Aquanuts in Largo is going...going...gone...

[RonFrank]

I spent four days diving with Aquanuts, and really enjoyed the DM's, Captains, the boats, the gear storage, and the dives in general.

We did have ONE day where they packed the boat, and the second boat sat. The Captain said that this would have never been done in the past.. so why is it now you may ask?

Well the Kelly's sold the resort to a group that will be tearing the place down, and putting up high end Condo's (I'm guessing something similar to Ocean Pointe). As a good sized house with Ocean/Sound/Channel access is selling for 3Million, I can only guess what the Kelly's got for this place... 20million, 30million? Can't blame them, but it's sad that this mom and pop Operation is going south.

The DiveOp appears to be for sale, and it's fate was up in the air as of a week ago when I last spoke to the DM's. My guess is that they will part it out, but who knows.

Aquanuts will be diving until the end of August, and then no more (unless someone purchases the DiveOp part). The only good thing to come out of this is right now you can get there way cool T-Shirts for 40% off. I picked up a few.

 

[ReefGuy]

Yup, and hobo's is going with it

 

[cudachaser]

I heard Hob's will open in a new location

Joe

 

[Brian1968]

I heard Hob's will open in a new location

Joe

That's the info that I got from Hobo's staff in May as well but at that time they did not know where. I was however assured that there will continue to be a Hobo's in Key Largo.

Sad too is that Neptune's Hideaway motel (my choice of places to stay) is also sold and is no more as of June 16th.

:-(

 

[Bill51]

Who told the non-divers about Key Largo and Cozumel in the first place? We need to find a new place to set up a nice laid back tacky little dive town and not let anyone visit unless they are divers or guests of divers. About 15 years ago the non-divers I knew tried to drive through Key Largo as fast as possible because they thought it was a dive of a town – and it was.

 

[Fin59]

No....not Hobo's!!!!!!!!

 

[DennisS]

Well the Kelly's sold the resort to a group that will be tearing the place down, and putting up high end Condo's (I'm guessing something similar to Ocean Pointe). As a good sized house with Ocean/Sound/Channel access is selling for 3Million, I can only guess what the Kelly's got for this place... 20million, 30million? Can't blame them, but it's sad that this mom and pop Operation is going south.

That seems to be the way south florida is going. Tear everything down and build luxury high rise condos, wall off the ocean. The places with character are being developed and replaced with bland condos, bigger is better seems to be the architectural style these days.

Over 900 people a day are moving into the state and they want a view of the ocean, the developers want to have a condo waiting for those that can afford it. The skyrocketing value of the land is reflected in the taxes that drive the small operators out.

There are people in the keys that own lots that they can't build on, unless they get a building permit in the lottery. It never fails to amaze me that the large condo projects don't have a problem getting a permit.

I'm glad I got to be there in the days when you could pull off of US1 at Missouri or Ohio key and camp, take an underwater metal detector and explore around Coffins Patch and the spear fishing was good. I live an hour away and haven't been down there in two years. Too many people.

 

[CBulla]

It all boils down to patience... soon there will be a hurricane or two through those areas and the buildings will get blasted to the sand. The people who are buying them don't care about money, the buildings environmental impact nor the imact of the population on the local ecosystems.. if they did those developments wouldn't exist. A look at the reefs is example of how much of an impact it's already made.. or the 5 years of persistant red tides on the FL west coast..

Patience....patience... patience... Folks in the Pensacola Bay area are starting to get the hint

 

[ReefHound]

It all boils down to patience... soon there will be a hurricane or two through those areas and the buildings will get blasted to the sand.
Patience....patience... patience... Folks in the Pensacola Bay area are starting to get the hint

but the truth is that the hurricanes only accelerate the process. It's not the highrises that get blasted, it's the older mom-and-pop structures. And guess what get rebuilt in their place?

If you think Ivan and Dennis has slowed the condo-velopment of the panhandle, you haven't been there lately. Everything is being rebuilt bigger and "better", with more bland concrete and steel.

 

[ReefGuy]

lol. Even with half of the buildings destroyed here, new development never slowed down.