Update on Rainbow Reef Dive Center COVID-19 Policies
By federal order of the US Coast Guard, there is still a mandate requiring everyone on board U.S. passenger vessels to wear an appropriate face covering.
On May 3rd, 2021, Florida Governor Ron Desantis suspended all emergency Covid-19 measures in the state of Florida. As a result of that order, the mask mandate in the Florida Keys has been lifted.
For the safety of our customers, the staff of Rainbow Reef Dive Center will continue to wear masks in all of our buildings.
For the safety of our crew and other customers we respectfully request and recommend that you continue to wear masks in our store, training center, classrooms, check in areas and offices.
This is our request and not a requirement. When it comes to moving beyond this pandemic, we believe that everyone is on the same team, and that it is imperative that we look out for one another. We are hopeful that we are in the home stretch of this pandemic, and that life will be getting back to normal soon. The end is in sight, but we just aren’t quite there yet.
Millions are receiving their vaccinations, and very soon we can hopefully put masks, restrictions, and all things Covid-19 behind us.
That being said, out of an abundance of caution, we will continue to wear masks we respectfully ask you to do the same.
From all of us at Rainbow Reef,
THANK YOU!
Since we reopened on 6/1/2020 we have been thrilled to take several thousands of divers out on over two thousand trips, as well as taught more than a thousand recreational and pro level courses.
Covid-19 just doesn’t seem to stand much of a chance out on the ocean, in the fresh air, in the blazing sun… and even less immersed in salt water!
Since our reopening almost a year ago, we did have 4 of our crew members who ended up testing positive for covid-19 at different times. 3 of these occurred when they went out of town. To the best of our knowledge, we have had only 3 customers ever test positive during or shortly following their stay in Key Largo, and they rode on a bus together for 20 hours to get here and back home.
So of course this is not a scientific study, and indeed purely anecdotal data, but it sure seems to us like that it may in fact be pretty hard to catch or spread the Covid-19 while on scuba diving trips.
Here are just a few of the changes and procedures we implemented back on June 1st to keep our customers and crew safe and healthy:
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Reducing the number of divers on each boat
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Cleaning the boats and tanks between every trip
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Crew wears masks
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Sign releases on your own device
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Check in process as touch-less as possible
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Hand sanitizers in all buildings
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Rental gear is sanitized, dried, and rotated so it's only rented to 1 customer per day
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Max of 4 in each recreational class
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Boarding procedures to maximize social distancing
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Gear up and water entry procedures to maximize social distancing
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Fresh water gear rinse and no community rinse tanks
That is the current update in regards to Covid-19, Scuba Diving and visiting the Florida Keys. We continue to adapt and evolve how we do things as the situation unfolds and will update you as things move forward.
So give us a call, say hello on our social media, or send us an email. We are here, ready for you and can’t wait to go diving with you! Until then stay safe, stay healthy, and best of luck to you and your families during these strange times.
