I recently dived with this charter and found the crew to be friendly, competent, and efficient in getting us to and from the dive site. Unfortunately, several operational policies and equipment limitations made the overall experience less than ideal. Despite being fully trained, equipped, certified, and accustomed to solo diving with redundant gear, I was told solo diving is not allowed due to "insurance." This was disappointing, particularly since literally every other South Florida operator I dived with on this same trip had no issue with certified solo divers. Being forced into an instabuddy situation can actually increase risk if the assigned buddy lacks experience or compatibility. No dive guide is provided, which makes the restriction even more arbitrary. Limited Tank Options. Aluminum 80s are offered. No steel tanks and no Nitrox. On deeper sites (60-100 ft), this significantly limits bottom time compared to charters that offer enriched air or higher‑capacity cylinders. The boat uses plastic tank arms to secure the tanks. When I asked for a bungee, I was told it wasn't necessary for tanks without gear on them. During the ride back, an empty tank broke free and rolled across the deck. This is a preventable safety hazard and shouldn't happen on a professional dive boat. There is no bow‑to‑stern tagline, which makes moving alongside the boat in heavy surface current unnecessarily difficult and requires heavy kicking at the end of the dive to avoid missing the stern line. The stern tagline is tied off several feet away from the "fins-off" ladder, forcing divers to remove their fins while holding the ladder with one hand. In rough seas, this is an awkward, difficult and potentially unsafe process. For drift dives, I prefer to do a negative entry and use my own clutch reel which easily unwinds as I jump in and drop to the bottom. Instead, I was told I must splash first, then surface, and wait for the crew to throw the reel to me, even though I made it clear this was not my preferred diving style. This removes control from the diver and isn't consistent with how many experienced charters safely conduct drift dives. The crew themselves were great, but several policies and equipment choices feel unnecessarily restrictive or unsafe, especially compared to other South Florida operators. read more

American Dream Dive Charters is one of the best scuba diving charter experiences I've had in Fort Lauderdale, FL. If you're looking for a safe, professional, and genuinely fun dive charter operating out of Ft. Lauderdale, this is the crew to book with. The crew is outstanding -- knowledgeable, organized, and clearly passionate about diving. Their briefings are thorough and easy to follow, and they do a great job making divers of all experience levels feel comfortable and confident. The atmosphere on the boat is always relaxed, welcoming, and upbeat. The diving has been consistently excellent. Every trip I've done with American Dream Dive Charters has been well planned, smoothly run, and full of memorable underwater experiences. The crew works hard to put divers on great sites while maintaining a strong focus on safety and customer service. I highly recommend American Dream Dive Charters to anyone looking to dive in Fort Lauderdale. I always look forward to getting back on their boat. read more

You're in Florida and surrounded by gorgeous blue water but you want to see what's beneath...what do you? You book on American Dream Dive Charters! (If you're certified!) Only being recently certified, I want to get under the water whenever I can to learn, see, and enjoy so it was a no brainer when I saw a trip to Hog Heaven! The boat is great and accommodated I'd say about 20 divers with plenty of places to stow your gear. The crew are second to none. Seas were a little "sporty" but the captain expertly navigated the waters and tried to keep divers cookies from getting tossed! The dive masters are impressive as well! Arriving to the wreck, one jumped in, secured the buoy, and came to give us a report in what seemed like a flash! They were also super supportive even for a new diver like myself who might goof up here and there. Second dive was a reef called the Caves. When it was over and we surfaced, the boat swiftly came to recover us with the greatest care! You want to dive South Florida, give them a call! You won't be disappointed. read more

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Ive been on many dive charters in Florida. I got certified in 1990. I have to say I was really impressed with American Dream. They run an excellent operation. The crew was both very nice and very helpful. Both dives we did were very well executed in a professional way. I would highly recommend them if you want to dive in Ft Lauderdale. Booking was easy and straightforward. read more

What a great scuba diving service. Went out with them for a half day to a shipwreck followed by a reef dive. The entire crew was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. The boat was large and comfortable for many divers. I rented a BCD and it was of good quality and worked perfectly. If you are anywhere near Fort Lauderdale and want to go diving, use American Dream. read more

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We had a great dive. The staff provided great and safe service. The location was easy to find and easy parking. Definitely check out for a good dive trip! read more

