Diving in the Keys since the oil spill

[artistsandy]

Hello all.....has anyone be diving in the Keys this summer since the oil spill?

Will the diving be any good around the second week of November?

We've never been to the Keys.....where's a good place to go for a couple of days of diving? Dive shop, hotel, etc....

Thanks,

artistsmss

 

[RickI]

There has been no obvious physical impact on the Keys by the oil spill as far as I know to date. I was in Key West and Key Largo last weekend.

November is entering cold front season. As long as a strong front isn't passing over with higher winds to go with you should be ok in terms of visibility and waves. It is hard to say much more about likely conditions this far in advance.

There are a lot of options of places to go and stay in the Keys. As it is your first trip to the Keys, you might want to plan on diving off Key Largo (reefs, Speigel Grove and whatever else you can fit in) and Key West for the Vandenberg if you are up for those diving conditions. There are still other areas off the other Keys. I dive with Atlantis Dive Shop off Key Largo and Subtropic off Key West. You might find looking around Key West on land interesting as well. As to hotels, tons of those too. Prices will vary, you might see what looks good on expedia.com for location, setup and prices during your time of travel.

Have a good trip!

 

[Jupiter31]

Hello all.....has anyone be diving in the Keys this summer since the oil spill? Yes, I suspect so; its a popular place - don't know what you have been reading or hearing, but perhaps for once the media did not report oil damage where there is none - they did report some "tar balls" but those are there and had nothing to do with the oil spil, which was 100's of miles away - I think your panties are in a wad over nothing - no damage in the Keys - yet - - but be careful in November JUST KIDDING!

Will the diving be any good around the second week of November? If I knew the answer maybe I could predict the winning lotto #'s for this weeks drawing

The deal on weather in FL is the closer you get to winter, the more chance you have of a cold front blowing you out - November weather is normally "better" than Jan or Feb, but not as "good" as June or July

We've never been to the Keys Really.....I thought by your questions you had been here many times .....where's a good place to go for a couple of days of diving? Dive shop, hotel, etc....I'm just joshing with you but your post is pretty clueless! Don't get mad, read it again!

Still, I'll be glad to make some recommendations - all have web sites and are located in the Key Largo area:

HMS Minnow
Scuba do
Conch Republic
Silent World
Rainbow Reef

Make life easy on yourself; all of these outfits have tie in's w/ hotels, and multiple day packages - talk to them, see which one you like, and get them to set you up w/ lodging as well as diving. Assuming you are not talking Thanksgiving, you may be able to get a deal.

Thanks,

artistsmss

Good luck and take this in the spirit it was given!
To

 

[MSPDiver]

Did 20 dives in July, best conditions I have had in 5 years. No waves good vis and no oil. I repeat there is not oil in the keys. I have been there in late Nov. early Dec and made only 3 dives out of 8 scheduled. Wind in the key factor. No wind or little wind good to go. As far as first time. I would recommend Rainbow Reef, Silent World, or Conch Republic. I would also recommend staying aroung mm 100. There are three hotels all within walking distance to Rainbow Reef. Also RR comes with free guides which can help if it is your first time there. Key Largo is great, the dive is great, the atmosphere is great. Key West, Vandenberg is awesome but I would only drive there for that dive. Reefs are much better in Key Largo. IF you have any questions pm me. This is one of my favorite places to dive anywhere.

 

[dkramer]

Yes. We did Sombrero Reef in July & it was beautiful. We dove with Tillmans Scuba & stayed right next door at the Black Fin in Marathon.

 

[suzette]

In the interest of disclosure, I work for Rainbow Reef. The diving here has been nothing short of spectacular this summer. I logged about 40 dives (in between work shifts!) and saw some seriously amazing things. No oil effects whatsoever here, thankfully.

November is a nice time to dive here, although as stated above it's possible (it's always possible, I guess) to get blown out over the winter time. I've seen it flat as a pond and wavy as heck in Nov, it's not possible to predict the weather or currents.

So come on down and visit- most of the humidity is gone by then and the Keys are gorgeous at that time of year. Stop by Rainbow Reef and wish me a happy 40th birthday if you're around on Nov 1!

