Fantastic service. Affordable rental equipment while mine was being serviced. Marta was super…read morehelpful and has a trusted clientele of divers. She stocks a great variety and has affordable prices. Thank you.

Mike Campbell of Castaway Scuba has an easy-going, humorous personality that lends a calming…read moreinfluence that cools years of living in the anxiety ridden streets of New York and New Jersey. We had two classroom sessions and an exam before our first dive in De Leon Springs. Squeezed into constricting wetsuits with weight belts strapped around our waists, on an unusually cold Thursday in January with low visibility in the springs, led to a highly anxious moment for Emille during the swim test. Mike scheduled the repeat dive the next Monday at a heated YMCA pool with excellent visibility and Emille passed like a pro. She swam 12 laps without pausing and we treaded water for 10 minutes like fish. After this redo, Mike joked that Emille was a "plant" that was sent there to test him. We returned to De Leon Springs with newfound confidence, and completed two dives on Tuesday, and three on Wednesday, satisfying our Open Water Scuba Certification. Our last dive was a bonus photography dive, and our first underwater Subway Handle photo session. Mike, now called "Scuba Dad" by Emille, even convinced a turtle to pose with the handle.   To celebrate our certifications, we had all-you-can-eat pancakes at the Old Spanish Sugar Mill Pancake House. We highly recommend Mike Campbell and the entire staff of Castaway Scuba to anyone in the greater Orlando area. Our schedules are chaotic, but they accommodated us seamlessly. They ordered and installed prescription lenses for my mask, and they have everything under the water.

My husband and I just completed a refresher course after being dry docked for about 10 yrs from…read morediving. Robert (owner) was very relaxed, easy to work with and accomondating! Did not have to go through the "dive shop" hassle of booking a class, being sold gear I didn't need. (He also provided all gear required, with no extra fees!) I booked the course online and choose a date that worked for me! He got back to me within 24 hrs. We had a great morning dive at Blue Springs State Park and it was just my husband and I. 100% recommend. I will be contacting him to participate in dive outings in the future and to help certify my kids very soon.

Excellent SCUBA instruction. Patient and deals professionally with any issues. I put my daughter…read morethrough the course and she great feedback and is ready to come back for Advanced Certification. Would recommend!

This was our second time using Birds to swim with Manatees and we will choose them every time now…read more Had an amazing experience with Captain Misty and Guide Gina. Highly recommend the 6am tour as you get viewing time before it gets really busy. I really appreciate Birds Underwater as they do a great job educating you about the manatees and how to passively observe. Made the manatees more comfortable and as a result we got to have some amazing interactions with them.

Thank you to Heidi and Andy for the awesome time! So special getting to swim with manatees, and…read morethanks for answering all my many excited questions!

Captain Felix and Guide Mr Run were great. Sharing fun and interesting information. We saw baby…read moregators, a big Mama gator laying nearby, lots of birds and a few turtles! Also got to wave at some "canal" locals. It was the 2 hr canal tour and was a great deal. We also were able to bring our leashed Pomeranian Daisy May

What a wonderful evening! We did the sunset cruise to celebrate my 50th birthday, and it was one of…read morethe highlights of our girls weekend in Mount Dora. The captain and crew were welcoming, friendly, and knowledgeable, making the experience both relaxing and enjoyable. The boat was comfortable, the scenery was beautiful, and watching the sun set over Lake Dora was absolutely breathtaking. We loved learning a little about the area while simply sitting back and taking it all in. If you're visiting Mount Dora or celebrating a special occasion, I highly recommend adding this cruise to your itinerary. It's peaceful, beautiful, and a perfect way to end the day. We made wonderful memories and would absolutely do it again!

Garrett was a blast! We are just coming into the warm season and most manatees are back in the…read moregulf, he still got us to 7 manatees, 2 gators, and we caught a dolphin in kings bay towards the end. He gave us plenty of time to look for things to come up out of the water which was great for my 2 year old. Boat was shaded and was enjoyable even with a small child. Other tours wouldn't let me book because she was under 3- we brought our own lifevest but they did also have some on board that were her size.

