Key Largo Discover Scuba Diving Experience (No Experience Needed)

I honestly don’t feel like we got what we paid for. We paid $249 per person, but our actual diving time was only about 20 minutes total. There were three of us doing Discovery Scuba with instructor Tom. The pool training lasted only about one hour, even though we expected much more time to learn and practice before going into the ocean. What was especially concerning was that important things, such as staying horizontal in the water and controlling our buoyancy, were not properly taught in the pool. Instead, Tom started telling us about these things only after our first jump into the ocean. We were basically being corrected on things that should have been taught and practiced before the dive. The boat trip lasted around four hours with two dive stops. Other divers were able to stay underwater for around an hour at each stop, but each of us was allowed to stay underwater for only about 10 minutes per dive. So while everyone else was enjoying their dives, we were mostly sitting on the boat. Tom also told us that he would take videos and pictures of us during the dives. He didn’t take any videos at all. He only took two pictures of me, and I didn’t even get a head-on picture. :) Since we had so little diving time, we eventually decided to snorkel instead. We had also checked Silent World, which was cheaper at $225 per person, but their available times didn’t match our schedule, so we chose Amory Dive Scuba. For $249 per person, we expected much more instruction, preparation, actual underwater time, and the photo/video service that was promised. Unfortunately, this experience was very disappointing and not worth the price.

My 21 yr old son and I aren’t certified so we did the DiscoverScuba so we could go with my husband who is PADI certified. Tom was our guide and he was so thorough in the pool session that we both felt completely comfortable taking what he had taught us and going out in the water. Tom had cautioned us that it was going to be a little rough because of high winds, and honestly, when it was time to jump in, I was a little afraid. He was right there waiting for me and continued to instruct me and got me past my fear. He has, I believe, 60 years of diving experience. I had complete confidence that he was more than capable of handling anything that arose. He kept excellent watch on us and when I had trouble equalizing my ear pressure a few times, he was right there with a great trick that fixed it. He is so patient and has such an easy manner that I felt completely comfortable asking for help until I was ok. After the first dive, he was so gentle in giving corrections, that he called “tweaks to our technique”, that I didn’t really appreciate that we’d been corrected until looking back! He was the perfect guide and made our experience wonderful! Go to Amoray and when you book, make sure you get Tom!

I've been diving for 39 years. When my daughter had her tenth birthday I scoured S.FL interviewing dive shops and instructors (I'm extremely yes). I finally opted for Amoray. I don't believe over the last five years any dive shop could have matched what the experience and gift they have provided. Kate,G,Tess,Brie, Aaron, Kevin, Ricki,Kent, Christina, January, and on and on and on. My daughter and I have had opportunity to work with every single employee there. I'm a full time single dad and I'm extremely protective, and Jeff and Cynthia have created a truly special group of people. My daughter has flourished, earning her Rescue,Advanced,Deep, Recovery, wreck, navigation, certs and more and now.. being 15 she completed her first dive of the Spiegel Grove. Epic. Because of Amoray, and Kelly, and Anna, Matt, Tom, Charlie the tank hero, and Nick, and the gazillion people I'm omitting that are equally important my daughter has been able to volunteer with REEF,CRF,NOA,FL DEPT OF EPA. Thanks also to Horizon and Jared Bronson. If you want patience, professionalism, knowledge, warmth, and AUTHENTIC care, Amoray sets the standard. You will not be just a number, or a source of revenue. To be clear, we have had experiences with 13 other dive companies, and most were ok ( three seem to operate with the object goal of life threatening catastrophe and are allergic to happiness in any form). Dive/ snorkeling with Amoray.

Fun day learning scuba in a discovery dive at Amoray Dive! Instructor Gabe was great in the pool to teach and then let us try each item before moving to the next skill. Our pool lesson lasted a little over 2 hrs for 3 students. We then got fit for wetsuits and hopped on the boat to head out to 2 separate dive sites on molasses reef. We saw beautiful coral, colorful fish, baracuda, sea turtles and Goliath grouper! The seas were a bit choppy and a few in our group got sea sick. But the boat crew was awesome (shout out to Ericka who was such a help!). The whole boat crew wanted to make sure you had a good experience, and were so helpful with our gear! They had water, pretzels, and ginger chews (to help with sea sickness) and a nice shower to rinse off. Overall a great day on the water and 2 of the 3 of us will likely get certified. The only thing that could have made our day better was a little extra time between the education pool and the dives. We were originally told we would start at 8 and have 30 min to an hr between the pool and the dive. But they started us at 9:30 and then went straight from the pool to the wetsuit fitting and boat. Not only did we need a snack in between, but a few minutes to rest and recall what we learned. That part felt rushed and made me a bit anxious - but overall it was a great experience and we would dive with them again.

