Quiescence Diving Services

We did a private dive today, and everyone was wonderful. This was my first ocean dive, and I was very nervous. Both the captain and my guide were both very calming and helpful. 5+ stars!

Highly recommended. My wife and I had a great snorkeling trip. The entire staff was very friendly and helpful. They take 6 people max on the boat, we only had 5, and we went to 3 different spots. Captain Steve gave great briefings of what to see at each location and made certain that we enjoyed the experience. You don’t get this level of service on the big cattle boats. We will come back to Quiescence for my wife to get dive certified.

5 star service in the shop and on the boat! We just finished our second year diving with Quiescence and will be back again next year. Their limit is 6 people per boat and our group of 5 had the boats to ourselves. The captains asked us where we want to go and make great recommendations based on the weather/​conditions. We won’t dive with anyone else in Key Largo!

First class outfit for sure! From the front desk to under the ocean and back, Quiessence definitely knows the crowd they cater to. Since I’d brought my own gear, I didn’t need the little trolley out to the boat (a short distance behind the shop), and I felt safe leaving my vehicle in the parking lot butting up to the dock.
Our Captain, Steve, was matter-​of-​fact, making sure we all understood the Coast Guard safety requirements before we began our journey. He let us know of the water jugs in the ice chest as well as best ways to avoid sea sickness (small boat and 2 – 3 foot waves could equal spewing over the side).
He polled the 6 of us, determining the best diving locations for our desires and off we went. He gave us a quick debrief of the first dive (Reef dive), and off we went. There was no guide, so we were off on our own (with buddies of course), and although this could be mentally unsettling, it was freeing especially I being able to dive wherever (within the perameters Steve had set) we wanted and explore an area as long or short as desired without being whisked away to the next area (as some guides have a tendency to do). Spent almost an entire hour under water on both dives. The dozen or so guide led dives I’d done in the past maxed out at 45 minutes. With 1200 psi left, it was great to have that freedom of remaining down. Able to see eels, sting rays and barracuda.
Even though it wasn’t advertised as a part of the Quiessence experience, there were no refreshments other than the water provided. I suppose if I’d done more research, I would have better prepared and brought something with me; much as a seasoned Quiessence couple did, so I was grateful for their hospitality.
Main pros:
small boats so more personalized experience
Friendly and professional staff
Clean boats/​outdoor showering area
Main cons:
No guide (if you’re an less experienced diver, this might be unsettling)
No light refreshments (nice to remove salt water taste in between dives)
All in all, this was a great first time experience diving without feeling as if I were in school. I only wish I’d brought a light as looking into the wreck may have revealed more of the ocean’s secrets.

Dove twice on John’s boat, Quiescence III. Small group, terrific service and great dives overall. Guys in the shop are helpful, knowledgeable and super friendly. Short ride out to reefs, good equipment and great service on the boat getting in and out of the water. Makes for a good day. Highly recommend.

had the greatest snorkel trip w/​these guys. I can’t wait to go scuba diving with them. great staff, small # of guests on each boat, knowledgable captain… really can’t ask for more!

If you want a personal snorkel or diving experience down in the keys, this is the place to go. Captain John was spectacular and made sure everyone felt comfortable in the water. The boat takes out a max of 6 people so it didn’t feel like you were trapped in a boat like sardines. If there is somewhere specific you would like to go they’ll take you there. It was a 4 hour trip of snorkeling and all the gear is included in the price if needed. As a Florida native it was a great experience just getting out there in the water and not worrying about a thing everything is taken care of. The whole team was incredible. Will be going back soon!

We had a great snorkeling experience with Steve as our captain! Quiescence only puts six people on a boat so our family had a private trip. He asked us about or comfort level with snorkeling and swimming, what we had seen so far on our vacation, and what we would like to see, and then catered the day for us. We wanted to stay away from the large groups of snorkelers and the over-​hyped tourist destinations. He did not disappoint! We snorkeled two great reefs with tons of coral and fish including rays, nurse sharks, barracuda, and so much more, but very few boats. After that my daughter requested sea turtles… and he found us some! Amazing!
The people in the store were friendly, the boat was clean with water to drink and a cooler we could use, and the equipment was in good condition. It might have cost just a little bit more than the large snorkel boats that hold 30 people or more… but it was worth every penny to get our own experience. I would absolutely book a snorkel trip with them again.