I don't know where to start…read more This was the absolute best day. We started at the River Ventures Dive Center at 6:30AM, where we were offered coffee, tea, hot cocoa and snacks, and spent the next bit with an educational video and a wetsuit fitting. From there, we took a bus to the dock, in the most gorgeous sunrise light. let by our Guide Nat. Captain Emerson met us at the covered, heated pontoon, and our group set off through the water, for the protected manatee zone. The water was FULL of our sweet sea potatoes... in fact, it was difficult to even get off the boat because our new friends swam right up to the ladder. Nat had given excellent instructions. We immediately leaned into our pool noodles and gently followed her lead through the water. It took just moments before manatees were all around us. We stayed calm and quiet, and they either continued snoozing, or swam up to investigate us. Nat was on point with the camera, and with showing us things like the tarpon and sheepshead fish, and she was also shared little details about the manatees as we floated. Of course, with nature, there are no guarantees, and I really had no idea what to expect, but I was absolutely delighted by the interactions we had. The cold snap absolutely played into our favor, and I am so glad we showed up with our adventurous spirit. When we returned to the boat, there were more snacks, as well as hot cocoa, coffee, tea, and a variety of drinks in the cooler (water, beer, wine, soda, and white claws). We were so grateful for the boat covering and heater as we made our way back to the dock, and we had great chats with Nat, Emerson, and the other group on our tour. Was it cold? Sure. But the water felt great at 72ºF, and our wetsuits did a wonderful job of protecting us and keeping us buoyant. Our experience was incredible, from booking, to engaging with the staff with any questions we had, to the actual tour itself. The photos and videos were absolutely phenomenal, as well, and we were happy to purchase the package, as well as some gifts from the souvenir shop. We will be back for more manatee viewing, or to try one of their other tours. Thank you so much for the best day!

One of the best things about the trip was Captain Sean. He was a great guide. He was filled with so…read moremuch information and so many fun facts. He had a great sense of humor. He also knew where to find all the manatees. Also our photographer Serena was great. The photos she took were unbelievable. Well worth the money spent. Which was not a lot considering the amazing pictures we got. It's going to capture our memories at snorkeling with manatees forever. It was on our bucket list of things to do and I totally am amazed by the experience. It wouldn't have been the same without the captain in the photographer. It was just the perfect day.

Awesome adventure they took our time with us and the tour guides really take such special care of…read morethese precious manatees. We loved it!!

What an AWESOME day! Crystal River Kayak Company & Dive Center made for such a great experience!…read moreThe staff were friendly and informative, equipment was clean & well maintained, and check-in/out was simple and quick! We rented paddle-boards for 3 hours to go visit Three Sister Springs at the Crystal River Wildlife Refuge, and it did NOT disappoint! You cannot swim at Three Sister Springs unless you arrive by watercraft as the refuge is protected, so going on an adventure via paddle-board was a nice relaxing way to explore the area. We saw multiple manatees and even got to swim with them when they came in the refuge (SUCH A COOL EXPERIENCE)! The coolest thing about the manatees was how much trust they put in the people visiting their home. There was a mom and calf swimming right up to people, and I thought how cool it was that she put that much trust into her surroundings as to show off her baby. I highly recommend checking out this company next time you're visiting the area!

Very friendly and knowledgeable staff, easy entry point for a day on the river. Great time…read morekayaking with the manatees!

Loved the experience - we went on a whim. Weather tried to be temperamental which impacted the…read moreexperiences fully but stand up company and our all worth it!

I love fishing with these guys so today I tried jet skiing for the first time. I'm 75 and was a…read morebit nervous but Cameron was very patient and made it so easy for me to get on and off and enjoy the ride. The feeling of flying across the water was pure joy and freedom. I can't wait to do it again.

Had a great time paddleboarding with Otter Paddle Orlando! It was a fun way to spend some time…read moreoutside and explore the area from the water. - Richelle was fantastic and made us feel welcome right away - Everything we needed for paddleboarding was ready to go - Really laid-back experience and easy to get the hang of - Perfect activity for getting out on the water and doing something different We had a blast and would definitely recommend them if you're looking for a paddleboarding experience around Orlando.

Such a great experience. The morning was perfect and she took amazing pictures / videos of us. I'm…read moreso happy with this experience. Thanks Rachelle!