Florida Keys Dive Center

Second year in a row diving with this shop and they are great. Very conscious of everyone’s safety and comfort. Their location offers lots of great dive sites, molasses is a must see! Huge reef, always new things to see. Their boat has fresh water showers to rinse off and they have a bathroom. The shop itself has a covered picnic area and a place you can change your clothes if you’re traveling. Everyone is friendly and helpful. I enjoy diving with them.

Great experience from start to finish– our two sons were certified by great professional & fun instructors! Joe was very informed & great at instruction! Boys did on line classes & then followed up with Reese first day in pool review– two additional days of open water — we (the parents) went on boat to snorkel second day — crew Capt Tom & new to FKDC was nice young guy Ulgur (spelling wrong I know) aka «Hulk» thanks for wonderful experience for our family!

The young man charged with getting the boat ready didn’t want to be there. He ignored the divers and rolled his eyes so much at the divers he probably got sea sick. The captain was pushing the divers for time so hard he almost killed us. We had 6 – 7 foot seas and he tells us to gear up at ten minutes out when standing on the boat wasn’t even possible. Then we did our dive that was great no guide just divers. We get back on and off we go switching tanks on the same 6 – 7 foot swells with boat moving at 30 knots. They brought pineapple but didn’t give us any. Then at 40 mins surface time they say get out dive time. My computer says I still have 20 min surface time. So we get in and dive 24 mins and have to quit because of nitrogen load and still had over half a tank of air. Had we had a full hour of surface time we could have had a full dive. Further more the staff and captain sat upstairs the whole trip all the divers sat alone the whole time.

Having visited a few dive centers in Key West, I was less impressed with FKDC.
The gear was less high tech, the crew less than helpful and no «Local expert» in the water. Needless to say, I chose to dive at another dive shop where I had previously been for another dive. FKDC did not impress.

We had a great experience with their crew. They went out of their way to be helpful to everyone on board.

If you get seasick, this might not be the trip for you. We went out on a snorkeling trip with a huge group of people — all ages, all fitness levels (it was a family/​wedding group and we took up the entire boat) — and the water was quite rough that day: white caps and choppy once we got out there.
We went to two different reefs to snorkel. Honestly, one reef would have been plenty for this particular group. After we got out to the second reef, about half the boat (possibly more) were feeling ill. One person threw up. The water was very choppy and sitting on the boat was really not an option because it just made people feel sicker. While I had a nice time overall and the snorkeling was fun, this wasn’t what I’d call an amateur’s snorkeling trip. I’ve done other snorkeling trips in smooth, calm water (no chance of seasickness) and that was far preferable.
Also, it would have been great (and possibly helpful) if they’d offered some wine or at least some ice cold waters at the end for the trip back. I’ve had that on other snorkeling trips and it’s a welcome treat. They didn’t offer any drinks at all. You have to bring your own.
I think this is really more of a scuba diving company and if you’re more of a hardcore water person (and definitely a diver) this would be a good crew for that.
However, if you’re bringing along your 70+ year old relatives from Europe or your 10 year old cousin from Jersey, it might be better to look into a more mellow type of company that will make sure you’re not just safe but comfortable, too.

Had a great 2-​tank guided dive with Mikey. We’ll definitely dive with these guys on our next trip to the keys. Good equipment, Safety conscious, and great customer service.

My husband and I visited FKDC yesterday for our first diving experience. We spent the morning in a pool a few miles north, and then went out on the boat around 1pm for two reef dives. Our instructor Ben was phenomenal. Made us feel at ease and comfortable in the water. I was nervous about clearing water our of your mask and also if the regulator comes out of your mouth while diving, and he took his time showing us the proper techniques and had us practice until we were confident. He was a great guide in the open water, and took his time showing us all there was to see. Next time we are in the keys, I will definitely be diving with Ben at FKDC!
Oh and the best part! Fresh pineapple after diving. Such a nice treat after all the saltwater.

