our operation
Key West’s oldest PADI 5 STAR Dive Operation
Southpoint Divers has been in business since 1991 and is consistently voted the best dive shop in Key West!
Southpoint Divers is located in the heart of Old Town, Key West on Front Street. Our shop, stocked with all your dive essentials and ScubaPro gear is at 606 Front Street and our custom dive boat, The Phoenix, docks directly across the street at the Hyatt Centric Key West Resort & Spa. Southpoint Divers has been in business since 1991 and is consistently voted the best dive shop in Key West!
The M/V Phoenix is a 46′ Newton Dive Boat built in 2000. The custom configuration features two dive ladders and a large swim platform at the back of the boat for easy giant stride entries. She also comes equipped with a camera table, camera buckets, two fresh water showers, fresh water hose, marine head, ample storage space for gear and dry bags and state of the art electronics. Phoenix is set up perfectly to ensure your comfort and space!
We pride ourselves in having the most professional and safety-conscious Captains and Crew and we hope you enjoy your Southpoint Divers experience!
our crew
Don Mckenzie
Owner / Scuba Instructor
Certifications: PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, USCG Master Captains License
I am from upstate New York and have been in Key West since 1994. I watched Jacque Cousteau reruns when I was growing up and fell in love with the ocean and wanted to get certified. I made my way to Key West, got certified and started working at Southpoint Divers in the mid 1990s and decided to buy it the late 90s. During my time in Key West, I have become an avid diver and fisherman, so if you don’t see me at the dive shop I’m likely out on the water searching for that next fish story.
Tropical Mike
Captain / Master Scuba Instructor
Certifications: Master Scuba Instructor
A PADI Master Instructor, with 30+ years experience and Skipper of our Phoenix. As a native Floridian, from Fernandina Beach, I was raised on Amelia Island, the Northernmost city. I’m an avid surfer, diver, and sea turtle advocate. I relocated to Key West, the Southernmost city, to “escape” the bitter cold of the North and pursue my passion for diving and sea turtle conservation.
Drew Rutherford
Captain / Engineer / Scuba Instructor
Certifications: USCG 100 Ton Captain License with towing endorsement, Open Water Scuba Instructor, CPR First Aid, Scubapro Technician, Nitrox, Gas Blender
From Tampa, I moved to Key West in 2001 where I joined the Coast Guard as part of the Aids to Navigation Team. After the Coast Guard in 2006, I worked various jobs from private yacht captain, sailing on the east coast in the summers and spending the winters in the Caribbean, to boat hull construction and marine engineering improvements. I went to Florida Keys Community College studying Marine Engineering and Dive Business. I received my PADI Open Water Instructor certification in 2014 and started working for Southpoint Divers in 2015. The most rewarding part of being an instructor is helping people face and overcome their fears.
Palmer Dunn
Lead SCUBAPRO Technician, PADI Scuba Instructor
Certifications: PADI Scuba Instructor , Emergency First Responder (EFR), Pro SCUBAPRO technician
Specialties Taught: Primary/ Secondary CPR and First Aid, AWARE Shark Conservation, Wreck, Dive Against Debris, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Nitrox , Deep Diver
I am from Jacksonville, Florida and moved to Key West in 2022 hoping to advance my knowledge of diving. I will graduate in 2024 from the College of the Florida Keys with a degree in Diving Business & Technology. I began working at Southpoint shortly after I moved to Key West and the experience has only grown my love for diving. Since being employed with Southpoint, I have gone through numerous Technical Education Seminars, gaining my certification as a Pro Technician. I have the ability to rebuild all SCUBAPRO equipment and I’m responsible for the maintenance of rental gear.
Zach Goodfellow
Scuba Instructor
Certifications: PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, Nitrox, CPR First Aid Instructor, USCG 100 Ton Masters Captain License, Scubapro Technician, Gas Blender, Deep Specialty Instructor
I grew up in Grand Lake, CO and got into scuba diving because my best friend’s family was into it and said, “If you get certified, you can come on our vacations with us.” At Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO I received a degree in natural resource recreation and tourism with a minor in business. As part of my graduation requirements, I had to do an internship in the tourism or recreation industry. I emailed dive shops all over the country asking for an internship and the only shop that said “yes” was Southpoint Divers. I did my internship in 2010 and pretty much have been here ever since.
Aaron Burlison
Scuba Instructor
Certifications: Emergency First Responder (EFR), Primary/Secondary CPR and First AID, Shark Conversation, TWIC, OSHA 30
My father was a dive instructor in the 1970’s and had a salvage business on the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. As a kid, I would ride around with him in the green murky mess like a backpack while he looked for lost wedding rings and other treasures. After serving in the Army, I was a dive instructor in Cozumel, Mexico for a year and now I live on a sailboat in Key West, instruct with Southpoint Divers and bartend at a local tiki bar! Free diving is also a passion of mine.