I went out with my girlfriend and a group of 4 other people that we didn’t know, at first. We had a great trip (even though I ended up getting sea sick). Our captain, Steve, took us out to an easy location to let us get comfortable and then asked us where we wanted to go next and if we were ready for something a little more challenging as far as the choppiness of the ocean. Steve was great to be around and suggested places to eat after the trip (hobos, right down the street). We saw a decent amount of ocean life and when my girlfriend mentioned she really wanted to sea a turtle, Steve drove us out to a place where you usually see turtles before we went back in after the trip (even though we didn’t end up seeing one). Great trip, well worth the money to have everything taken care for you. Highly recommended.

Went snorkeling today at Quiescence. Never heard of the place until I checked around online 2 days ago. I wanted more of a «personal experience» and liked their 6 person maximum per boat rule. Due to the 4 – 5 foot waves there were only 2 of us on board. It was a great adventure and would go back again and recommend to others. We passed two other larger boats that were packed with people and music blasting. We were thankful we didn’t choose those types of excursions.

My friends and I snorkeled here earlier today and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience. We were nervous about snorkeling (we usually aren’t this adventurous) but everything was set up to ease our nerves. The men that helped us during check in were friendly and fun. They explained everything thoroughly and helped us to try on our flippers (is that even what you call them? I don’t know) and masks. Never did we feel rushed. Once aboard the ship, our captain (Harry) took us to some really amazing reefs! On the way out he pointed out various wildlife to us and was so knowledgable about everything (and didn’t seem to mind that we asked him a million questions). On our way back in we were sad to leave all those beautiful reefs behind. A few of us decided to buy shirts to remember our amazing day and the woman who helped us was also lovely and amazing. She told us about how she designed the lovely women shirts we were purchasing and gave us coupons to a local restaurant. Hopefully tonight’s dinner experience will be as rewarding as our snorkeling trip.

I had a wonderful time diving with Quiescence this weekend. I was coming from out of town and the staff was very helpful in getting me a spot reserved in advance and answering all of my questions. I rented a wetsuit, BCD, and regulator there and everything was in great condition. I did the afternoon dive boat and was paired with another solo diver on the boat. My new buddy had some issues with his equipment and the staff were super helpful in troubleshooting and then letting him borrow a piece of their equipment so we could continue diving. Overall it was a great experience, beautiful water and life (we saw turtles, sharks, barracudas, eels, all kinds of fish), and great staff. I would definitely dive with them again and recommend to others.

Very friendly and professional team. From the moment we stepped into the store to sign in for the day, to getting fitted for bcd’s, weights and tanks, to our Captain, everyone was very pleasant!
The boat is small, six divers, so no cattle call boats — which is great. Rental equipment is in great shape. They also have neutral buoyancy tanks, which was awesome. It was our first time diving with these types of tanks and you don’t have to worry about your buoyancy as you use your air.
There were six of us on the boat for the day. We had about a 20 minute ride out to Molasses Reef. The water was nice and we had good visibility. We saw a variety of fish and turtles and it it made for a good day of diving.
The only thing I would have done differently would be to ask for a guide. The two dives we had this day we we on our own, so we came up a couple times just to make sure we were in close enough proximity to the boat as there is no guide/​dive master provided unless you arrange one ahead of time.

Was recommended to do my open water dives here and it was simply OUTSTANDING. My instructor, Cate Kelliher was one of the most professional, knowledgable, intelligent and safety conscious individuals I have ever encountered in a sport, and I’ve done a lot of sports. She is simply the best in the business. I was thinking how lucky the Quiescence owners are to find a one in a million professional. Everyone was extremely welcoming and friendly, boat captains and personnel were over the top helpful and diver conscientious. Their rental equipment is more like demo equipment; you’d buy it off the rack. After their two day open water course I feel extremely comfortable and will absolutely be back to dive with them again. Couldn’t recommend better people, especially Cate.

