Dh and I went to WDW for our honeymoon in 1996. We had lunch at Coral Reef and our server told us about the diving. We called reservations as soon as we left and they had availability the next day, which was the only day that would work for us. It was a great opportunity and fun experience. They provide ALL equipment, in fact, my husband and I had to both push to bring our own masks because we wore contacts. They don't have a depth gauge on their instruments because the tank is only 23 feet (or so, forget the exact depth) at the deepest point, the drain. The have everyone swim over and touch the drain so they can say they went that deep. The only downside for us, is that we are excellent on air and they limit your dive to a certain amount of time and then everyone must surface. We could have stayed down twice as long, but understand they can't do that for everyone or else it could turn into a free for all.
We swam with a HUGE grouper, sharks, a couple of sea turtles (amazing having one right next to you) and numerous fish. We did a swim though in the "coral" (it's fake) which was fun. There is a air bubble at the bottom they have you go in and say something for the video camera. I don't know if the sound wasn't working right or what, but the only people you can hear are the ones that screamed. We bought the video and were happy with it. Our kids like watching it now.
And to answer one of your biggest questions, YES people can see you. I don't think I have ever had my picture taken as much as I did on that dive. I laugh when I think about how many people have pictures of me diving in their photo albums. They split us into two groups, but maybe if you and DH both have cell phones he can call you from the locker room to let you know to keep your eyes open, if the phone even works there.
Keep in mind, all this info is 10 years old (yikes!). All in all it was an amazing experience and we would love to go again someday. If you have any other questions, let me know.
Suzanne
