Disappointed with Florida Key Dive Operations

[danvolker]

Disappointed with Florida Key Dive Operations

Just returned from the Florida Keys…arrived last week, started at Dive Shop in Islamorada (Holiday Isle Resort Dive Shop) arrived at 7:30 AM and waited until 09:10 AM before somebody finally showed up. They advertised that they run daily trips at 9:00 AM and to be at shop by 8:30 AM. Now the day was sunny with no wind. She explained that she was sorry for being late and that the boats already went out from another dive shop. Asked if they were going out for the afternoon dive and she said no, but recommended other dive shops. Went to five additional shops between Islamorada and Ramrod Key…could not find anybody that was going out.

The next day found shop in Big Pine Key (Strike Zone Charters Inc.) going to Looe Key Reef…had heard that this was the best diving in the lower keys, so signed up and went out with Larry (Captain and Instructor). Can not believe how he treated experience diver, had informed him that I was active Instructor and dove in California between 4-5 days per week. The dive site was 10-25 feet and I was treated like I was a new diver who had 15 dives under my belt. Larry tried to get me to wear twice the weight I wanted, saying that my weight (8 lbs) wasn’t enough (as it turned out I was still 1 lb over weighted).

Hint to Larry and “other” dive operators out there when an experience Instructor comes out to dive with your operation. I get asked by my students all the time for recommendations on which dive shops to dive with when they go on vacations…I (we) influence lots of potential customers. I would not; will not; can not; recommend these types of dive operations to my students. When you recommend to divers how much weight to carry (and they listen to you) and sometimes happens because they’re over weighted, you can be liable. Give respect to experience divers, especially when they come from and dive experienced waters like California and you’re located somewhere that is considered easy diving (like the Florida waters).

So, tell me that not all dive operators in the Keys are like this and please explain why nobody (dive shops) wanted to go out diving when the weather was nice. There are so many dive shops down there, seemed like every mile there was a dive shop.

My solution for you
Next time book your trip to the part of Florida that has the really good diving, much more marine life, and where the dive operators cater to advanced divers as much as they will cater to new divers. Visit South Florida Dive Journal > Home to read about all the sub-environments for you to find the ideal kind of dive site you would like in Palm Beach, Florida. This is spelled out precisely in the Finding Your Dive issue .
Trips run every day, except if a huge storm blows 8 foot or bigger waves up. Even then, you have the Blue Heron Bridge Marine Park to dive in for up to 4 hours per day ( tidally dependant area--start 2 hours before high tide, hour of peak high tide, get out an hour after high tide is over.).
In Palm Beach, you will see more beautiful coral reefs, far more healthy and colorful...you will see exponentially more fish...You will be able to see huge fish, and lots of them....There is the West Palm Beach International airport 15 minutes from Singer Island--central home of Palm Beach diving, so you can eliminate the long painful drive to the diving of the keys.

Personally, I think we should offer the Palm Beach Challenge....that you can fly into Palm Beach and dive a day, then drive to the Keys and dive a day, and if you like the dive in the keys more, you get the Palm Beach dive boat cost erased...If you like Palm Beach better, you get the cost of the Keys boat trip erased....I think I could make this fly with Palm Beach operators, but I would be shocked if the Keys boats would take the chance

See why I am so sure of this http://youtu.be/ZTdpxYSiv5M

 

[Wookie]

My solution for you
Next time book your trip to the part of Florida that has the really good diving, much more marine life, and where the dive operators cater to advanced divers as much as they will cater to new divers. Visit South Florida Dive Journal > Home to read about all the sub-environments for you to find the ideal kind of dive site you would like in Palm Beach, Florida. This is spelled out precisely in the Finding Your Dive issue .
Trips run every day, except if a huge storm blows 8 foot or bigger waves up. Even then, you have the Blue Heron Bridge Marine Park to dive in for up to 4 hours per day ( tidally dependant area--start 2 hours before high tide, hour of peak high tide, get out an hour after high tide is over.).
In Palm Beach, you will see more beautiful coral reefs, far more healthy and colorful...you will see exponentially more fish...You will be able to see huge fish, and lots of them....There is the West Palm Beach International airport 15 minutes from Singer Island--central home of Palm Beach diving, so you can eliminate the long painful drive to the diving of the keys.

Personally, I think we should offer the Palm Beach Challenge....that you can fly into Palm Beach and dive a day, then drive to the Keys and dive a day, and if you like the dive in the keys more, you get the Palm Beach dive boat cost erased...If you like Palm Beach better, you get the cost of the Keys boat trip erased....I think I could make this fly with Palm Beach operators, but I would be shocked if the Keys boats would take the chance

See why I am so sure of this 6 minute Tour version of "Why Divers prefer Palm Beach" video - YouTube

But you can't get to the best diving Florida has to offer in a day, it takes a liveaboard. With a liveaboard, you can get to the reefs that aren't awash in sewage, to the marine sanctuaries that aren't hammered by fishermen (Broward and Dade have the highest concentration of private boats of any place in the world), and get to the healthiest reefs in the keys chain.