 

[Capt.Ed]

First, there is no oil in the Keys, w/ the notable exception of Sun Tan Lotion.

Second, the diving right now is great but November can be a little challenging because we do tend to get some fronts that push through and the winds might be blowing. However, unless we have a Southerly wind, the reefs off Islamorada are usually very protected and the wave heights are pretty small. The wind usually blows from the Northeast so our Atlantic (reef) waters are usually pretty protected because the dive sites are all south of the islands.

There are a number of dive ops in the Keys but I primarily dive with Key Dives - Key Dives Guided Scuba Diving in Islamorada in the Florida Keys . They've got some information on lodging on thier site. They assign an instructor to each of the groups who essentially acts as a tour guide while you are diving. This is nice as I'm not a big fan of the "insta-buddy" that you get hooked up with on a lot of dive ops; with thier operation you can always rely on at least one person out there. It also relieves you of having to navigate. They have some very good hunters working for them and I think they will sometimes allow hunting with prior coordination, but call beforehand to set it up. Thier rental gear is all ScubaPro gear and it's all maintained properly. BTW, they dive the Eagle pretty often...it's an awesome dive.

I also dive with the folks down at Scuba Diving, Snuba, Resort Courses, Scuba Diving Lessons at Dive Duck Key, Florida Keys. They run a decent operation and are very hospitable and easy going. I find them to be a safe operation and thier staff is very qualified. On deeper dives and wreck dives (Thunderbolt) they tend to guide the dive unless a certified instructor is leading a group (which means they guide the dive). On the shallower dives (15-55feet) they tend to dive reefs that are pretty easy to navigate (Ledges, circular, etc.) so getting lost isn't much of an issue but they don't guide the dives unless you ask them to do so...and I'm sure there is an additional fee required. They do allow hunting, but call beforehand to let them know what you want to do. Don't know about thier rental gear but I do know they have it available.

Now I live down here and don't have to deal with hotels. There are a number of them that are quite nice; but remember that cost and ameneties go hand-in-hand down here. \

Places to eat in Islamorada...
Brazalena @ Whale Harbor - Off the charts good and my favorite...a little pricey
Marker 88 - very good, also a little on the pricey side
Agave (Mexican) - Very good and very reasonable
Debbie Doo's (Sandwiches) - Awesome...you won't be able to eat the whole thing
City Hall Diner (Sandwiches & Salads) - Awesome
Craig's - Very good, very reasonably priced lunches and dinners
Mangrove Mike's - Good for breakfast, great for lunch, closed for Dinner
Green Turtle - Very good, a little more expensive but worth it.
Mobile Gas Station - Great Fried Chicken...
Chili-Willies - Pretty good, it's reasonable, bar food
Boardwalk Pizza - Good Pizza
Whale Harbor Seafood Buffet - Yuck...save your money and eat the napkin instead of the food.
Island Grill - Gordan Ramsey would have a fit...

As you can tell, I like to eat. There are lots of good restaurants in our area and very few lousy ones. Even if you decide to stay in Key Largo or in the Lower Keys, the places I mentioned (with obvious exception) are worth a stop if you're out for a day trip. I'd even suggest diving w/ the Key Dives on one day just to see how they do it...it'll be worth it.




I live down here and don't work for any of the companies I've mentioned above. My wife owns an art studio and I'm a consultant so my opinions are my own and I stand to gain nothing from what I've said above...except maybe a shot in the chops from the owner of Island Grill. Stop in Seaside Glassworks at the Rainbarrel and let me know how your dives went; I'm there most weekends...I'm always eager to meet fellow divers.

Good luck and enjoy your stay.

 

[tbone1004]

I was working in Big Pine all summer. Great reef, Looe, not so much in the ways of wrecks, but it's kind of halfway between Islamorada and Key West.
+1 for Subtropic. Haven't gone on any charters in Largo though. Would recommend flying into Miami and doing the Key Largo thing though, much more variety and keeps you out of Key West mayhem. November should be pretty chill though all around