KJHorton Posted July 10, 2007 #1 Share Posted July 10, 2007 My son and I are taking the open water course but our check out dives are the weekend we leave for our cruise. If we arrive a couple of days ahead of time, I was thinking maybe we could do our check out dives in Ft. Lauderdale or Miami and complete our certification before we board the ship. Any recommendations for dive shops in either city or nearby? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nrh322 Posted July 10, 2007 #2 Share Posted July 10, 2007 I used to work at Force E scuba in Boca Raton. They have a branch in Ft. Lauderdale. Great shop. Great people. :) http://www.force-e.com/index.shtml Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfie2012 Posted July 10, 2007 #3 Share Posted July 10, 2007 I've heard good things about Force E Scuba, but have never used them personally. I typically use FillExpress when I'm down there. Great little shop, always have everything I've needed in a pinch. Friendly staff. http://www.fillexpress.com For boat dives I always use Parrot Island Scuba, and I believe they'll do referrals for checkout dives. Jerry & his staff are simply the best I've ever seen. http://www.parrotislandscuba.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepstops Posted July 11, 2007 #4 Share Posted July 11, 2007 I typically use FillExpress when I'm down there. Great little shop, always have everything I've needed in a pinch. Friendly staff. For boat dives I always use Parrot Island Scuba, and I believe they'll do referrals for checkout dives. Jerry & his staff are simply the best I've ever seen. Both of these operations are top-notch and used by the locals as well as visiting divers. I'll also add Oliver Paoli who runs the Avid Diver boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt_BJ Posted July 11, 2007 #5 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Great idea but I'd change the plan slightly I'd head down to Key Largo and Pennekamp park rather than dive off Miami or Ft Lauderdale. Pen' is only about an hour south of Miami .... well maybe 90 minutes. I'd refer you to Quiescence Diving Services. I first dove with them over 20 years ago....and they still run '6 packs'. No more than 6 divers on a boat. They teach on site too, so handling a referral should be no problem (with advanced arrangements) http://www.keylargodiving.com/ (p.s. note the site name ... makes ya think they were the first one on line down there huh?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJHorton Posted July 12, 2007 Author #6 Share Posted July 12, 2007 Thanks, Capn. That is another thought we had; my husband dove Pennekamp years ago and loved it. It is just a matter of whether we need to dive on Sunday and have to get back to MIA before the ship leaves. We will check out the shop you recommend. Now, if only Southwest flight prices would come down a couple of days before we plan to leave; they are usually much cheaper in August! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w&k Posted July 13, 2007 #7 Share Posted July 13, 2007 I don't know if FLL (or PBI) is a flight option for you, but my favorite spot is Boynton Beach, which is just a bit north of FLL, and south of PBI. We stay at the Holiday Inn Express @ I-95 and Boynton Beach Blvd. The breakfast buffet is good, and there used to be (still is, as far as I know) a Manager's reception from 5-7 with beer, wine, soda & munchies. We dive with Capt. Craig on the Starfish Enterprise http://www.idivestarfish.com or Capt. Larry on the Manta http://www.sixpackdivers.com Wendy dive pix http://community.webshots.com/user/wendyandkeith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulli Posted July 13, 2007 #8 Share Posted July 13, 2007 http://www.prodiveusa.com/ is in Fort Lauderdale. They certify many instructors but also certify divers. We took a dive charter with them recently. Nice operation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepstops Posted July 13, 2007 #9 Share Posted July 13, 2007 http://www.prodiveusa.com/ is in Fort Lauderdale. We took a dive charter with them recently. Nice operation. But definitely what we locals refer to as a cattle operation. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulli Posted July 13, 2007 #10 Share Posted July 13, 2007 I was impressed with their educational focus which is their main business. They are a well known name and the advantage of a large operation is they may have resources to accommodate schedule constraints a typically cruise traveler faces. That said, I don’t necessarily know if I would use them again to do a dive charter as their dive boat was large and pretty crowded but they were close by and convenient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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