Captain Slate’s Scuba Adventures

Awesome experience! I cannot compare the crew and exceptional service! Their like old friends! Thanks Capt. SKIP, HAILEY AND SCOTTIE! Good times! Good times! Until next!

Captain Slate & Hailey were fabulous crew despite the chippy conditions for my first time ever snorkeling. Will try again in hopefully calmer conditions. Price included snorkeling gear and was very well maintained. Very good company.

Great experience! I had a Groupon deal, but this would have been worth the full price. There were only a few of us snorkeling/​scuba diving, and plenty of friendly crewmembers to help. Don’t expect some brassy, corporate production. It’s the Florida Keys, and the people are very laid back. But these guys were generous with time and instruction if you need it, and genuinely care about making sure you enjoy your time in their gorgeous «backyard»!
My only regret is that I didn’t think to bring a waterproof camera. They should sell them on the boat!

My boyfriend and I headed out from Kendall at 7am hoping to catch an early snorkeling adventure here. Unfortunately, the ONLY reservation time they had for snorkeling ALL day was at 12pm. So we reached there naturally by 9am and had 3 hours to kill. I found I odd that they only provided one time at such a late time too… Anyway, I was still excited since we found a marvelous groupon deal here and I had never snorkeled! We adventured around random spots within a 7 mile radius to kill time and came back to Captain Slate’s a little before 12 to check in. Although the boat was scheduled for 12, we didn’t leave until an hour later :/​I guess it’s cause we were waiting on others…
Anyway, they provided full snorkeling gear, goggles, mouth piece, and flippers which fit snug. They also have a bucket of hot water on the boat + soap to wash the gear. The captain provided us a cooler with ice to put our drinks in and ice cold water for those who didn’t being their own drinks, as well. How thoughtful! He explained to us how to snorkel once we arrived at the site. I was appalled! WE COULD ALREADY SEE FISHIES FROM THE BOAT! It wasn’t too deep, maybe 15 – 25 feet deep. I floated atop and saw lots of lovely brain coral and colorful fishes. There were also plenty of schools I swam right above :’) the whole thing was like a castle of coral! So much. So much big fishies, so much little, so much long tarpoons. The water was so shallow that I had to be careful to not hit a coral with my fin while I was treading water in some spots. you have to be really careful with not touching the coral as to not kill them, which the captain also explained.
we stayed out on the water for about 3 hours before heading back. I wish we could’ve gone to another site but I guess since we left so late + it was predicted to rain in the late afternoon/​evening, we had to return back to shore :(nevertheless, I would love to come back when they have earlier reservations to attend more sites and see more fishies! :)

We had a groupon deal and at the end of the day, I would probably use it again. It was just a little frustrating that they were late and the boat assignments for everyone was pretty messy. I would try to bring your own mouth gear but for everything else, they have a decent selection. We saw some pretty neat wildlife but I was hoping to see the Jesus statue. For the price, its definitely worth it.

Excellent experience! We made reservations for 4 the morning of the dive. Check in was fast and easy, as was getting the gear. Our boat comfortably fit 20+ passengers, plus the crew. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable, they run through instructions pretty quickly, so if you don’t know something, you may need to speak up. The Captain took us to 2 different sites, both with a lot of reef fish and other sea creatures to observe. We brought bread to attract the fish for upclose encounters. We even came across a school of dolphin that jumped out of the water and did flips in the air, it seemed as though they were doing it for our amusement. It was the absolute best way to spend a day on the water.

Worst place ever the equipment we rent was horrible regulator had a fugue I was bobbling every where fins made me blisters cheap plastic no wet suits my deep gadget broken they told you to get there early just to wait for a hour for the early dive boat to come back so they can use same equipment from them and fill it up their thanks when we get there a kid was yelling for been stung by a jelly fish the ocean was rough and everybody on the boat start getting sick because the old smelly diesel boat and rough ocean they don’t help you just point you the places and with out compass what you can do weights don’t have numbers to old to have them and I ask for the belt because BC was to old and bad conditions that don’t have pockets for it they said that run out of belts I used them on my swim suit the place was infested of jelly fish you have to avoid them but too many they say the snorkeling equipment include on the price big lie when you get there they told you that you have to bring your own or rent it with them it’s a terrible experience please go to another professional business to enjoy the reef this captain slate’s it’s so unsafe and unprofessional that you can die there and they don’t care they have your waiver sign it so what the too much jewelry captain and NY first mate so rude guys if they hate their jobs don’t do it they are unfriendly unhelpful they just throw you no enough water a 2gallons container for 25people c’mon terrible!

