Complete frustration. Miscommunication from the start and instead of trying to empathize with us they were angry. From the start. I should have known better to put my family on a tour filled with just divers. Would not recommend anyone to snorkel with this company. We as a family are seasoned Florida residential boaters and they tried to tell us that the waves were only 1 feet to begin with. Very insulting. All reports that day and I have documented proof stated 2-5 feet high waves. My daughter is a marine biology student and certified diver and got sea sick. So did one of their own guides. They seemed frustrated with us from start to finish because we had to reschedule with no fault to us, life happens, due to mix ups the day prior. We were down with a field trip of 30+ people and it all was a mess the day prior and had to postpone but like I said they did not care and put us on a boat with unfavorable conditions the next day(our last day before boarding a flight) for snorkling. Sometimes just because a company has been around the longest doesn't mean they are the best to go with. They ruined a day I will never get back with my daughter to a make profit. Not only did I pay the full fee, I paid an additional fee to rebook. There was a couple of guys on the boat who were friendly but for the most part not a good experience at all. No instructions or directions for the snorklers. Time with family is precious and rare thing for most families but they had no sense of concern for that, nor seemed to care, we were just spring breakers to them. One of their own dive guides like I stated above got sick that day too along with my family on way out to divers site, (not normal snorkeling site as I have further researched) so the sea's were definitely rough that day and snorkeling should have been forbid. The way they instructed us to just scoot off the platform on the back of boat while entering the water while water was surfacing up onto the boat from rollers was incorrect instructions, & I knew better and was dangerous. Should of been my red flag right there for me as a mother. Getting back on board the vessel was so dangerous that day too. We were suppose to grab a rope to get back on the boat but no direction or instructions to do so was giving to us,( only divers I guess,) before entering the water or even a reminder to us to do so was scary especially with 2-5-ft rollers. My husband almost got his head busted and or could of had a severe head injury, thank god he or my daughter didn't, because one of the crew members happened to be paying attention and screamed out to him. Oh and their life vests, old and need maintenance, mine wouldn't blow up or my daughters. I Almost drowned. Had panic attack in water which ruined my experience immediately and had to get out. So there is that. If you need optical goggles good luck with that. So start to finish was nightmare. I recommend check with all companies, the weather, the waves etc. I know crews and or people can have off days but this was disappointing and disastrous. Im so mad at myself for trusting them with my family, I should have went with my instincts.
Одговор домаћина
Mar 2025
Good afternoon Heather. Here at Sea Dwellers Dive Center, we take our customer reviews very seriously.
First, I would like to appoloogize that you had a less than favorable time snorkeling with us. I want to point out that your review is less than accurate.
On March 12th, you contacted our shop and advised that you may not be able to make it. You advised that you were getting your child on a bus. Mind you that this was approximately 30 minutes prior to your check in time. When you booked your trip with us, you were notified of our cancellation policy. Most shops in the FL Keys has a cancellation policy, especially when youre attemtping to cancel moments before the trip starts. Typically if you cancel the day of, you would forfit all monies paid and not be able to rebook. However, this day I made an exception and offered you to book to a different day with only having to pay for a rebooking fee. This is something we typically do not do but I was trying to help you out so you wouldnt loose all of your money.
The sea conditions on the 13th were very favorabel for snorkeling. We had less than two feet waves, no current and approximately 50 feet of visibility. I checked with several other shops here in Key Largo and they reported exactly the same conditions. Those shops have even put those conditions on their websites for you to review.
I can personally verify those conditions, because on this particular day, I was on the same trip you were.
You mentioned that some of my staff was Sea Sick. That claim is not close to being accurate. There were only two dive guides that day I was one of them. I did sit out the second dive due to a migraine and not being able to equalize my ears properly. "Safety first"
You also metnioned some equipment issues with your snorkeling vest. First, you were issued a snorkeling vest, not a life jacket. A snorkeling vest is not a life saving device and is used to assit snorkelers in staying afloat not as a life saving device. It is also used to notify boaters in the area that you are in the water. They are highly visible. I appologize if you were having issues with yours but I then ask as to why you did not immediately address that with the crew, so they could assit you in replacing or getting you more familiarized on how to operate it. We keep plenty of equipment onboard in such instances.
You mentioned that your daughter got sea sick and asserted she shouldnt have gotten sea sick due to her being a marine Biology student and a certified diver. Im not sure as to what either of those has to do with a person being Sea Sick. Motion sickness affects many different people in many different ways.
At no time was my staff frustrated with you or treated you improperly. I even attempted to engage you in conversation on the boat.
I would love the opportunity to speak to you to further understand your frustrations and to be able to possibly come to a resolutioin in this instance.
Again, we do value our customers feed back and love to be able to take sugestions in order to provide the best service to our customers.
Thank you