Very personalized services. Unfortunately super windy and chilly so I canceled dives for that afternoon. The staff were very accommodating and rebooked dives for next morning. They were willing to cancel my dive’s advance reservation the next day and added remaining dives of refresher course. Unfortunately I’m a wimp and woke up to 70 degrees and although ocean conditions were improved, I canceled. In my ideal conditions, it would be in 80s! Oh well, next time…

The entire experience was wonderful. Our instructor, January, was positive, friendly and extra helpful. She was great with my two sons (15 & 11) and went above and beyond to help us have a great experience. I can't say enough good things about her! From the office to the boat, the entire staff at Amoray was attentive, friendly and organized. I'm a certified diver, but it was my kid's first exposure. They LOVED the experience, so now we have to get them certified. We had such a great experience with Amoray's Discovery program I'll happily consider coming back for one of their certification programs. I wish I had known about staying at their facility, because everything there seemed very nice and conveniently located. Great all-around experience, and thankful for having found Amoray!. Thanks!!

We did our Advanced Open Water dive certification here with Tom. 8 dives in 2 days. We did not use the hotel. Here's how it went: The Good: - Very knowledgeable and friendly staff - Easy equipment rental for a very fair price - Fun, helpful, responsible boat crew - Did not go to the same dive site twice except the deep water dives, so lots to see in new environments - Safety was key and everyone made sure to keep things safe while also giving you a great experience - Rented gear was in good condition. When someone did have a problem with gear it was swapped out or fixed immediately - Tom did a great job giving required instruction in a practical manner; very good to have as an instructor; techniques and procedures did wonders in such a short time to make me a better diver - Snacks on the boat! The Not So Good: - Dive trip was too short. Wish we could stay a few more days. - Website is beautiful but doesn't really get into detailed information. They just say call. Could definitely use more details online so people know what to talk about when they call. Bottom Line: Excellent dive shop and tour service. Everyone from the office people to the dive crews were great. Prices reasonable. I'd recommend this group to anyone.

The diving instructors were phenomenal. Boat captains and crew were attentive and fun. Kalen and Christina explained and demonstrated the scuba skills so well and took their time to certify our son for open water scuba. We also did a refresher course with them; very thorough. The property is quaint and friendly. Would recommend for families, friends, and anyone looking for a relaxing scuba/stay option.

The dive instructor, Nick, was great. We did the Discovery Dive course without certification which involved about 2 hours of instruction in the pool and then 2 dives later that day in the ocean. My only complaint is that we went from 7.5 ft in the pool to an ocean dive of max 50 ft and that was overwhelming. If we had done the shallower depth dive first, it would have eased us newbies into it and we might have had greater success.

My son love the experience! Especially with the professional instructions and help from Tom. Thank you so much!

Gabe is a great teacher, very professional and experienced in both scuba diving and teaching. The open water dives were also great. The captain and first mate were very helpful and friendly. I would recommend it for anyone wanting a taste of scuba. Mike

We decided to stay here and do our open water dive certification. Hands down best experience! The room is incredible- the staff is friendly, helpful, and very accommodating. Our dive instructor, Max, is personable, knowledgeable, patient, and so much fun! We had the best new dive experience and got to see a shark!!! Learned so many new skills and discovered a new passion to add to our lives! Come stay and dive here! You won’t regret it!!!

Max and the entire team and Amoray provided an amazing and professional experience for our family this week. My daughter and her friend became certified open water divers under Max’s expert guidance and all of the staff from Amoray divers and resort were absolutely first class. We highly recommend Amoray to anyone considering diving and/or staying in Key Largo!

Such a great experience and such a good taste of scuba diving! Grace was an awesome instructor, very knowledgeable about scuba diving and also the wildlife!

