Ages 12+ • 3 Day Course • Expand Your Diving Skills!
Push your diving skills beyond basic certification with five specialty dives taught off Ramrod Key. This three-day SSI Advanced Open Water Diver program focuses on deep, wreck, and navigation training in the Florida Keys' reef system.
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Difficulty
moderate
Duration
3 Days
Fitness Level
Moderate fitness required: comfortable swimming, ability to carry rental gear, and to perform repeated dives over several days.
Wildlife
History
The Florida Keys reef tract is the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States and has long attracted sport divers and researchers.
Conservation
The area is subject to reef protection measures and diver best practices; minimize contact, avoid anchoring on coral, and follow local guidelines to reduce impact.
Looe Key Reef Resort
Ages 12+ • 3 Day Course • Expand Your Diving Skills!
Looe Key Reef Resort is a dive and education center located on Ramrod Key, Florida. The resort offers a diverse catalog of SSI courses and non‑diving ecology classes designed for recreational divers, advanced students, and marine enthusiasts. Programs include emergency response training, specialty deep and decompression diving, independent diving certification, search and recovery, equipment techniques, and reef‑focused non‑diving courses such as coral identification, manta and ray ecology, and marine ecology. Instruction typically combines classroom learning, pool sessions, and open‑water dives where required, plus hands‑on scenarios for practical skill practice and risk management.
Several courses award official SSI certifications upon successful completion, including React Right and Deep Diving. Training emphasizes scenario‑based drills, dive computer use, Nitrox and decompression awareness, and safe equipment selection and maintenance. Non‑diving offerings allow visitors to deepen reef knowledge and species identification without entering the water. Located on Ramrod Key with direct access to the Looe Key reef system and nearby dive sites, Looe Key Reef Resort supports both entry‑level students and divers seeking advanced qualifications. By presenting documented SSI course options and combining classroom, pool, and open‑water components, the resort provides verifiable training pathways and practical reef education for divers and marine enthusiasts seeking recognized certifications and a deeper connection to Florida’s coral ecosystems.
Location
Ramrod Key, FL
Situated on the Lower Florida Keys
Tours Offered
10
Diving and non‑diving courses
Certifications
SSI courses
Includes React Right and Deep Diving
Training Format
Practical skills
Classroom, pool, and open‑water
Reserve classroom, pool, or open‑water sessions on Ramrod Key and take the next step in diving skills, safety, and reef knowledge.
Finish online academics before arrival
Complete the assigned online modules in advance so in-person time focuses on confined-water drills and open-water dives.
Bring your certification card and logbook
Instructors will verify your Open Water certification and logbook entries before dives—have originals or readable digital copies.
Watch currents on deep days
Deep and wreck dives can have mild currents; brief with your buddy and stay close to the guide during descents and ascents.
Protect the reef
Practice good buoyancy to avoid contact with coral and leave no gear or trash on the boat—reef health depends on careful divers.
Dive computer
Tracks depth and no-decompression limits for safer deep and repetitive dives.
Mask, snorkel, fins (personal set)
Well-fitting personal gear improves comfort and reduces chances of issues during skills drills.
3mm–7mm wetsuit
Thermal protection varies by season; bring the suit thickness that matches local water temps.
spring|summer|fall|winter
Surface signaling device (SMB/whistle)
Required for open-water sessions to signal the boat during surface intervals or drift conditions.