Another Key Largo dive report

[OglalaDiver]

Got back last night from our annual trip to the Keys. Spent eight days down there this year.....stayed again, with the folks at Kelly's by the Bay and Aquanuts. The first half of the week, winds were pretty strong and out of the east which made the seas a little rough. Diving was great, but viz was down and 4-6 foot seas made for getting on and off the boat a little interesting to say the least. Spent Wed down in Key West doing the tourist thing, only to start up diving again first thing Thurs morning. Friday night had a great night dive....several green morays, turtles, nurse sharks, etc. Did the Grove on Friday. How cool was that!!! Great dive. Finally, on Saturday the winds came to a halt, the seas flattened out like glass and we had a great dive on the USCGC Duane and Snapper ledges....couldnt have asked for better.
One thing that kinda got me was that they wouldnt let my girlfriend (now fiance....what can I say, the salt air and warm breezes got to me LOL) dive the Grove or the Duane simply because she doesnt have an Advanced card. She has done the Duane several times in the past, and numerous deep dives period. But now, simply because she doesnt hold an advanced card, they wouldnt let her do it. Hmmmmm. I did hear from one of the divemasters that there have been several deaths there recently, which Im sure has something to do with it.....I just dont understand that someone who gets certified today....does 5 more dives over the next two days and gets and advanced card can dive the Grove or Duane, but someone who has several years of experience doing such dives cant because she has no desire to be an "advanced" diver. Oh well.
Life sucks....I have to find a way to move down there LOL
Marty

 

[scubawife]

We're going to be staying at Kelly's and diving with Aquanuts in July. One diver in our group is not AOW but has done about 50 dives, several 100-115ft. Do they require AOW for all dives deeper then 60ft and all of the wrecks?

Also, overall, how was Kelly's? We were looking at other places but our friend got us into a group block and it's a great deal.

Thanks.

 

[OglalaDiver]

The folks at Kelly's are great. Depending on which one you stay in, the rooms can be a bit small, but we arent in them enough for it to matter. We've stayed with them every year for the past 3 years and will continue to do so. The boats are excellent, plenty of room, fast and right there so its very convenient. The DMs are great (get with Darren or Pat if you can) and the boat captains know their stuff backwards and forwards (Donna and Jorge are the greatest). Their lead instructor down there...Russ....can tend to come off as being a jerk, but its just him......he's really a great guy.
As for the advanced class......as I understand it, the Florida Keys Dive Operators Assoc (or something to that effect) put in place some restrictions in order to limit their liability. So to answer your question, yes, they will have to be advanced certified to dive wrecks such as the Speigel Grove or USCGC Duane or anything considered a "deep" dive. I dont necessarily agree with it, but I understand why they do it.
When you get down there....tell them Marty and the folks with Deep South Diver's recommended you!! LOL Just dont believe the stories they tell about us LOL
Marty

 

[scubawife]

Hi Marty - Thanks for answering my questions. Our friend booked us into a block that his sister's dive club has. I've gotten such mixed reviews about Aquanuts that I was looking at a couple other places, but the group rates were hard to pass up.

We're really looking forward to the trip. It's our first time to the Keys! Bummer about the AOW restrictions though. I wanted to do one wreck and hopefully more then just shallow reef dives. I'll let our non-AOW diver know. She's going on another trip in May so maybe she'll do the course then.

 

[ColdH20diving]

I received a phone call from a dive buddy and co-worker who was on holiday in the keys last week. She told me on her first day to dive, thurs. 4/10, the winds were up so they didn't dive. The following day, Friday 4/11, they were heading out to dive the Grove after lunch. On the way out they heard a may day call from another dive boat reporting they had a non-responsive diver aboard. They responded immediately and were the first to arrive on scene. My friend boarded the other dive boat and assisted in the resusitation efforts of the injured diver. I won't go into the details, but the female diver died in spite of their best efforts. I don't know what happened or the cause of death, I'm hoping someone on this board will post the information when it becomes available. All this to say that I'm sure this had something to do with the DM not allowing your girlfriend to dive. My prayers go out to the diver's family.

 

[ivansie]

wow, we were there diving yesterday afternoon but did not hear anything about that unfortunate accident. It will be good to hear the full details of it, as sad as it is when a human life is lost or somebody is injured, we can all learn from this incidents and try to avoid injury as much as possible.

pray for the soul of the person who died.

bye
Ivan

 

[raviepoo]

He's just kind of quiet. So what if he isn't perky? He's always been nice to me.

OglalaDiver once bubbled...
Their lead instructor down there...Russ....can tend to come off as being a jerk, but its just him......he's really a great guy.

By the way, does anyone know the particulars of the accident referred to above? I'm going to be diving the Grove and the Duane in a little over a week with a buddy who is kind of green. He's been on the Duane before, but it was a day with zero current. I'm a little worried about how he might handle himself if the current starts kicking up.

 

[OglalaDiver]

Heard about the death there the other day. Not sure about all the particulars, but the story I got, was that it wasnt the only one....there had been several deaths there recently. Like I said before....I dont necessarily agree with their restrictions, but I certainly understand them.
Yeah, the whole first half of the week was pretty windy with the seas being in the 4-6 foot range. Here it is Tues the 15th and I still feel like Im on that dang boat LOL Saturday, however, was perfect. Went out to the Duane.....water was like glass, absolutely NO current whatsoever, viz was great...ended up being the "perfect" dive LOL
As for Russ...like I said...he comes off being a little arogant and rude, but if you get to talking with him, he's a nice guy. He's a former nukes guy, so I can see where the "strictly by the books" thing comes into play.
I, too, have heard some things about Kelly's/Aquanuts, but having been there 3 years in a row, each for a week at a time, we haven't had any problems with them whatsoever......have been more than pleased with the service, diving and everything else so more than likely, we'll continue to use them.
Marty

 

[Scuba Duffer]

And your not AOW, hire a DM to go down with you. Almost all dive ops will let you dive all sites in the company of a DM regardless of your certification.

 

[The Chairman]

The point of the AOW cert is to show experience. Any diver with 50+ dives has that experience. Have them find an instructor and get it done.