I have been diving on my vacations the level of service We received at Amoray far exceed any other dive destination, Max was my instructor for receiving my Advance certification. He was fantastic at teaching me all about the ins and outs of deep dives. Over the week we had 3 boat Captains, Captain G, Kevin and Aaron. They each explained the dive sites with great knowledge and gave me great insight on what to expect. I appreciated all of the help from the front office with scheduling our dives. Thank you all!! Came home with some amazing photography from Tess and Aaron too.

Kelly at the Dive Center set me up with a Discovery scuba dive. From the minute !showed up everyone was helpful and kind. I have never scuba dived. I did a class in the pool with Art and if it wasn't for him I would have not been able to do it. So patient and positive. Then in the afternoon we went and did 2 dives. I was very nervous and anxious. He was with me every step of the way. I can now check scuba diving off my bucket list. It was beautiful down there and he pointed out all the fish and eels and everything that was there. The time down there went faster than I expected to. If you ever wanted to try scuba diving I highly recommend this dive center. Beautiful property and just a nice day on the water. We also did a sunset cruise with the dive center as well and it was magical. Thank you Kelly for arranging it all for us and thank you Art for giving me the encouragement I needed to do it.

Our two teenage boys got their PADI qualification last week and really enjoyed the diving. Their instructor (Murphy) was great, and we knew the boys were in safe hands! Everyone we dealt with at Amoray was super helpful and friendly, we arranged the PADI on-line learning modules from our home in the UK and the team at Amoray answered any questions quickly. We would highly recommend them.

From the start of our day, the staff at Amoray treated us so nicely. We had our diving lesson at 8am. There was complimentary coffee outside that we could enjoy. We sign a waiver and took a mini video course before moving to the pool. Our diving instructor Murphy was great! He helped us with any question or concern we had and trained us in the pool for about a hour or so. We then had time to go get lunch and change our wet clothing. When we got back we boarded a boat with other people who were diving or snorkeling and headed out for our first dive. It was absolutely perfect weather. Our first dive, I actually lost my goggles and my breathing device and was panicking. The staff, Amy our first mate and our boat captain Trevor helped calm me down to build up the courage to jump in again. They were so patient and kind. The water was extremely rough on the surface but once we got down deep enough we saw 2 sea turtles, a manaray, hogfish, lobster and so many colorful fish. It was amazing! Murphy also pointed out an anemone (clown fish home)! It was truly one of the most clear dives we’ve ever done having been in Mexico diving before. We saw the statue of Jesus underwater also! Such a great experience and many families were aboard for snorkeling as well so something fun for everyone.

The scuba training was first rate. I’m certified, but hadn’t dived for four years so the refresher was great. It was my son’s first time, but he took to it like a natural. The ocean dive experience could not have possibly been better. Perfect weather and conditions, and guides who were professional, friendly, and fun. We will dive with you again!

5 stars My instructor Kalen was the best she was so helpful and the smartest and made me feel so brave!! She the best she deserves a raise!!

It was absolutely amazing to be able to see the reef and all the sea life and a shipwreck from underwater. Aaron was a patient and thorough instructor. The whole crew was friendly and fun and super helpful. Amazing experience.

My son and I did our first night dive followed by two dives the following morning. The guides were amazingly helpful and made my son and I feel very comfortable in our new surroundings. I will use them again. I highly recommend them to anyone…

The entire staff was awesome! They were all educated and so much fun. We didn’t end up scuba diving but we did snorkel instead and the staff was super understanding about needing to switch! Highly recommend and will come back if I’m in the area.

Our Baker University Crew had a great time !!! We loved our Instructors Amy, Aaron and Kalen something fierce ! They shared their love of diving and expertise, in getting our large group certified with fun included! Each one of them had the ability to teach with care and passion and could settle the nerves/anxiety while getting us through our skill tests. I def recommend them to anyone that is looking for a great instructor !!! Captain G Del Rio impressed us with his playlists as we navigated our way back and forth from the dive locations. Please do yourself a favor and use these folks to get certified !! I'm looking forward to getting my next certification and want to learn from the best !!!!