Our experience with Quiescence Dive Center could not have been any better. Our group of 5 went out for an afternoon snorkeling adventure with Captain Johnny, and I don’t think any of us wanted it to end. They are serious about keeping their trips small, and as a result we had the boat all to ourselves, which was great as we were able to really get to know our captain and pick his brain about the sites on the way out to the reef and the reef itself.
One of the participants in our group had been involved in a serious boating accident awhile back, and this was her first time out on a boat following her injury. We let Captain Johnny know about this, and from that moment on, he was like an adoptive father to us all, but especially to her. Captain Johnny told us all about how he’s been running the Quiescence boats since the 70s and has never had an accident or an injury to speak of, which was immediately reassuring. On the way out to the reef, he went out of his way to avoid large waves and wakes, and warned us all in advance of any sea changes.
Even though it was Memorial Day Monday and the reefs were crowded, he managed to take us to places that were frequented mostly by families on private crafts and not overrun with large dive boats. As a result we got an awesome experience with plenty of sea life and minimal competition for prime viewing spots. We hit 3 different spots on the reef, each a little deeper and a little more dramatic than the last. The reef is in a protected area, and as a result it is simply teeming with life, from giant hermit crabs, urchins, anemone, massive brain coral, soft fan coral, parrot fish of all sized, king angels, grouper, yellow tail, barracuda ranging from babies to the (sort of scary, but awesome to see) human sized specimens, and a million tropical fish I don’t have names for. At each spot Captain Johnny gave us a full rundown on what we could expect to see, what to look out for to avoid running aground on the reef, and the best way to navigate that particular place on the reef. We ended our day at the Christ of the Abyss statue and enjoyed a leisurely ride back into the dock, chatting amongst our group and with the captain like we’d known him forever. I would happily go back to Quiescence every day, and I recommend it highly for anyone looking for a great day out on the water.

Great place for diving. Everyone is so friendly from the instructors to the captains. Our ‘go-​to’ shop for smaller groups.

Such a great dive shop! Today was the second time we’ve gone diving with them. Both times have been excellent, so I figured I’d write a review. The small boat with a maximum of six divers is ideal. Having been diving on the bigger boats in Key Largo and other places in Florida it’s so nice not to feel like a herd of cattle getting on and off the boat. Plus it’s less chaotic and you won’t lose your gear in the shuffle of switching tanks, gearing up, etc.
The captains are extremely accommodating, friendly and knowledgable. We were all excited to have the same dive master this second time with Quiescence, as he was excellent as well. So laid back and informative, he constantly pointed out marine life that I would have never noticed. I really can’t say enough good things about this shop. It’s the only place I’ll dive with in the keys in the future!

Pretty good place for diving. My friend picked out this place, so I didn’t know anything about them when I got there.
They have three boats and only require 2 divers for a boat to go out and there is a max of 6 divers per boat, which is nice.
I did get a bit bored with the shallow reef dives (I did 6 dives over two days with them). Turns out if you want to do certain wrecks you need to let them know ahead of time (not the day of), especially anything over 60 ft had to be prearranged. I’ve noted this for next time.
Day one captain was great, day two captain was good, but not the friendliest person I encountered on my trip. Both knew the dive sites well though.
I think this place will really cater to what you want to do and see, just make sure to let them know what you want to see ahead of time.

Had the chance to dive with them while visiting Naples, FL. It was a pretty good experience.
The thing that I always consider most important when diving with a SCUBA outfit is how safety conscious they seem to be. Quiescence has a pretty thorough waiver form that you fill out that makes you feel more like they are concerned about your dive safety instead of signing your life away.
I was part of a party of 3. I did a two tank dive package and my cousins were snorkeling. There were also 3 other SCUBA divers on the boat with me.
The level of on-​board service was excellent and the boat captain paid excellent attention to the divers and their safe entry and exit from the water.
My first dive was great fun, with barracuda, angel fish and even the shadow of a shark off in the distance.
The second dive is where we fell short. The captain didn’t seem to want to venture far from the first dive site, and dropped in the middle of a SCUAB dessert. Sure there were some typical tropical fish, but there was also a pretty noticeable current. For the SCUBA divers it was no big deal. But made it nearly impossible for the snorkelers up top to stay in the water.
Would I dive with Quiescence again? Yes. Would I be willing to try Ocean Divers or Rainbow Reef? Sure.

I have gone snorkeling with these guys twice and have to say that both experiences, while completely different, were amazing. In fact, I love the fact that neither of my trips were to the same sites. The captain was also different each time but both of them were very friendly and helpful.
What I love most though is that their operation is small, quaint and a more personal experience than the larger operations appear to be. They go out twice a day and each trip takes up to 6 for either diving or snorkeling. If you are a first time snorkie they take the time to help you out, so there is no need to fear nubies. You are also welcome to bring food and drink aboard and yes that includes ‘adult’ beverages.