1 dive and computers for day 2.

We were partnered with Sam Rosengarden who was EXCELLENT. Sam, although newer to the Rainbow Reef team, was one of the best instructors we've had in our PADI journey. Not only was he phenomenal to work with as an instructor, but he was also a very fun, energetic, and careful person; he was also mindfull of our "class". The class was the wife, myself, and a third individual who had already halfway completed her AOW, but the weather prevented her from completing her deep dive.

Sam was able to make it fun for all of us even though the third person in the class had already done her navigation dive.

We did 5 dives over 2 days. 2 shallower reef dives and 1 night dive on day 1, and then 2 deep dives to the Bibb and Spiegel Grove on day 2.

The night dive is worth it. If you're getting your AOW do a night dive (it seems scary but it was probably the most exciting dive we've ever done).

Specialities we completed were Peak Performance Bouyancy, Night Dive, Wreck Diver, and Nitrox (added this on prior to the deep and wreck dive on day 2 for more bottom time and was only $100ea).

Sam's attention to detail was incredible and if I could give him all of the referrals I would.

We will visit again, whether it be to add additional specialities certifications to our list or just to have some fun dives.

Thank you Rainbow Reef for having an amazing team and giving us an amazing, memorable experience.

We had a great time! We were on a charter on the tropical voyager. Our captain and guides were very professional and fun. I appreciated their concern for wildlife and integrity in preserving the sanctuary. I rented my gear from them and it was smooth and all the gear was great. A very seamless process, I'll definitely be coming back! (And not just because I won a free dive trip from the wheel)

After diving with Rainbow Reef for 4 days, here is a breakdown of our experience.

First impression: A great shop with friendly and knowledgeable people that work great together like a well oiled machine.

Final impression: We won't be back. A few dangerous practices and all short dives crammed one right after the other with so many people on the boat that you're herded like cattle.

The Good:
Great people that worked hard and knew what they were doing (except for one)
They provided a water cooler and paper cups on the boat
They provided reef safe sunscreen and baby shampoo defog
They were great at keeping everyone moving along well on the boat (too well. See below)
They provided good pre-dive briefings
Most of the DM/Guides were very knowledgeable and helpful

The Bad:
The boats were way over crowded. We always felt like we were being herded like cattle.
They do not help with your gear like most dive operations do. They'll help fix an issue but you're responsible for your own gear and setup.
They do not store your gear overnight or provide a place to store it.
There are no lockers available to put things in overnight or while you're out on the boat.
There is not a fresh water rinse bucket for masks on the boat.
There is not a fresh water bucket for cameras on the boat.
They have very little fresh water for rinsing off on the boat.
They do not provide between dive snacks like most other operations do.

The Ugly:
They only give you 45 minutes between the morning dives and when you have to check in for the afternoon dive. This only gives you about 15 minutes to eat lunch after getting off the boat, getting somewhere to eat, and returning in time for check in.
The dives averaged around 40-45 minutes each. You usually needed to be back on the boat before 50 minutes.
Sometimes you would have to come up after only using half of your tank.
Second tank dives were sometimes as soon as 10 minutes after the first tank dive.
Some of the DM/Guides went very fast, even in strong currents, and didn't make sure they still had all of their group before moving on to the next area.
On more than one dive, when we were in a current, the DM/Guide just left people behind. When you're struggling to keep up the entire dive, it's not even worth going because you can't enjoy it.
The worst one was a high current 110 foot deep dive where the DM's plan was to notify them when you got to 1500 psi (at 100' away from the descent line) before they were going to turn around. That doesn't give you enough air for the return trip and they don't lower an emergency tank at 15' for the safety stop either.

Answered all of our questions about becoming dove certified and about the classes. We can’t wait to do this! Thanks for being wonderful!

Went there for their 2 day Open Water dive course and I was very pleased with the staff. The first day started by meeting at the retail location where we discussed some of the course and met the instructors. Liza was my dive instructor and she was very knowledgeable with solid teaching skills and patience dealing with students having difficulties with the course. Couldn't have asked for a better instructor.

The facilities were adequate with a 12 foot deep pool for the confined water dives, showers, and plenty of gear to choose from. The rental gear for the course was new and well maintained. My only complaint with the confined portion of the course was the pool was a little small if you are a taller person or if they have simultaneous classes going on. Adding a few feet to the length and width of the pool would be great.

The open water portion the first day was ok. We had to go to a less that ideal location that had poor visibility and water quality but that was not at the fault of the school rather due to delays with other students in the course. The second day was much better though. Their boats were fairly large and had everything you needed on board as well as a friendly and knowledgeable crew. The location they go to has plenty to see and lots of wildlife. Conditions can get rough so make sure you take any seasickness medication the day before and the day of incase conditions worsen during the dive.

Overall I would certainly recommend both the school and my instructor Liza and Divemaster assistant Ashton as well. Thanks for starting me on my dive journey and I look forward to future dives!

If you’re looking to get dive certified, look no further. I would HIGHLY recommend Dustin as your instructor. He is very patient and has a calming nature, which makes the experience that much better. The dive shop and crew were amazing as well. 10/10 would recommend this team to anyone and everyone.

I had such a fantastic shopping experience. Three patient and friendly staff (Tony, Jay, and Ashley) helped me find a perfect BCD (and my first BCD!). Special thanks to Tony who shared such amazing adventure stories with me.

TL;DR: This company is rated on Scuba Magazines for a reason. They're fantastic.

What else is there to say? Rainbow Reef as an entire company went above and beyond in various areas of service. When underwater, or on the boat, safety is always the first concern. The captain and crew of each dive trip make sure that the embarking and disembarking process is handled procedurally, and ensured that nobody got injured during the most hazardous parts of the process. Once underwater, I can not recommend enough about going with a guide. A guide is provided free and they will show you the most interesting parts of the sites. Additionally, they will make sure that you monitor your air, and don't get lost. Most scuba accidents happen due to overconfidence or negligence, and going with a guide can mitigate these factors.

Rainbow Reef is not just a dive center, they also provide instruction and certifications. The instructors were top notch, and again made sure you knew the content before sending you on a boat with them. I completed an Open Water, Advanced Open Water, and 4 Specialty Certifications withing 5 days, and learned more than I thought I would.

2 Instructors need to be recognized for their above and beyond service.

First, Natalie S. Nat.was my Open Water instructor at the beginning of the week to teach me the very basics of SCUBA. Natalie not only explained the concepts thoroughly, but also stopped to assist individual students when they became frustrated or flustered. Natalie delivered the content with a nice sense of humor, which made the content stick more. Throughout the 2-day course, Natalie was personal with all students, ensuring their success regardless of if that meant skipping lunch, or teaching for an extra day.

Second, I would like to recognize Odis. Odis was a co-instructor for my Advanced Open Water, and just recently became certified as an instructor, but certainly didn't seem like it. Odis offered helpful advice, and made sure that me and the other member of my group got the most of our trip. I started by planning with an OW and AOW cert only, and ended up also getting Nitrox, DPV, Fish ID, and PPB specialty certifications. These certifications were given at a discount rate since we were already going on the planned trips, and our AOW specialty dives counted towards some of these requirements. Throughout the dive trips, Odis was nothing but kind, patient, and knowledgeable. He offered knowledge beyond the requirements of the course, not because he was getting paid to do so, but because he wanted us to be better divers in general and help contribute to a positive diving community.

Dive Instructor Natalie, is incredibly patient, thorough, and really good at her job! Could not have asked for a better dive experience/ instructor. We have tried other dive shops and rainbow reef seems to have the most resources and really experienced staff.