Learn to Dive in Florida Keys

[DarrenShort]

Hi All,

We will be visiting the Florida Keys in May next year, and we would like to learn to dive, does anyone have any recommendations as there seem to be a huge variety of dive shops offering certification ?

Thanks

[Nostromo]

Try this link. I think it has all the info you need, including tips for divers.

[website link edited]

[Ruth]

Wayne and I both learned to dive (PADI open water) at Amy Slates Amoray Dive Resort in Key Largo. Wayne went on to do his Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver at Amy's (we went back for a second holiday there). We have not been back since we had the children but intend to return when they are older and would thoroughly recommend them for learning to dive:)

[SunLover]

This is something we've always fancied doing, but never quite got around to... maybe 2005 will be the year :D

[daveg]

I have used both [website link edited] in Looe Key (twice) and http://www.oceandivers.com/ in Key Largo where we dived the Speigal Groove (200 foot WW2 ship). I would recommend both highly.

[Jill]

Diving is very addictive and was one of the things our son always wanted to do. He learnt to dive with Underwater Unlimted in Coral Gables while at University of Miami and took several speciality courses. He has dived to the wreck mentioned off Key Largo more than once and thoroughly nejoyed it. He is now a marine biologist and qualified diving instructor working in Melbourne, Australia and part of his job is to take people diving in the shark tank at the Melbourne aquarium.

[nreece]

Where abouts in the Keys are you going? We went with a great group in Key West and can give you their details

[Sniff]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by DarrenShort
Hi All,

We will be visiting the Florida Keys in May next year, and we would like to learn to dive, does anyone have any recommendations as there seem to be a huge variety of dive shops offering certification ?

Thanks
[/quote]
Make sure you have enough time...it takes about 4-5 days to get PADI Open Water certified, and it's hard work. My wife and I qualified in the Maldives last year (well, if you have to go underwater, might as well do it somewhere nice eh? :D).

But as I said...hard work...4 days of morning classroom lessons, afternoon diving lessons, and then evening homework. No time at all for 'holiday stuff'. I am SO glad we were there for 2 weeks so we could relax the second week. [msnsmile2]

[chrissb]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Make sure you have enough time...it takes about 4-5 days to get PADI Open Water certified, and it's hard work. My wife and I qualified in the Maldives last year (well, if you have to go underwater, might as well do it somewhere nice eh? :D).

But as I said...hard work...4 days of morning classroom lessons, afternoon diving lessons, and then evening homework. No time at all for 'holiday stuff'. I am SO glad we were there for 2 weeks so we could relax the second week. [msnsmile2][/quote]Assuming that you are going for a PADI qualification, there is the option to do the classroom lessons and the pool/confined water sessions at a PADI centre in the UK so you don't spend part of your holiday in a fantastic location stuck in a classroom. Then get a referal to a dive school in your holiday location to complete the course with the open water sessions. This should give you the best of all worlds and if you want to continue diving on holiday the dive school would be very happy to take you to good dive sites.