Key West 3/13-3/20- 3mm vs front-zipper drysuit, and advice on renting 100s or 120s

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GoIllini

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Location
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Hi guys,

I'm heading to Key West in March, but I just have a 3mm wetsuit and a crushed neoprene front zipper drysuit in my closet to bring. I do something like 95% of my diving in a drysuit, and was wondering if that could work in March in keys, or if I should just go with a wetsuit?

My plans involve the Vandenberg as well as maybe a trip up to Key Largo to dive the Spiegel and the Duane. So I was hoping to do these deeper dives with at least a 100 or 120 and ideally a pony bottle. So I am wondering if anyone in Key West or Key Largo does off-premises rental of large (100 or 120) tanks. Or do I need to ship my tanks down?

Thanks!

---------- Post added February 28th, 2015 at 09:01 PM ----------

PS: in case it helps anyone else who searched for this thread, if you're diving with Captain's Corner in Key West, they may be willing to fill empty tanks (or tanks depressured to 40 psi) so long as they have a current VIP. Fedex has fairly low rates on shipping a single box large enough to fit two tanks ($60-70 each way for 70 lbs as of 2015). If you're staying at a full-service hotel, they can probably also sign and hold for you, but check in advance.
 
I couldn't really give you much advice on your wetsuit and the temps next month since I do little diving during these months.

I would like to hear how your Vandenberg dive goes and your thoughts on Captains Corner afterwords. Wife and I will be doing same dive in June possible with same dive OP.

Speigel Grove is a nice dive. We dove with Rainbow Reef in Key Largo.

Thx
 
As far as duane and sg. Conch republic has large steel tanks and plenty of nitrox. You most likely can rent a pony as well. As far a key west and bjg tanks are concerned good luck. I have tried for years with no luck. They just dont cater to that.

If you take dry suit just use lighter undergarments to off set overheating.
 
I couldn't really give you much advice on your wetsuit and the temps next month since I do little diving during these months.

I would like to hear how your Vandenberg dive goes and your thoughts on Captains Corner afterwords. Wife and I will be doing same dive in June possible with same dive OP.

Speigel Grove is a nice dive. We dove with Rainbow Reef in Key Largo.

Thx
i have a timeshare on KW that's I used in August. Dove with Capt corner quite a few times. Do their double dip to the vandy. Do not expect to have your hand held by them. I like that they expect you know what you are doing and their rate is acceptable. Do not forget to tip the crew. They deserve it. Big boat so expect a lot of people on it, keeps their costs down.
 
Concerning Key Largo I believe Conch Republic is your best bet. There are other good shops there undoubtedly but Conch Republic has been my preferred shop for a decade and they have never failed me. They also referred me to Lost Reef in KW. I tried Capt's Corner and was not my cup of tea. Lost Reef is a full service shop with a good boat and crew that seems to work well with folks of different experience levels. Interestingly every time I have dove with them (maybe 6 times) there has been somebody else on the boat that was there because Admiral Brenda from Conch Republic recommended they try it - the same way I did! We expect to be down there starting next week 9 Mar until end of April. PM me if you are interested in meeting up and doing a dive!
 
Did a night dive on the Vandy last Monday with Lost Reef. I wore a 3mm and I was fine. Well, I was fine until the ride back. It got a little chilly on the ride back, but that won't be an issue during the day two weeks from now. Did a double reef with Lost Reef yesterday morning (Rock Key I think and somewhere else in that neighborhood). I was fine on both dives, buy my wife got cold and scrubbed the second dive about 1/2 hour into it. I checked my computer and temps at depth were 75 yesterday and 74 on the Vandy last Monday (2/23), but it seemed a little colder than that. Hope that helps. BTW, last I knew CC was running as a 6 pack. Not sure if that's creating an issue with availability or not. You might want to check.
 
Hi folks. Just an update for anyone searching for stuff:

Dove with both Captain's Corner and Lost Reef Adventures in Key West. (As well as Ocean Divers in Key Largo)

1.) Vandy is an awesome dive. It's important to be careful with depth and time on any wreck where the bottom is 150', but the mooring lines are attached to the wreck and it's nearly impossible to miss the wreck if you follow the line down. By Lake Michigan or New Jersey Coast standards, the Vandenberg is a relatively forgiving advanced dive. Just make sure you follow the line down.

2.) Captain's Corner was perfectly happy to fill my empty tanks. They had a current VIP sticker on them.

3.) Spiegel Grove in Key Largo was awesome too. Again, there are moorings attached to the deck. Again, nearly impossible to miss. Again, use the line to go up and down. There was a moderate current (about 1/4-1/2 knot) from the east which helped clear up visibility. It also made navigation... interesting.

4.) A 3mm wetsuit is fine for diving the keys in March. Water temp was ~75 degrees. I forgot how easy it is to dive when the water is above 40 degrees at the bottom and you are not wearing a big bulky drysuit.

5.) If you are into technical diving in Key West, you probably want to go with Captain's Corner. They are OK with decompression dives, people going to 150', wreck penetration, etc, as long as you're diving within your skill. Lost Reef was very clear that this was recreational diving only, and Captain's Corner sorta implied in the conversation on the boat that they were the only game in town for technical dives.

6.) Parking in Key West is expensive. Budget $15/trip on top of the diving to pay for parking. If diving with Captain's Corner, do yourself a favor and park at the marina rather than the shop ($2/hour savings)

7.) If you live in a populated area with local diving, bring business cards. You will probably meet several people back home who aren't in your diving circle but are interested in local diving.
 
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3mm will be fine. I would expect water temps in the mid-high 70's to low 80's. Some locals will be wearing thicker suits, but that's because the blood gets thin when you are used to diving in 90 degree water all summer. Some folks do use drysuits in the keys...but a tropical suit and under armor for an undergarment is as much as I would wear there unless I were diving the deep wrecks (240'+) in the winter.
 
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https://xf2.scubaboard.com/community/forums/cave-diving.45/

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