American Dream Dive Charters - Boat Charters Near Me - Fort Lauderdale, Florida

I dive with American Dream multiple times per year when I am in Florida. The crew is always awesome and the diving experience has always been excellent - probably my favorite charter world wide - until recently. Recently two of us were planning to dive and an unexpected illness came up the day before. They were completely inflexible with the new refund policy and we essentially had to eat the two dive slots. I will probably still dive with them in the future, but I have learned my lesson and will be as inflexible on scheduling as they are on emergency situations. I would recommend DO NOT book earlier than you need to with them and if there is any chance of something coming up, DO NOT BOOK WITH THEM. Sea Experience now leaves from a dock that is very nearby and I would recommend them over American Dream. read more

6 months later, went diving with the gang again and was so impressed by the operation. Unlike other dive operators in the area that are operated like cattle farms, American dream has a phenomenal operation. Structured, well organized, boats that give you the time and space to make sure everyone is safe and happy. We had a wonderful time today diving Hogs Heaven and a reef drift dive - I can't wait to dive with American dream again and feel dumb for even trying out other operations. read more

Highly recommended!!! I dove with the American Dream II crew 3 times. Each time has been a blast. We hit a different dive site each time. The crew is professional, friendly and extremely safety conscience. This is a great booking for the vacation diver, students and professional. I did 2 shallow dives and stayed down 56 minutes and 61minutes without hassles of staying down too long. They allowed me to run my air down to 500 PSI (and my dive buddy of course). We didn't have to surface because other divers came up. This is a good crew. I'm going to do the night dive with them soon. read more

American Dream Dive Charters - Made a safety stop when we looked up and saw this lurking up above. - Boat Charters Near Me - Fort Lauderdale, Florida

I had a great time with Todd and his crew today. Very customer friendly very accommodating. Boat left right on time. Was also attached to my hotel right across the street from the conference center which was great! Would definitely recommend them. I found my new favorite dive boat in Fort Lauderdale. read more

American Dream Dive Charters - Boat Charters Near Me - Fort Lauderdale, Florida

On a busy summer weekend day we dived with American Dream. My son was doing his last 2 cert dives. With permission of the DI, I tagged along. The boat was crowded. Nevertheless, I never got the feeling I was on a cattle boat. There was plenty of personal interaction and attention to detail. They provide fruit snacks and cold drinks for your enjoyment. Nothing like coming up to the boat and having a few slices of pineapple, orange, and a cold drink. We typically bring our own anyway but it was a very nice touch. One of the divemaster crew members even provided tray service!! LOL Anybody who has ever been on a dive boat knows that you will occasionally come across those that have little experience diving from a larger boat. They become flustered with the pace of things, don't understand some of the nuances of getting divers in and out of the water, etc. The crew seemed to take it all in stride and moved things along expeditiously. Our second dive was a drift on a shallow reef (30' max). With so many divers, it was a challenging endeavor for the Captain and Crew. They all handled it with ease. The boat is immaculately maintained and very comfortable. Lots of storage under the seats. They have plenty of weights. Two fresh water showers and one hot water shower are available. There is a top deck with an occupancy limit of 10 people. If you ascend early and put your gear in place, I recommend the top deck. The boat is well positioned for an easy motor to the dive grounds. No long steam out the channel. On busier weekends, the passage under the 17th St Causeway can become cumbersome. Captain Todd knows how to get through without delay! LOL American Dream accepts cash and check only. No credit cards. I'm told you can pay online with CC but I haven't done that. Show up at the boat with cash y'all. [EDIT] Rental gear was top notch. Almost new. When checking out my gear, I had a problem with a regulator hose and it was addressed immediately. There is room in the cooler for your personal beverages and the crew makes an announcement that only sodas are provided. If it's not a soda, it's not yours! There is an ice machine but don't expect to fill a 60 qt Igloo. Small, personal coolers only. Then again, it's only 4 hours so how much do you need anyway? read more

Exceptional dive operation. The boat dock location has good parking. Really easy to get your gear to and from the boat. I think the boat is a 46' Neptune. Plenty of space with no clutter and 2 fresh water showers. It also has a top deck that you can access. The crew is super pleasant and knowledgeable. They passed around complementary honeydew melon after the first dive. It was excellent. They also had complementary soda and water in a cooler. Everything ran like clockwork with no drama. We dove the Jay Scutti and the Oakland Ledges on the morning dive. Zero issues. We rented our tanks from them and all 4 had good fills. We'll making this our go-to dive charter in Ft. Lauderdale. Give them a try. read more