I live up in Broward and went to Capt. Slate’s for a Spiegel Grove and Duane dive. Fantastic operation, I will go back for sure.

My husband and I were the only snorkelers on the boat, so we were paired with a scuba group. This was fine for us, since we got to float above the scuba divers and watch them feed nurse sharks (awesome) and a happy grouper that may or may not have been intentionally trained that humans + buckets = food (hilarious). The reef is beautiful, and we saw lots of exciting fish, including at least 10 barracuda.
That said, we didn’t really receive any instructions on how to snorkel. We both had experience, but I can see how this could be an issue and therefore agree with past reviews. For example, we were never told not to dangle our fingers in front of moray eels, but maybe they don’t live in the reef. We were told a fun story about a barracuda that attacked a snorkeler’s mask and almost took out his eye, but we weren’t instructed on how to avoid this scary possibility. A bit more safety training would be helpful.

Let me start by saying that the 3-​star rating is ONLY for the Dive Center. My instructor, Kevin Keaton, was amazing and well worth 5 stars (more about him at the end of this review)!! My husband and I were visiting a friend in Key Largo and we decided we’d really like to go scuba diving. We went out on a Sunday morning, after a pool session with Kevin to learn about our equipment and what we’d be experiencing on the actual dive. There was a storm coming in so the seas were a bit choppy to begin with but the crew of the boat (s) made sure everyone was comfortable and gave suggestions on how to keep from getting sea sick, something I found very useful. However, when we got to the dive location everything seemed very rushed. Which — after the fact — was nice because it gave us more time under water, but during the experience seemed a little harried. Once we got under the water things were pretty cool. Our first dive was the «Creature Feature», and I have to say that if it had just been our boat (approximately 16 divers) it might have been REALLY amazing to see. As it was — we were joined by a second boat (another ~16−20 divers) and so it was VERY crowded and somewhat confusing. It seemed like there was no real organization to how things were supposed to be set up under water so there was a constant volly for a viewing spot and it ended up feeling more like I was at a crowded concert venue than on the floor of the ocean. Once we got back on the boat and moved to our second dive location things were a little better (because the other boat went to a different location) but again — this was due to our instructor Kevin more than the dive center. Upon returning to the Dive Center, we went to pay for our trip (something that shocked me because I would have thought it would have been required up front), the organization was non-​existent. It would have been VERY easy for us to just walk out without even paying — things were in such a disarray. All in all — unless it was specifically for Kevin — I doubt we would go back to this save dive center for our next adventure.
Now on to my review for Kevin Keaton — our dive instructor. Because this was my first foray into anything like this I was EXTREMELY nervous. I am an avid swimmer and so the idea for me to be breathing under water just seemed totally ridiculous! Upon meeting Kevin at the dive center, we went over to a pool specifically designed for scuba instruction, probably 8′ wide by 14′ long there was a 4′ ledge and then a 12′ basin for further instruction. Kevin first gave us a lesson on the different laws and physics of diving and made sure that if we had any questions he answered them thoroughly so that we completely understood what would be taking place during our dive. He then walked us through each piece of equipment, again making sure we were totally comfortable with our rigs and knowledgeable of how they worked. He helped us get our gear into the water then showed us a great way to put it on with minimal effort. He walked us through the basic survivor-​type items such as what to do if your mask fills with water, or if you somehow manage to loose your regulator. Then he basically turned us loose in the deep end of the pool. He helped make sure we were «OK» with clearing our ears (who would have thought there would be pressure build up just after 8 feet!!) and ran us through what to do if we had equipment issues again — now that we couldn’t just stand up if we had issues. He was great at really making sure we were comfortable and even though it must have been extremely boring for him (having done this many times before) we didn’t feel rushed at all! He was perfectly content to let my husband and I swim around the bottom of the pool until we were ready to be done. As I said in the beginning — I would GLADLY give Kevin 5-​stars! (I will be looking to see if I can find him separately on both Unilocal and Trip Advisor.