We rented multiple setups for multiple days here and were able to work out a deal for a reasonable price. All the gear was in great condition and they were able to provide everything we needed. The only issue was the one time we sent the girls to refill our tanks they came back complaining the guys working there wouldn’t help them carry the new tanks back to the car. Good shop. We will definitely be using them again next year.

Called a day ahead to make reservations for snorkeling. Planned our day out, got there at the time instructed. Just to be told there was no boat going out. Very unprofessional staff. Not even a sorry. After the office staff experience glad that we didn’t end up using them. They did call around for us to other places and ended up having an awesome experience at Horizon Dive in Key Largo. Where we will be going from now on.

went and got certified with jose capo it was great! he knows his stuff! went out and did a few dives and some some great reefs and fish weather was perfect! Great operation, very fast turn around with the tanks it’s like an army tanks off new tanks on and ready to go as long as people are not late! can’t wait to do some wreck dives with jose!

There are dozens of dive shops located in the Upper Keys, and Florida Keys Dive Center (better known as FlaKeys) has always been one of my favorites. FlaKeys is a PADI 5 Star Career Development Center & Dive Resort which means that they have reached the highest-​level of credentialing and are held to the highest possible standards by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors. As a 20-​year member of PADI, I always seek out 5 Star Centers when I am diving
FlaKeys is located just south of Key Largo in the little area known as Tavernier. The shop is visible from the main road, but sits on Freelan Road, or the Old Highway. There are several small diver hotels in the area as well as a commercial fish market, a marina, and several small restaurants. In general, this is a sleepy part of the Keys, which means less tourists and a better diving experience.
The retail store for FlaKeys is large and fully stocked with dive equipment for purchase or rental, plus t-​shirts and other touristy items. The main shop also serves as the training center with classrooms for novice divers. If you’re not certified then you can choose to take your basic certification, or advance all the way into the professional ranks at FlaKeys.
Tom Timmerman built his dive business staring in the mid 80s, and he has the reputation of excellence in customer service, diver safety, and protection of the underwater environment. Lots of dive clubs and groups travel to FlaKeys to dive with Tom’s team, so don’t be surprised to see groups of people from the South and Midwest who have made the journey for an extended dive vacation.
The shop has several custom dive boats that chug along the canal and out to the ocean to a wide variety of dive sites in the region. The boat’s Captain will select the dive sites based upon that day’s weather conditions and the requests of the crowd. Generally you can plan to dive wrecks such as the Spiegel Grove, USCG Duane, or the Eagle along with some popular reefs such as Captain Tom’s Ledge, Crocker Wall, Davis Reef, Hens and Chickens, and Molasses Reef to name a few.
I suggest that you book your diving plans in advance, and make sure that you mix up the wreck and reef dives, as well as a night dive or two. The dive shop can handle your rental equipment needs as well as air fills in between the dive trips.
This is an excellent dive operation, and a great place to slip off the grid and go diving for a few days!

Great crew the captains found the fish. We went on 6 dives this week. The crew chose the reefs based on experience level of the clients that day. Excellent work everyone. Yvonne in the office ran a tab for us and her accounting was perfect. Locking up our gear every day was a genius benefit and kept our hotel clean. Thanks everyone! We will use you every time we come to the keys!

First strike was getting on the boat to a empty tank but I noticed it before launching. Second strike was Captain Greg, this guy is a complete jerk. I watched him make a complete ass of himself while yelling and badgering people. One lady asked him the name of the boat, not only did he not answer her but lectured everyone about finding the right boat when surfacing after the dive. The Captian went on with his pre dive orientation speech with the wrong compass headings. My Wife and I are both advanced divers and will NEVER dive with this outfit ever again.

i really loved this place. we went diving here about a year ago and the experience was awesome! the dive master brett was really good and the overall trip couldn’t have been better. i would def say anyone who is in islamorada should go by here for a diving excursion!

Have been diving with 7 different dive outfits in the upper/​middle keys in the last 10 years and this group, by far, has been the best. Boat is big, wide, clean and fast. Crew is phenomenal. Capt Greg was informative and kind. John, the 1^st mate/​Instructor/​boat Janitor (LOL) is a young super nice fellow that is always there to help, lead the dive op and make you laugh.
Will definitely return on my next trip to the Keys.