I am reviewing this business purely by its own merits and without taking into consideration the general quality of SCUBA diving in Fort Lauderdale. The American Dream II is a dream of a dive boat. Starting with the captain and crew. Captain Todd is a great guy who takes the safety and fun of his passengers very seriously. He runs a tight ship and he obviously loves what he does. He is very inflexible when it comes to safety rules. The boat is docked on pier 66 which is very well maintained and very convenient. Parking is not free, but ADII will give you a sticker to get a discount on your way out. The boat carries 24 divers, but I've never been on it with more that 16 or 20. It's comfortable with a large crowd with two tanks pp. The dive deck runs the full width of the boat and there are two wide ladders that are easy to hold on to. Their prices are average. Overall, a great value. read more

Since I haven't been on that many dives and I haven't utilized that many dive charters, I can't really give American Dream Dive Charters 5 stars. However, when compared to the other dive boat I dove off of the next day, they are LEAGUES better. E and I started off the day early and easily found the boat, docked at the Hyatt. I was nervous, since this was our first open water diving, but the nice and friendly crew - Captain Todd and our divemaster, whose name evades me - put me at ease. We dove on Friday morning with only two other people on board - an amazing and lovely thing that I took for granted until the next day, when I was crammed onto a boat with 33 other divers. The boat is big and beautiful, with a nice top deck and a spacious lower deck. We got two tanks apiece and dove both a wreck and a reef. Writing this now makes me wish that i could go back and do it all over again. The crew knew what they were doing and they made our day incredibly fun and memorable. We were so lucky that our original dive charter had boat problems and E ended up settling on American Dream. If you want a nice, personal dive experience, choose these guys. They're great with newbies! P.S. the fresh orange slices were MUCH appreciated and tasted SOOOO good. read more

This is hands down the best dive boat in Fort Lauderdale , and the best dive boat I have been on in Florida. 1. The crew is awesome. They take excellent care of all their divers, and they give free drinks and snacks. They help you get geared up if you need it. 2. The boat is big, and the lay out is scuba friendly, it is easy to walk around even with a full boat. I have been there when the boat is somewhat empty, and filled to the brim, but still plenty of room to get dressed. 3.DOES NOT SMELL LIKE A DIESEL BOAT. 4.Drift diving. Their chances of losing a diver are almost non-existent, their drift dives are done using dive flags , so if uw navigation is not your strong point you will be ok. 5.You pay for parking, but it is in a nice area, and easy to find. The level of service they deliver is commensurate to what I received on a private charter in Cozumel, and the price is comparable. Whenever I am in South Florida I always dive with them. The diving in South Florida is pretty good, and some of the wrecks are very nice. This boat is the way to go. If you do dive with them, if you see a guy with a GoPro on his head, that is me. read more

Two ship wrecks and a drift dive provided by this amazing crew was the perfect starting point to my vacation. I absolutely loved every minute and will join them again on many more dives. The Dive Master that we requested was also amazing and full of laughs and fun. read more

My experience was awesome! Great day in the water, not a worry in the world. I needed nothing, did nothing. Annie the dive master was jammin, meeting all our needs. That girl can hustle! The boat is very well cared for. After our drift dive, I felt like I was out of the water in 60 seconds. See ya next year! Thank you!! read more

Boat is clean and spacious (looks new), crew was professional, friendly and helpful. Will definitely be using them again read more

New to the area...clean boat with upfront solid people. Great diving! and SAFE!

