If you have any other options take them, A kiddy pool would be better dive than dealing with joe!

A little rocky and not extremely visible, but wonderful spot that met all of our needs. The divers had fun and the others enjoyed seeing small fish, octopus, and an urchin. This was our favorite location of the day. 🐠🐙🥽👙

Joe has done a great job keeping this operation going after the hurricane. Right now his boat is smaller (but still comfortable and equipped with everything you’ll need) because the resort is rebuilding but this means smaller scuba groups, more attention and great camaraderie! He’s always been able to accommodate any request (for example, I’m 6’1, 280 lbs and he gets my 120 ranks ready every time!) and is a pleasure to work with. We hope Joe and gang never leave Duck Key!!

Joe and his staff are incredibly knowledgeable and friendly folks! I felt like I was on the boat with my pals and had some stellar first ocean dives. The instructor showed me a literal, pardon me Ariel, whole new world as he pointed out all the marvelous aspects of the reefs and demonstrated conservation efforts catching lion fish. Color me impressed!!! I will definitely be back.

We did two different trips with Joe and Kenny, both friendly guys who know the area well. However, they are on island time. For the first trip, the night prior at 8 pm, Joe called and asked if we would be willing to dive in the afternoon instead of the morning, which we agreed to. While on this trip we confirmed our 8 am dive for Weds (today). Kenny showed up at 8:30, and assured us Joe wasn’t far. With the shop damage from the hurricane, he has to drive to marathon to get the tanks filled. It wasn’t until 10 am that Joe finally showed up. Additionally for our first dives, our tanks were filled to about 3,200, but for the second trip, first round were filled to 2,800 and 2,500 for my husband and second round for my husband was filled to 2,400. It is very pretty diving here but definitely would appreciate more timeliness and full air so we could have maximized time under water.

I took my Son to Hawks Cay Resort for his graduation trip in May and though the Hotel was nice enough we had a bad experience. The purpose of the trip was to get in some fishing and for my son to complete his open water dives for his dive certification.So, I go on the Hawks Cay Website and call their dive company “Dive Duck Key” because I think it is reputable because after all it is on the resort’s website. I book a trip that includes all of the required dives for my son and some diving for me along with some spearfishing/fishing. The guy who runs the dive shop Joe tells me they require a deposit and because it is through the resort I give him a sizable deposit. When we arrive for our trip none of the fishing experiences are provided and the dive master Joe will not communicate with me in regards to getting my sons paperwork back to our local dive shop so he can get his dive certificate. So, to sum it up I paid a deposit of $1000.00 to take two dives that should have cost us about $300.00 and the dive company will not issue me a refund for the services not provided.On-top of all of this when I call the resort to see if they can intercede to help, again this is the provider listed on their website, all they tell me is that this is an outside company and they can’t help. I have placed messages with the general manager of the hotel and none of them have been returned.In short if you are going here do not use the dive company and watch your pocket book because they will get if they can. I am now is a spot where I am going to have to take my son on another trip to get his certification dives completed and I am out the $$ paid to these crooks!

After talking with Joe, the owner, I drove down with my son and daughter to learn spearfishing. Joe took us to a perfect reef just four miles out, 25 feet of water and put us with a guide to learn the basics.After the trip, Joe had us to his house to rinse gear and change clothes for the return drive. He really treated us like he cared.Well definitely be back!

Went out with these guys for our first Snuba trip. It was fantastic! They explained everything and answered all questions. My wife had some anxiety at the beginning of the 2 dives and they eased her in and got her under water. We both had a blast.

I flew in from Chicago to meet some friends to dive. We came from all parts of the country Chicago, Nashville, & Atlanta. We where only divers signed up and Dive Duck Key still took us out. They didnt have to due to how expensive it is to run a boat for only 2 divers. We where extremely grateful and would recommend them to anyone! Thanks guys for great dive afternoon.

My husband and I booked a trip here about 3 weeks in advance. He took our card number and email address and said he would send us a confirmation. Two weeks later, we hadn’t received any emails and our card hasn’t been charged. It took 3 days to get ahold of him and he told us he was working out a new card system but that our trip was confirmed. We showed up on our date at the time he told us and no one was there. We waited and waited and he never showed. Luckily, he never charged our card but because we waited, we were unable to dive on our trip.