I went on a lobstering trip with Atlantic Edge Scuba and we went to Flakey’s daily for our dives. Greg and Chris and John were all helpful, and knowledgeable about the areas we were diving in. I am a novice diver, they were helpful and we did have fun. I can’t really comment otherwise, as my experiences have been very few. I loved the dive platform off of the back of the boat. I had a good experience and I would recommend them to a friend.

Unprofessional and poor reef choices for scuba based on the fact that there were lobster fishers on the boat who, though outnumbered, were catered to over the divers. Waste of money and wished we would have stopped in key largo on this trip instead. Have been snorkeling and diving all over the world and I would not have normally even bothered to dive what they were calling «spanish reef».
Check out captain slates diving in key largo instead. Better winter specials and much more professional. Much better reefs to dive on also.
Like John G says if you want to feel like a princess, or even better just feel like the crew cares about making a tip by helping you at any stage of the trip, then this is not the place for you.
ALL TIGHTWADS REJOICE!!!

I’ve dove with FKDC a few times and would likely dive with them again next time I head to the upper keys. Overall, the dive trips are top notch and the staff is friendly and knowledgeable. That said, for certification dives, I still feel a bit uneasy.
My wife and I worked on our PADI Open Water certificate while we were here. This is where we lose two stars. Our divemaster got us a bit lost underwater while we worked out skills. I signaled 500 psi to the instructor and was instructed to keep swimming toward the boat. At about 100 psi, I signaled to my wife to stay close and ready her alternate for me. Once the air ran out, we ignored our divemaster’s signal to continue swimming and began ascent. Part of the problem was a severe overweighting issue, causing me to use a lot more air than needed during the swim. Once we surfaced, we swam to the boat and were requested to perform skills. We were advised that I would not be allowed to drop my weight belt, or else forfeit the dive’s ability to count toward certification. Then, after working hard to maintain surface buoyancy (remember, I had to manually inflate), I was accused of being panicked. At the end of the dive, I was told to make sure that my dive logged showed 500 psi left in the tank, or they would not process my certification.
As capable divers finishing our Rescue Diver certification, I have no problem diving here in the future, as we will be fully responsible for all aspects of our dives. Maybe we just had a bad certifying divemaster. I know this center certifies a lot of divers every year, but I just cannot make the recommendation for this center for certification purposes.

Affectionately known as «FlaKeys», this place is a great little facility to take either a snorkeling trip or a scuba diving trip. The dive shop & boats are housed nicely together at the end of a canal that connects to the waterway for quick and easy access
They have two 46′ boats so they have the capacity to take groups of people to reefs, wrecks, or maybe even do a little spear fishing or lobstering. Each boat can easily hold 25 people and both boats are surprisingly stable (for those who are prone to seasickness). The captain, who looks like he just walked down to the keys from Boone, and the entire staff was very friendly and informative… a good group of folks.
Flakeys, a PADI 5 star facility, also rents everything that you might need… from BC’s to regs to tanks, lights, etc… Nitrox is also available.
They have a «dive locker» on site to stow your gear if you’re doing multiple dives over a couple of days… might I suggest going on a night dive as well, the reefs are fairly shallow (less than 20′) and have an abundance of marine life.
The rates are very competitive since there are dive shops/​boats around every corner down there. Me, being the consummate cheap-​ass, brought my own tanks & weights and my 2 wreck dives on the Spiegel Grove & The Duane only cost me $ 60.00
Bottomline: if you want to have a pleasurable diving/​snorkel experience, then I highly recommend Flakeys! Good times, good people, good fun~
Remember people… this is diving, if you idea of diving is:
— having people assemble/​disassemble your gear for you.
— the crew carries your gear to and from the boat for you.
— sitting in an air conditioned cabin until time to dive.
— having someone pack your gear for you after you’re done diving.
then Flakeys is NOT for you Princess.