We were doing a discovery scuba , we got paired with 2 others who were getting certified so they required more training than we did so there was times we just hung around waiting for them to get done. The resort associated with them didn't maintain their property well I slipped in some wet slimy stuff and injured my toe, our dive instructor went and got a bandaid for me this was the extent of their assistance with my injury no one other than instructor even asked if I was alright. Also this is an 8 hour activity they don't tell you to bring a lunch they say they have snacks and water but you don't see any of that until you get on the boat to dive @12 and what they had for snacks was a community bucket of pretzels that everyone had their hands in. I gave 2 stars because kaylen the instructor, Travis the boat driver and Aaron the first mate were all very good but the overall experience was not good and I had to spend the rest of my vacation with an injury to deal with.

My son and I did the discover scuba course and dive at Amoray over spring break. Aaron was our instructor and was very knowledgeable, with Brie as our guide on our afternoon dives. Overall fantastic people, equipment and pool for orientation. Would highly recommend to anyone looking to try scuba diving for the first time.

Such a nice experience. Nice people there. Aron and Kalen are professional instructors. Next time I will get my certificate for sure. Thanks again guys

I had an amazing experience completely my Naui/Padi certification with Amoray. Kate was my diving instructor, and I highly recommend her as she was extremely accommodating. I learned so much from my experience with her—making me a better and more confident diver. I went to four locations which were beautiful. The crew and staff were welcoming and encouraging, particularly Hot Captain Kevin, Lauren, Brie, Aaron, and Kaitlyn. Highly recommend diving with Amoray, and I look forward to coming back soon!!

As someone who has run a business for over 37 years, I understand what good service is, and what it is not. The entire team at Amoray was AWESOME! Let's start with the office staff. I was greeted in a warm and friendly manner, and they confirmed my appointment. They answered all my many questions and had me through the digital paperwork very quickly. On the day of the dive, I was met by Kalen, my diving instructor who was a gem. The last time I went diving was over 30 years ago. I was kind of concerned that now being a senior (65) I might have some unknow difficulties with scuba diving. Kalen was patient, clear, did not mind repeating instructions and had us underwater in the pool in no time at all. Kudos to Aaron who loaned me his personal fins as I have HUGE feet and the fins for normal people did not fit me. The boat crew was great. We were told that Dave (safety crew) would also be the entertainment but in my opinion the boat Captain Mike kind of took over with his rendition of YMCA. Anyway, the crew quickly loaded us all in and gave clear instructions of what to do and what not to do. It seems like minutes to get to the dive site, but I am sure it was longer. As a side note, putting on the wet suit for me was like trying to fit 15 pounds of potatoes in a 5 pound potato bag. The crew helped pry me in. Now was the moment of truth. It was very comforting having Dave walk me to the edge of the dive boat and seeing Kalen waiting in the water. In I went. The dive was wonderful, and I could not believe the thousands and thousands of fish that were there. They would swim within inches of us all. The second dive that day was even better as I was able to focus more on looking around and not the scuba diving part which seemed to work a little more naturally by this point. I was very disappointed to see Kalen give the ascend signal as I knew it meant the dive and experience was over at least for the day. The entire ride home was thoughts of when I would be able to do this again. Dave redeemed himself for his entertainment credentials in the selfie photo attached with my instructor Kalen. Amoray is the only place I would ever even consider. I now plan and hope to get certified. I am planning next year’s vacation around it already.

We loved everything about it! Aaron and Lauren were amazing people me and my partner could have a conversation with them all day long. Aaron was an amazing dive guide and pointed out all the things you wanted to see. Thank you guys for everything can’t wait till next time!

Erin,pete,Jeff and the captain Excellent experience!!!! They took great care to make sure we were safe and that we had a good time, I appreciated how my guide Erin helped me out with getting my gear off before I got into the boat since I have a weak back at the moment and gave me the best experience possible!!! Thank you!!

We loved diving at the level of the animals. We saw lobsters, a stone crab and an eel along with many cool fish. Aaron was a calm and knowledgeable instructor that helped our experience be successful. The crew on our dive boat were so helpful and created a fun atmosphere!

