The Institute at Halls is an educational facility dedicated to quality training. The training programs originated in 1978 and have been constantly refined over the years based on needs and feedback from diving employers. If you are serious about succeeding monetarily and enjoying a new full or part-time occupation in the recreational dive industry then the Career Institute at Hall's is for you. FACILITIES
The Institute is headquartered in a 2,500 square-foot building shared with Hall’s Diving Center. This facility was custom done for the Institute. 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
Close-by are motel rooms, efficiency apartments, condominium and cottages.
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.
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.
Hall's Diving Center & Career Institute
5050 Overseas Hwy
Marathon, FL 33050
(305) 743-5929
http://www.hallsdiving.com/