Dive Review of Rainbow Reef Dive Center/Courtyard Mariott Key Largo in
The Continental USA/Florida Keys

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Rainbow Reef Dive Center/Courtyard Mariott Key Largo, Aug, 2013, by Aaron Kelly, FL, US ( 1 report). Report 7520.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The boats are right at the Mariott hotel. Ample free parking even if you're not staying at the hotel. The deckhands were very accommodating, even carrying my heavy steel tanks from the car onto the boat for me. I did 10 dives with these guys over a few days time. Most were on a large "cattle boat". Standard as far as large dive boats go. Captain and crew were very pleasant. My last day of diving was to be out to Spiegel Grove. It was on the smaller of Rainbow Reef's boats. Unfortunately, the captain decided to cut out of the channel early to save time on the way out and he ran the boat aground! He called sea-tow, who was unable to pull him off the sandbar. The sea-tow boat gave us all a ride back to shore, while the captain dealt with the local sheriff. We of course were given a refund for the dive. Special note about nitrox: They will rent you tanks filled with nitrox, but will not fill tanks you own with nitrox. This was not a VIP or hydro issue, they flatly refused to do it. I had to go down the road to another op to get my tanks filled. Overall, this was some fantastic diving. The crew stood out as a real bright point on this trip. They do offer training (PADI I think) but I did not sign up for any. The boats were all sold out for every dive I did with them. Several times I saw them turn folks away because they were full. Despite the issue with the boat on the last day, I would dive with these guys again.
Websites	Rainbow Reef Dive Center Courtyard Mariott Key Largo
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	51-100 dives
Where else diving	Palm Beach, Sarasota, North FL Springs
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	dry	Seas	calm, no currents
Water Temp	80-82°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	30-50 Ft/ 9-15 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Must be back on boat 1 hour from first diver getting wet (not from when you got in). Must have 500psi when you get back on the boat (they didn't check). For dives deeper than 60' they require an Advanced Open Water (or better) card. They do check.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	They do provide a separate rinse bucket for cameras. It's Key largo, so there is plenty to photograph!

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Dive Review of Rainbow Reef Dive Center/Courtyard Mariott Key Largo in The Continental USA/Florida Keys

Rainbow Reef Dive Center/Courtyard Mariott Key Largo, Aug, 2013,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Rainbow Reef Dive Center/Courtyard Mariott Key Largo in
The Continental USA/Florida Keys