$ 45 for the boat to take you to snorkel at two different coral reefs which are part of the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, and that includes your gear. I have to agree with the other more recent reviewer, it doesn’t deserve the two stars of the much older reviews. Nor does it deserve a lot higher. If you’re already experienced, then there’s no issue. If you’re not experienced, and/​or are at all nervous, then you’ll need to be a bit more assertive to take care of yourself and get the additional information you need.
All of the staff, from the gentleman in the registration shack by the main road to the men in the actual dive shop and the ones on the boat itself, were all nice enough but not good teachers or even terrific customer service types. I was very happy with my experience due to the decent price, along with a wetsuit and a mask with prescription lens thrown in, combined with the actual reefs themselves.
As others have stated, this company puts both divers and snorkelers on the same dives. That, in and of itself, isn’t a big issue. However, when the only instructions are shouted to the middle of the boat and whomever happens to hear and the guy shouting them acts as if he’s done what he’s «supposed to say» but doesn’t really believe it’s all that important himself, it’s rather troubling. No one bothered to ask any of us what our experience was (mostly nil or very little a very long time ago). Thus, there were a number of people who didn’t have good experiences because no one bothered to teach them how to breathe more easily, etc. As I am someone who doesn’t hesitate to ask lots of questions, I got my basic refresher which was mostly enough for me.
Again, no one educated us on the fact that you shouldn’t touch the jellyfish or how to redirect them, etc. until after the first dive when a few of us started talking and discovered that some people had gotten stung (and people like me were simply lucky that we hadn’t).

Felt like it was better than the 2 star reviews… The reefs were beautiful. Those don’t need review. Good: easy to find, seemed like a good value (100 for 2 ppl), helpful office staff who directed me to divers outlet down the road to find some diving booties. What could have been better: basic procedure for us beginners. Kind of nervous never having done it before. Where to get equipment before boarding. Quality (one of my bites on the snorkel was bitten off. But didn’t realize it till I was in the water) of equipment, basic info and instruction on how to snorkel off of a
Boat, what happens if you touch a jelly fish (odds are you will!). My point is, snorkeling was beautiful, staff indifferent. Would probably try a different charter next time.

Check out the Creature Feature! Amazing!!!

Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a long and tedious trip, that started from this sub-​tropical port aboard an over-​crowded and full of obnoxious people ship.
Ah but let me start from the beginning…
I’ve snorkeled MANY times in Key Largo, home of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. The state park itself offers a concession area that will take people out to the reef which is about 5 – 7 miles off-​shore and I’ve always used them to go out. There are also many private business’ that will provide this service and one such establishment is this here Captain Slate’s!
So my friend was in town and we decided to try Captain Slate’s. We went on Friday at midday with reservation in place and a print out of my facebook page saying, «I like Captain Slate’s.» (That will get you $ 5 off your snorkel trip.) Boat scheduled to leave at 12:30…at 1:00 we were told there were not enough people to go so we got our money back AND a free trip which we planned on redeeming on Sunday. Score, right??? Well hold on…
We went back on Sunday (after calling ahead of time to make sure there were enough peolpe.) Same time. We sat at Captain Slate’s for 2 and a half hours before the morning boat came back to take us out for the 12:30 trip. Mind you, that means we sat there from 12:00 (check in time) until 2:30. While we sat there, the receptionist repeatedly came to us with meaningless updates, such as, «the boat is in the channel» and «they are going to make it up to you with extra time in the water!» Yay!
Finally, we got on the boat. The other passengers were insane and rude, stepping on each other and in the massive plates of food they brought onto the boat. There was no organization RE: getting the gear, which was haphazardly askewed about the boat. Additionally, they ran out of life jackets and mine was too small (I’m not a tiny girl but damn I ain’t that big!!)
There was no extra time in the water; rather, they opened the hatches for 10 minutes to reveal the glass-​bottom portion of the boat. I felt like telling first mate Bob (or whatever) that if I’d wanted to go out on a glass-​bottom boat I would have done so. At that point I was past the point of caring and it was free. The free part is the only reason I gave the place two stars.
My suggestion is to hit-​up John Pennekamp State Park directly for your snorkeling needs.

Went out with these guys on two trips. The first dive my tank had a blown O ring, which they fixed promptly. Then my second tank only had 1800 psi to start and I didn’t notice until after I was underwater, but I should have checked before hand. The second trip we went to see The Creature Feature. Only two grouper and one Nerf shark appeared. It was rather boring.

Though I wouldn’t use them again, I had an enjoyable dive in Key Largo. What I didn’t expect or like was that our boat had about 15 people on it – a family of which were snorkelers, and about 4 of which were getting their open water certification. This meant there wasn’t a dive master at our disposal to ask questions of or orient us under water. We paid more than we did for a very personalized dive in Hawaii for a very impersonal dive crowded on a boat with no amenities.
We did two very shallow reef dives – the reefs and fish were beautiful. The Christ of the Abyss (sunken 8-​ft statue) was good for pictures, but felt a little silly. What you re supposed to do with Captain Slate if you are in Key Largo on the weekend, is the Creature Feature. This dive is apparently worth it and Captain Slate himself has gained a lot of national notoriety as a crazy diver who will cuddle with eels and sharks.