Tampa Bay Divers hit the Keys!

[stinggirl]

Tampa Bay'ers,
Are you ready to dive water that doesn't make you shiver? Are you ready to dive in something less than a 5 mil? Are you ready to start remembering why you live in Florida? Are you sick of rhetorical questions? It's time to get wet!

The Tampa Bay area is a great place to live but it still finds a way to get pretty darn cold! I think we all need to thaw out by hittin the Keys. I have some ideas that should let us dive the best of the Keys, i.e. the reefs and wrecks, if we can get a decent amount of people together. My goal is a set up where people of all skill levels could get together and dive. New divers would feel comfortable, experienced divers would have fun, and veterans wouldn't get bored! I need to get an idea of interest so I can move forward with these plans. Are you interested? If so, what timeframe? Late Feb? March? April? Weekday, weekend? How many total days? Reefs, wrecks, both? What is your cert level? Are you Nitrox? Would you share a room? Would you be stubborn and want your own room? What gear would you need? All of this info will help me when chatting with dive Ops and Hotels. I'm thinking mid-March for a timeframe but this is all about consesus. I'd like to get some group rates on transpo, diving, lodging, possibly even dining, but to do that I need peeps. There is power in numbers! Once I get some feedback and start to get an idea of what people are interested in, I will get formal details and post them. So, for those of you who refuse to express interest until you see details, you are inadvertanly delaying those details! Post up! PM me! Also, for those Internet surfers out there, you don't need to live in the Tampa Bay area to take part in this! Come on, let's make this a great time! Let's get ready to blow bubbles!!!!! Let's dive the Keys!!!!

Interest list:
MissD, AOW/Rescue, March or April (bet you didn't realize you were interested did ya! Actually, you are already on the confirmed list!)
Catra8104, OW, March or April
SalmonBoy97, AOW, prefers deep and advanced dives, checking his business owner calendar
Reef, OW
Mrs Reef, OW

Sounds good to me. April might work better for me. I'm fairly new. only 7 dives under my mask. I would be willing to share a room. I have most of my equipment. Maybe will have all of it by then. I have not dived the keys yet but I love the keys.

 

[truck1]

Count Blondeambition and I in. Right now March or later works for us.(dang second job is in the way till then.Unless you are talking weekdays then anytime)Blonde is still fairly new, and I am AOW rescue nitrox,...............

Depending on how long we go, might need one or 2 tanks.

 

[catra8104]

I didn't mention that I haven't been deeper than 35' yet.. Shallower is better for me.. Silent World in KL has 2 smaller boats that go out.. 1 deep/wrecks and 1 shallow, that way everyone can dive what they feel comfortable doing...

Change me to a pretty dang positive, unless its the first Sun of the month...

 

[Missdirected]

I didn't mention that I haven't been deeper than 35' yet.. Shallower is better for me.. Silent World in KL has 2 smaller boats that go out.. 1 deep/wrecks and 1 shallow, that way everyone can dive what they feel comfortable doing...

Change me to a pretty dang positive, unless its the first Sun of the month...

Maybe it is time to change that. Catch a dive with someone more experienced as a buddy and go a bit deeper? :cool2:

 

[Bob]

I can do this, but will need either a late March or late April time frame. almtree: Bob

 

[Missdirected]

This is shaping up to be a rockin' group :yelclap:

 

[Chris Brown Tech]

If Becky cant fix you guys up at Kawama, try and avoid Spring Break as some of the hotels whack their prices up and all the dive boats are busy. Still, when is Spring Break this year?? Seems to run from March 1 to the beginning of May these days

 

[Missdirected]

If Becky cant fix you guys up at Kawama, try and avoid Spring Break as some of the hotels whack their prices up and all the dive boats are busy. Still, when is Spring Break this year?? Seems to run from March 1 to the beginning of May these days

Hrmmm, didn't think about Spring Break - aaaack. Though I always stay w/ Becka.... Guess we will need to give her a shout. Thanks Chris BTW, you think you could shoot IDive or myself some rates for our group to run with you, please?

 

[Quikenuff]

Definatly interested.

OW cert only and hope to be Nitrox in the very near future. If it's a requirement I can make it happen. Have all of my own gear and 2 tanks.

I'm trying to get into spearing but don't have a gun yet but would be great to tag along and watch.

March - 1st week of April would work for me. Getting married on the 4/25 so most of April has been pre-planned for me. (wink, wink) Actually we have been working on planning a BP in the keys the weekend before the wedding. Maybe something we can tie together.

My buddy and I are headed to the keys the 6-8th of Feb and will probably be going out with a charter called Capain's Corner. Will let you guys know what we think of it, but my point of view might be slighted since we have only dived Hudson Grotto, Venice and Spanish Rocks so far with a max of 8 ft vis on 12 different dives.

Will be watching the thread to see how it developes.

Quik (AKA George)

 

[catra8104]

Miss D,
I wouldn't mind going to the max OW, or a bit deeper. Just haven't been anywhere w/reefs deeper than 35'.. What I really love about Scuba is the corals and colorful fish.. I really love the colors and the amazing details of coral growth...