Unfortunately I had the same bad experience as some of the others. I talked to Joe for probably a good 10 minutes booking my reservation. This was the week of the 4th and I wanted to ensure we were making the right decision. He explained to me that they were rebuilding after Irma but he wanted to ensure we had an amazing experience. I asked for a day that wasn’t available and he said it wasn’t but could do Saturday. He knew we were visiting from out of town and Saturday obviously meant that Saturday. He did not charge my card nor send details for 2 days later. I read the email which was very detailed but did not see the date he put down in the attachment that was 7/20. How on earth he got 7/20 out of 7/6, is beyond me. However; when we showed up at the specified time of 8am (a family of 4), he was not there. We were never greeted by anyone. Around 8:30ish, a guy asked if we were there for some other trip and we told him why we were there. He said he had to call Joe. Joe pulls up and let’s us know there had been a big mix up. Told us to come back for a sunset cruise and he’d make it worth our while. Well, around 5pm he called and said he put the wrong date down and even though he told us to come back for the evening cruise, the water was not good. Perhaps he was right. However; after this experience and seeing the reviews, I have my doubts. I am still waiting on a $675 refund. We drove 12 hours for this experience. Specifically because of a documentary that recommended this company. Something is clearly off with this management. I have a hard time believing overbooking just happens this often and he tends to give everyone the same BS excuses.

Very disappointing. Please do not use this dive shop. Triple booked our private charter dive. Called 1 hour before the dive to let us know there was a problem after my buddy had been trying to reach them for weeks with no email response and voice mailAlways full (wonder why). They were able to book us on a large dive boat with a competitor holding 20 divers which is not ideal for lobster. Guess what. They over booked that boat and we had to get off and go later in the afternoon. Very unprofessional outfit. Based on other reviews I doubt we will get the refund they promised between the price of the private boat for 6 and the large dive boat

Hello friends!!, after many years of diving in the Navy, never thought about snuba Diving, big difference when it comes to the freedom of underwater movement without carrying all the required scuba gear.about the staff... Two words... FLIPPING AWESOME.You guys rock, the level of confidence you show to the adventurers definitely comes from experience and dedication.My wife (first time under water for her) and I really enjoyed the professionalism of the crew and the condition of the gear.Tony, you are a great diving buddy/ instructor/ guide.we are so sad we couldnt make it this year because IRMA.well see you guys next year COUNT ON IT!!

It was a first time experience for myself and my son, who turned 13 this week. The entire process was trouble free. My first phone call to them was very friendly and informative. We initially intended to snuba, but after arriving at the dive shop and talking to Linda, we decided to do the resort scuba course because scuba is less sensitive to surface conditions. We returned that afternoon for the classroom and pool instruction and were not disappointed. Jeannie was a very knowledgeable and professional instructor. She made the experience enjoyable and easy to pick up. After our instruction, of course we were excited to get in the water. We went back to the shop to schedule our dive and at the advice of the staff we scheduled for two days later in the afternoon. I could not have been more happy! The conditions were perfect and the water was amazing! Our instructor for the day was Gabe and he was fantastic! He was really patient and it was clear that not only does he love what he does, but I think he loves introducing people to diving. He was really attentive and I was never nervous for myself or for my son. Both dives were spectacular and absolutely TEEMING with life. I cant think of anything that would have improved the experience. The equipment was clean and well maintained, including the boat. Every staff member I saw or interacted with was very professional and super friendly. If youve ever considered diving and youre down there, give them a call. Youll see why we enjoyed ourselves so much. Keep up the good work!!! We WILL be back!!!

These guys are amazing! My husband and I are novice divers and were nervous from a previous experience in Cabo but the crew at Duck Dive took us under their wing and made this an incredible experience well never forget. From my first phone call to Duck Dive when Jessica recommended a private instructor and afternoon dives ( so we could sleep in) to Steve, our private instructor who showed us so much and took pics of us including with a stingray, to the Captain and crews all around patience and local knowledge, we could not have asked for a better dive trip. I highly recommend these guys to everyone and we will be back with friends and family for years to come.