Was in town on my Honeymoon with my wife and we wanted to get some diving in! Didn't plan for diving ahead of time as well as we should have, and called these guys literally the morning we wanted to do some diving--no answer, but the captain called back almost immediately! Captain informed me he had space for the two of us and went over the day's dives with me. Met up with the boat at the Hyatt and was paid for our dives right on the boat. First dive was a DEEP wreck dive on the Jim Atria that was awesome! Huge grouper joined us for the dive! Second dive was a a drift dive on a reef; divers went out in groups and each group carried a dive flag. Boat picked up divers upon surfacing. After the second dive, a pod of dolphins joined us for the ride back in. Boat is immaculate and was very spacious, even with 17 divers on board that day. Crew is professional, yet fun. Hot and cold showers on board, and snacks were provided. Two dives ran $55 each, and tanks were 10$ PER DIVE (weights were free). Decent price and two very nice dives. Would certainly dive with again! THANKS! read more

I have gone on several dives over the past 4 months with them, and was happy every time. The staff is friendly, professional, and will make sure you have a great experience. Can't recommend them enough. read more

Always a great experience with Captain Todd and his crew. This dive charter team loves what it does, and provides a safe and professional environment with enthusiasm and a love for the ocean. read more

My first interaction with this charter was with Captain Todd. I loved his energy from the very beginning and he made me feel comfortable being a new diver. I had called one other dive charter in the Ft. Lauderdale area and they made me feel being a new diver would be somewhat of a hassle. I've only been diving with one other dive charter so don't have much experience as a comparison; however, this group is awesome. Went diving this past weekend on the afternoon wreck dive and drift reef dive. My first of both. DM Greg accompanied me on the wreck dive and DM Rebecca was with me on the drift dive. I enjoyed diving with both of them, they made me feel very comfortable. I was having an issue with my mask on the first dive as some of my hair was causing water to get in. Greg was great with helping me get the hair out and fixing the issue. Greg showed me some great places inside the shipwreck and made me feel very comfortable as this was my first experience. Rebecca was great at pointing out some of the marine life during the drift dive. Got to see a stone fish and nurse shark. The staff on board is very helpful with helping you get back onto the boat and exchanging your tanks. I would recommend them and plan to dive with this charter again read more

I called Captain Todd of American Dream and was able to join the next days dive. He is a nice, professional, and competent man. I arrived to a comfortable and well-maintained dive boat, as well as a helpful and courteous staff. The equipment I requested was waiting, and both tanks were full to 3000 or a bit more. Groups were free to explore, not required to follow a line of many divers. Divers onboard were experienced and nobody got in each other's way. Some groups had young good divers, some were hunting Lionfish. I felt safe with Captain Todd's crew. I WILL BE GOING BACK THERE NEXT TIME, for sure. read more

I dove 8 tanks with American Dream in three days. It's a first-rate operation in all respects. Captain Todd and his staff were friendly, helpful, and run a safe boat. The boat is in nearly perfect condition and obviously well maintained -- not only is it clean, it also doesn't make you breathe fumes like so many other dive boats I've used in South Florida. Even my rental gear was excellent. I definitely will dive with them again on my next trip to Fort Lauderdale. read more

Just used them and *highly* recommend them. Greg has great people skills and everyone at every level is treated with the same respect and service. When in Ft Lauderdale I will call them. Great boat, laid back without being too loose. Drift dives on the reefs are nice since they use buoy flags and pick each group up when surfaced. Nice people!!! read more

Best Diveboat in southern Florida. First dive on 70 foot wreck 2nd dive reef drift dive. My buddy and i didnt pay attention to the dive master and went the wrong way. The dive master jumped in the water and showed us the way. read more

We had Greg as our DM he was fanatic. He showed us some great places on a wreck. Also was fun watching him measure lobsters. It will be fun to give lobster diving a try read more

I dove with the American Dream last week. My experience was outstanding much like the other reviews. The service was excellent and they are very safety conscious. These are some of the highlights: 1) One of my knees was bothering me due to a gardening injury. When I called and told them my concerns about the weight of the weights and tanks, they were extremely accommodating and told me they would put my gear on in the water if I wanted and hand it to the crew before entering the boat. And they followed thorough on everything I was told. 2) I hired a private guide and the cost was a very reasonable extra $50. I had two different ones on two days. They showed me around and also kept a very close eye on me. Its great to hire one if you are by yourself or have not dive in a while. 3) The crew even setup my gear for me (switch my BCD and reg to a new tank! There is only one other dive outfit that I used in Key Largo who does this. 4) We saw dolphins and they had us suit up in snorkel gear and jump in the water with them. The first time we did not succeed, but they kept looking and we found them. We saw about 12 of they and they interacted with us for a few minutes. It was the experience of a lifetime and was in addition to two dives. 5) The boat is very nice and seaworthy. To sum it up, they are the best dive outfit I have used in Fort Lauderdale and I will definitely be back. read more