The United States is home to some outstanding scuba diving, and the Florida Keys sit near the top of the list. With warm water, thriving coral reefs, and dozens of accessible dive sites, the Keys offer something for every level of diver.
To continue building our scuba skills, Danielle and I headed to Tavernier, located between Key Largo and Islamorada, for a long weekend of diving and training.
Our plan was simple:
- Friday: Recreational dives near Islamorada
- Saturday–Sunday: Complete our Advanced Open Water certification
- Bob: Go fishing in Key Largo while we were underwater
By the end of the weekend, we had logged ten dives in three days and came away far more confident and capable divers. We works for a few weeks prior to the dives to complete all our on-line written courses to complete the written portion of the Padi Advanced Diving Certification.
🌊 Why the Florida Keys Are a World-Class Dive Destination
The Florida Keys are home to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, one of the largest marine protected areas in the United States.
Stretching over 350 miles of coral reef, it is the third-largest barrier reef system in the world and the only living coral reef in the continental United States.
Divers in the Keys enjoy:
- Warm tropical water year-round
- Dozens of moored dive sites
- Healthy coral reef ecosystems
- Famous wreck dives
- Easy boat access
There are more than 30 permanent mooring balls across popular dive sites, preventing anchor damage to the reefs.
One of the most famous reefs here is Molasses Reef, a vibrant coral reef just a short boat ride from Key Largo.
🤿 Choosing the Right Dive Shops
Visitors will find dozens of dive operators throughout the Keys. In fact, locals often joke that there are more dive shops than gas stations.
Most reputable operators participate in the Blue Star Program, which promotes environmentally responsible diving practices such as:
- No touching coral or marine life
- No removing anything from the reef
- Proper buoyancy control
- Marine conservation education
After researching online reviews, we chose two dive operators:
- Islamorada Dive Center – for our recreational dive day
- Rainbow Reef Dive Center – for our two-day advanced certification course
Both are PADI-certified dive centers with excellent reputations.
🪸 Friday: Reef Diving with Islamorada Dive Center
We started the weekend with a full day of recreational diving south of Tavernier with Islamorada Dive Center.
Our trip included four dives at four different reef sites, giving us a great introduction to the reefs off Islamorada.
Dive sites included:
- Kiera’s Reef
- Hog Heaven
- Lion’s Ledge
- “Ham” (short for Hammerhead — though we didn’t see any!)
Depths ranged from 25 to 57 feet, and we enjoyed over 60 feet of visibility most of the day.
Marine Life Highlights
The reefs were full of activity. Some of our favorite sightings included:
- Green moray eels
- Spiny lobsters (some divers were even hunting for them)
- Lionfish
- Nurse sharks
- Stingrays
- Green sea turtles
- Schools of parrotfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, jacks, and needlefish
Our afternoon dive master was especially skilled at spotting tiny marine life tucked deep in coral crevices. At one point, he pointed out an enormous crab hidden in a small cave that we would have easily missed.
It was an outstanding start to the weekend.
🎓 Advanced Open Water Certification with Rainbow Reef
For the next two days, we completed our Advanced Open Water Diver certification with Rainbow Reef.
This certification allows divers to safely explore deeper dive sites and develop more advanced diving skills.
Rainbow Reef operates eight dive boats from multiple Key Largo locations, making them one of the largest dive operators in the Keys.
Our instructor, Jeff, was exceptional — a seasoned diver who had spent decades teaching around the world. His patience and experience made the entire course both educational and enjoyable.
🧭 Buoyancy Control Training
Our first training dive focused on buoyancy control, one of the most important diving skills.
Jeff set up underwater obstacle courses using hula hoops and other objects that required us to control our buoyancy while swimming through them.
This exercise immediately paid off.
By improving my trim and breathing control, I was able to drop four pounds from my weight belt, making diving more comfortable and efficient.
Better buoyancy also protects reefs by preventing accidental coral contact.
🧭 Underwater Navigation
Next we worked on underwater navigation, learning how to properly use our dive compasses.
Exercises included:
- Out-and-back navigation
- Square navigation patterns
- Calculating kick cycles for distance
Learning these skills significantly improved our confidence underwater.
🐟 Fish Identification
Throughout the weekend, we also practiced fish identification.
With the help of dive guides and fish charts, we learned to recognize many more species than we had previously noticed during dives.
Once you start identifying fish, reef dives become far more interesting.
⚓ Deep and Wreck Diving: USS Spiegel Grove
Our deep dive and wreck dive both took place on the legendary USS Spiegel Grove.
This massive 510-foot Navy landing ship was intentionally sunk in 2002 to create one of the most famous wreck dives in the world.
The ship sits upright in about 130 feet of water, with multiple mooring buoys allowing divers to explore different sections of the wreck.
During our dives:
- Maximum depth reached 97 feet
- Visibility ranged 35–40 feet
- Currents were fairly strong
Even with the challenging conditions, the dive was incredible.
Exploring such a large ship underwater can be intimidating at first, but Jeff helped us stay calm and focused while navigating the wreck safely.
By the end of the dive we had overcome our anxiety about deeper diving and returned to the surface with air to spare.
🎣 Bob’s Fishing Adventure
While Danielle and I were busy diving, Bob decided to try his luck fishing out of Key Largo.
He joined a local party fishing boat and had mixed results.
- Day One: Several triggerfish landed
- Day Two: The fishing gods were less cooperative
Bob had hoped to go out again Monday, but the boat didn’t reach the 15-person minimum, so the trip was canceled.
Next time, he plans to hire a private guide to explore more of the shallow flats and offshore fishing grounds.
Eventually, we may even bring our own boat down to the Keys for combined fishing and diving adventures.
🌊 Final Thoughts on Diving the Florida Keys
Our long weekend in the Keys was intense but incredibly rewarding.
Over three days we completed:
- 10 dives
- Advanced Open Water certification
- Several new reef explorations
The Florida Keys offer a perfect combination of:
- Accessible dive sites
- Healthy reef systems
- Famous wreck dives
- Outstanding dive operators
Most importantly, the experience helped Danielle and me become safer, more confident divers.
With so many reefs and wrecks still left to explore, we know we’ll be returning to the Keys again soon.
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