This is the best dive shop Ive ever been to. They have well maintained equipment and a well trained friendly staff. Great group of folks to dive with whether youre an experienced diver or just starting out.

We called on the same day we wanted to dive & with the help of Tilden/Dive Duck Key we had a great time! They were very friendly and extremely helpful. I am a disabled diver and these guys/gals made our trip simple & easy. I will be returning and would dive with them anytime!

Had a wonderful time with dive duck key over the weekend. We went through underwater hunting course with them. Instructor was very knowledgeable and made sure we could complete the course without complications. Hope they have a separate trip for students from regular divers so they could spend little more time explaining about more stuffs. We felt little rushed in between the divings and we thought we could use little more surface time for recovery. In overall, great diving and everybody was wonderful with their attitudes and very welcoming.

They have some of the coolest ajd most knowledgeable staff in the Florida keys..great boat and very helpful. Cori is the best with all passengers so helpful and fun

Excellent experience. Staff was great. Tony was professional, entertaining and patient. Well done!

Had a great time on our snuba trip, saw lots of fish, a ship wreck and even got close to a shark. Would definitely go back.

Great diving with Joe and the dive Duck key crew, after the hurricane came through a year ago destroyed the shop, joe has the dive experience as easy as it can be-dove three days, including the thunderbolt wreck and multiple 30-40 foot reefs-personable crew and very knowledgeable-this is my 5th dive trip with dive Duck key and will be back next season for sure👍

Everyone should try Snuba! Great way to decide if you are ready to try scuba diving. Friendly and fun staff.

Most disappointing experience. We had booked a snuba experience. I flew from out of state, we waited for 30 minutes without anyone replying to our calls.We were sitting next to another family of 4 with 2 children who were disappointed. After calling several times, joe responds having forgotten to notify all the customers that he had a wedding out of town and was not available. Unpredictable and unprofessional service...

Very good snuba experience even though one of our group could not complete the snuba experience. Staff was friendly, informative, and very helpful. Divers did a great job pointing out sea life and assisting our non-experienced group.

Great time with Joe and Team. Great job working to recover from Irma. All my best to a successful recovery. We will be back soon!!!

Great company and superior staff!

Staff and crew were excellent! Jessica was an amazing instructor and she found a bunch of of critters that we would have totally missed!

Good dive sites. Friendly staff. Snuba and scuba go on same boat but they manage it well.

Jeanie, Tony and Captain Jorge Thank you for the days diving and Snuba both my son Kieran and I Paul had recently, Great crew really understanding and accommodating. Exceedingly supportive the crew appeared genuinley keen you had a great experience. I have booked now to do a dive course in the UK and will return with my son (who is 26 by the way) to dive with these guys again. thanks for the memory.

I had a great time diving without needing to be certified (I did SNUBA). The staff were very nice and helpful. I did the SNUBA with Zoe and she was so nice and took amazing picture of us while we were deep down. I highly recommend doing SNUBA.

Our family came down for spring break with the specific intent of obtaining our PADI open water dive certification. We stayed at Hawks Cay resort. Dive Duck Key is located just outside the main resort property and is an easy walk from anywhere on the resort.Me, my son and his best friend signed up for the course at the time we booked at the resort. They mailed us the appropriate written material promptly allowing us time to study prior to the trip (very important to know the material before the course). When we booked they explained the schedule and told us that we should be able to complete the course in three days.We spent the first day and a half in one of the resort pools going through that portion of the training. They provide ALL the equipment necessary, all you need is a towel and a swimsuit. The next day and a half we did our open water dives. Again, everything was provided and they took us out to some amazing reefs. My son even spotted a Lionfish. We finished day three with a review of the material and testing. All three of us earned our open water certifications.The staff were all great to work with; very friendly, supportive and accommodating. Jeanie, in particular, was an outstanding teacher and really made us feel at ease diving. My son and I had done resort dives before and the course here made us feel much more comfortable under the water. Everything we learned and practiced made the dives much more enjoyable.Id recommend Dive Duck Key to anyone that wants a fun, stress free environment in which to learn how to dive. We had a great time and look forward to more diving in the future.