This review details my dangerous experience as a formally loyal customer and current DMT, to warn clients of the fraud, violation of standards, and predatory behavior I experienced with David Sowers over the course of 6 weeks and several thousand dollars spent. David sold/trained me for a tech class he was not certified or qualified to teach, under the guise he was was a "technical instructor". This would mean he had significantly more training than he actually does, particularly with teaching students in high risk scenarios (EG: new gear, increased depths, overhead environments). Tech instructor certifications are not easy to obtain/maintain, and you must certify a certain number of students to progress. Based on what David told me, I believed he had extensive training and had taught a large number of students in technical (higher risk) scenarios. This is the only reason I trusted him to teach me how to work with additional cylinders, dive in overhead environments, and go to new depths. This is also why I purchased a tech class from him/ Amoray, but he was never able to give me the certification I paid/trained for. This is because David DOES NOT have any technical instructor certifications, training, or experience. This became apparent as I worked with actual tech instructors who observed how poorly, and potentially dangerously, my gear was set up. Upon further investigation, I learned that in addition to lying to me every day for 6 weeks, David has been expelled by other dive agencies (SDI/TDI) for similarly reckless behavior. I still don't understand David's motivation, but noticed consistently spotty judgment in his interactions with younger females. I'm a younger female, but married (as David well knows), so hate to speculate more on his intentions. I removed a previous post at the urging of the owner, Jeff, who assured me David would be terminated after the three of us sat on a conference call and David admitted to events listed above. It's now come to my attention that David is still at Amoray, so it seems that Jeff simply wanted me to take my review down before DEMA (big scuba conference + marketing opportunity for Amoray). I understand that most divers go to Amoray for a weekend of fun-diving, and their services might seem adequate for that. That said, we make ourselves vulnerable anytime we dive with a professional and David admittedly preyed on my vulnerability. Furthermore, Amoray's pervasive culture of permissiveness and dishonesty has no place in the dive industry.

This was an incredible experience. My boyfriend and I were being instructed by Aaron and you could tell he truly loves what he does, along with the rest of the crew (Captain Putnam, Kaylynn, etc). I am still waiting on the photos from the dive to be sent to me (it's only been 4 days) but I can't wait to see them. We were able to hang out with a sea turtle and nurse shark, as well as a battery of barracuda. 10/10

We did a DSD dive here 10/29/22. Our instructor and guide was Kalen who was just amazing. I have to say we were also really impressed with how great everyone was! That team loves each other and working together. That makes such a great difference and also for a great experience. Visibility wasn't great during the dive at horseshoe reef, but that has nothing to do with this business, which seriously, is top notch. We will definitely be diving with them if we ever dive again in Key Largo.

This establishment is just amazing. The staff are not only wonderful to you as a guest, they are a very close nit crew that have a great relationship with one another. It was refreshing to see. Kalen did our dsd. She was so good. We've gone diving several times, just haven't gotten certified. Would definitely recommend to others and will definitely return when we can.

It was the best of times and it was the worst of times......let me explain. I had always wanted to scuba dive, but had never committed to it. My wife and I went snorkeling with this company and really enjoyed the experience. Professional and courteous. Decided to scuba dive and went through the pool course with no problems. The following day, I went for the scuba diving trip and didn't realize I had contracted pneumonia from inhaling salt water. I got 35 feet down and literally couldn't breath. My instructor(Alex) stayed cool and help me resist the urge to punch the air button on the equipment and we made it to the surface. I won't go into the effects from the pneumonia, but this is the type of experience that makes you appreciate well trained, concerned individuals. I would not hesitate to recommend this company for either the snorkeling or diving excursions. Plan to go again. Thanks, Amoray!!!!!!

Booked the discover scuba class with my son. We had an amazing time and our instructor Murphy was awesome. Would 100% recommend!

Amoray were really great. The best scuba we have done around the world. We did the PADI wreck dive and advanced open water qualifications. Most of our diving was with instructor Dave who is a complete star and was great with both me and my 16 yo daughter. We also dives with Cate who was good too.

Very friendly staff and incredibly professional instructors/Captain. You’re going to learn and have an awesome time doing it. Impossible to go wrong with this crew.

I chose Amoray to obtain my Open Water Dive cert (via dive and stay) and I’m beyond excited with my decision. The crew here is fantastic. It’s evidentially a tight knit company and they welcome you with open arms. Thanks Aaron for the cert instruction, Captain G for the awesome boat trips, Kalen and Cate for being great first mates, and David and Cutler for accompanying me on some of the dives!