FACILITIES
The
Institute is headquartered in a 2,200 square-foot building
shared with Hall’s Diving Center. This facility was custom
built for the Institute on the grounds of Faro Blanco
Marine Resort in 1986. The building houses classrooms,
administrative offices, a rental department and a full
retail store. Close-by is a freshwater pool, our 40-foot
custom dive charter boat, restaurants, cocktail lounge,
resort motel rooms, boat dockage, stores and available
student accommodations. Within walking distance or a short
car ride are fast-food restaurants, grocery, hardware,
convenience, drug, office and school supply, auto repair,
variety chain, shopping centers, and clothing stores.
Normally, you can find just about anything you need within
a reasonable distance. Also within close proximity are
convenient shore and pool diving for practice and diving
on your days off. The best diving, however, is on the
reefs, offshore wrecks and sites accessible from our vessel.
HOUSING
The
Institute is on the grounds of Faro Blanco Marine Resort.
Close-by are motel rooms, efficiency apartments, condominium
and cottages.
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Students
can make special arrangements through the Institute to
stay in the student dormitory with other students or for
private accommodations. Costs start at approximately $25
a night for the dorm and can go as high as $250 a night
for a luxury condominium. Off campus housing is also available.
Upon request, the administrator will send you a current
area newspaper or refer you to the Internet for listings
of apartments and houses for rent.
LOCATION
The
Institute is in Marathon in the heart of the Florida Keys.
The Keys are a chain of coral rock islands on the southern
tip of Florida. They are strung southwest from Miami to
Key West. The Overseas Highway (US 1) connects each Key
(island). Highway mile markers begin at zero in Key West
and go up as you travel toward Miami. The Institute is
at mile marker 48. The Keys are roughly 120 miles long.
The Keys have two barrier reefs. The most distant is four
to five miles offshore. Inside reefs are two to three
miles offshore. The reef is primarily large coral mounds
from four to 20 feet tall. Artificial reefs made of wrecks
(sunken vessels) are in both shallow and deep water. Almost
all Atlantic tropical species of marine life are abundant.
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Water
visibility usually ranges between 30 and 50 feet, although
some days it is more than 100 feet. Water temperature
hovers between 80 and 88 degrees in summer and 70 to 75
degrees in winter. Generally, winter is full wetsuit weather.
In summer, a shortie or wet suit top is fine for long
dives.
INSTRUCTIONAL
EQUIPMENT
The
Institute utilizes a number of resources for instructional
equipment. From their forty foot custom dive boat to an
extensive library, projectors, video and digital cameras,
computers and even a SUBMARINE!
Hall’s
Diving Center sets the stage for the REAL hands-on training
experienced here at the Institute. There are REAL cash
registers to ring, customers to service, repair department,
phone systems, computers, display areas and equipment,
compressors, and Nitrox membrane blending system, ticketing
machines, and numerous other equipment to use as part
of your training. Everything you would ever expect to
find in a resort/retail environment of the most modern
design is at Hall’s Institute; we make available Hall’s
equipment that is appropriate to your program of study
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1-800-331-HALL
or 305-743-5929