We went out twice with Dive Duck Key the week of Thanksgiving. The Dive Masters that went down with us (Jeanie and Schwenke) helped us to create memories we will never forget (swimming with a loggerhead turtle, sharks, stingrays, puffer fish, crabs) and the crew on board the Seafari that always helped us with our equipment (thanks, Gabe!) and made sure we got back on the boat safely. When we were swimming with the turtle, Schwenke took my GoPro so we could have footage swimming alongside it. Great service, and we hope to make it back again!

I cannot recommend Dive Duck Key. Let me tell you my story. My wife is a certified SCUBA diver. Our daughter just got old enough to seek her certification. We thought we would add this to our family activities and enjoy a new way to see the world and share our lives.We went to the very wonderful Louisville Dive Center. I submitted all of my medical information, passed the swim fitness test, completed my pool work and passed the written test. We thought we would, as a family, do our open water dives on vacation. We picked the very lovely Hawk’s Cay Resort as our destination this summer and contacted Dive Duck Key about finishing our certification. We made our arrangements months ago. We paid their fees and scheduled our dives.On August 1, we checked in only to be told that they would not let me dive (regardless of the paperwork from our NAUI Instructor) because I was born with a Tetralogy of Fallot. Dive Duck Key is absolutely entitled to set their policies however they see fit and manage their exposure to liability (which seems to be their real concern). What they are not entitled to do is belittle their customers.Starting at about 8:00 on Saturday morning, they made me feel about as awful as I have ever felt. They were condescending. They promised every time we followed up that they would let us know whether we would be able to complete our dive certification. We had to follow up. The very last promise was that “the owner” would call us personally and let us know “in no more than an hour”. We got a voice mail from an employee. At least they said they would “give us a full refund”.The one shining exception was Shane (whose last name I did not get). Shane was kind and considerate. He treated us like people. Unlike everyone else with whom we dealt, he actually called a doctor and verified what I had been telling them all day about my Tetralogy. Unfortunately, it would appear that his voice was not heard nor his example followed.I hope that if you do Dive Duck Key, you have a much better experience than my family.

We rented the boat for a high school I am a teacher at. The staff was great, reservations were easy, and we all had a really good time.

I took my Son to Hawks Cay Resort for his graduation trip in May and though the Hotel was nice enough we had a bad experience. The purpose of the trip was to get in some fishing and for my son to complete his open water dives for his dive certification.So, I go on the Hawks Cay Website and call their dive company “Dive Duck Key” because I think it is reputable because after all it is on the resort’s website. I book a trip that includes all of the required dives for my son and some diving for me along with some spearfishing/fishing. The guy who runs the dive shop Joe tells me they require a deposit and because it is through the resort I give him a sizable deposit. When we arrive for our trip none of the fishing experiences are provided and the dive master Joe will not communicate with me in regards to getting my sons paperwork back to our local dive shop so he can get his dive certificate. So, to sum it up I paid a deposit of $1000.00 to take two dives that should have cost us about $300.00 and the dive company will not issue me a refund for the services not provided.On-top of all of this when I call the resort to see if they can intercede to help, again this is the provider listed on their website, all they tell me is that this is an outside company and they can’t help. I have placed messages with the general manager of the hotel and none of them have been returned.In short if you are going here do not use the dive company and watch your pocket book because they will get if they can. I am now is a spot where I am going to have to take my son on another trip to get his certification dives completed and I am out the $$ paid to these crooks!

Nice place in US to scuba dive

We booked 2 dives and full gear two weeks ahead of the date. They gave us a call 5:45 the previous day telling us they wouldnt be able to dive due to insufficent number of bookings. they were kind enough to give us a couple of numbers from other dive schools; not enough to get more than 1 star

Awesome experience !!! Friendly and helpful staff highly recommend !! Hands down the best

Great place, way better than ORCA

Beautiful Area. & Nice People

I wouldnt recommend this snorkeling trip, the captain is racist and disrespectful and was discriminating against my family, he didnt allow us to go on the snorkeling trip because we spoke a different language because we spoke Spanish this is a tourist place where people all over the world come from me and my family felt really affected by this because it was my 15s birthday

Try the diving with Dive Duck Key!

It seems that everything is closed .. we had booked the hotel thinking to make diving and everything is dismantled ruined !!

Very professional and organized