Or you can dive Palm Beach. It's OK diving.

 

[danvolker]

But you can't get to the best diving Florida has to offer in a day, it takes a liveaboard. With a liveaboard, you can get to the reefs that aren't awash in sewage, to the marine sanctuaries that aren't hammered by fishermen (Broward and Dade have the highest concentration of private boats of any place in the world), and get to the healthiest reefs in the keys chain.

Or you can dive Palm Beach. It's OK diving.

Broward and Dade are effected by sewage, but in Palm Beach, the Gulfstream comes in so close, it keeps the reefs very healthy....you can see the proof of this in the 6 minute tour video, the coral reef sequence which is the 2nd clip in the compilation, just after the baitball footage.
In Palm Beach, you can dive all of palm Beach from day boats, easily. Most runs are 20 minutes or less from the inlet. The inlets are near the boat marinas,

 

[DiveRadar]

Seems one of the original issues was showing up at a dive shop and they didn't go out. As mentioned previously our REAL-TIME Dive Search (<-link....iPhone/iPad/Android app coming) can help find a dive shop and ensure they are going out, so you don't run into issues like you did in Islamorada.

Kinda seems like this thread turned into a big advertisement thread.....didn't it.

In Florida we presently have 3 shops in the Keys, 3 shops in Jupiter and 1 shop in Palm Beach using our software.

Good Diving,

 

[Wookie]

Broward and Dade are effected by sewage, but in Palm Beach, the Gulfstream comes in so close, it keeps the reefs very healthy....you can see the proof of this in the 6 minute tour video, the coral reef sequence which is the 2nd clip in the compilation, just after the baitball footage.
In Palm Beach, you can dive all of palm Beach from day boats, easily. Most runs are 20 minutes or less from the inlet. The inlets are near the boat marinas,

My mistake. I thought I recently read that West Palm got an extension on their permit to discharge. I stand corrected.

 

[Splitlip]

My solution for you
Next time book your trip to the part of Florida that has the really good diving, much more marine life, and where the dive operators cater to advanced divers as much as they will cater to new divers. Visit South Florida Dive Journal > Home to read about all the sub-environments for you to find the ideal kind of dive site you would like in Palm Beach, Florida. This is spelled out precisely in the Finding Your Dive issue .
Trips run every day, except if a huge storm blows 8 foot or bigger waves up. Even then, you have the Blue Heron Bridge Marine Park to dive in for up to 4 hours per day ( tidally dependant area--start 2 hours before high tide, hour of peak high tide, get out an hour after high tide is over.).
In Palm Beach, you will see more beautiful coral reefs, far more healthy and colorful...you will see exponentially more fish...You will be able to see huge fish, and lots of them....There is the West Palm Beach International airport 15 minutes from Singer Island--central home of Palm Beach diving, so you can eliminate the long painful drive to the diving of the keys.

Personally, I think we should offer the Palm Beach Challenge....that you can fly into Palm Beach and dive a day, then drive to the Keys and dive a day, and if you like the dive in the keys more, you get the Palm Beach dive boat cost erased...If you like Palm Beach better, you get the cost of the Keys boat trip erased....I think I could make this fly with Palm Beach operators, but I would be shocked if the Keys boats would take the chance

See why I am so sure of this 6 minute Tour version of "Why Divers prefer Palm Beach" video - YouTube

Great videography as usual Dan. I too will take Boynton to Jupiter over the Keys. Certainly not knocking the Keys, I just find the diving in Palm Beach County better. But that's just me ( and Dan ). I have family in the Keys so I do spend a lot of time there.

 

[Capt Gary]

Personally, I think we should offer the Palm Beach Challenge....that you can fly into Palm Beach and dive a day, then drive to the Keys and dive a day, and if you like the dive in the keys more, you get the Palm Beach dive boat cost erased...If you like Palm Beach better, you get the cost of the Keys boat trip erased....I think I could make this fly with Palm Beach operators, but I would be shocked if the Keys boats would take the chance

See why I am so sure of this 6 minute Tour version of "Why Divers prefer Palm Beach" video - YouTube

Well guess you can called yourself shocked Dan.

I'll be happy to do your challenge.

Personally I think we both have some nice dive sites, but for you to say diving is better where you are, I think is fairly presumptuous of you?

And here's a video of one of our reefs down here for you to look at.

[video=youtube;BuHaht-lRgE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuHaht-lRgE&amp;hd=1[/video]

Good Diving,

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Then you have some of us who couldn't care less about reefs and fishes on a dive. Does palm beach have anything to rival the Spiegel, Duane, Vandenburg,or Northern Lights? Not being ignorant it's just I much prefed wrecks, even clean ones, over anything.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk

 

[reefman]

a familiar tune from DanVolker; promote his website and bash the florida keys in the process. your quote "you will see far more beautiful reefs, far more healthy and colorful.. exponentially more fish" in west palm beach; is simply ludicrous, doesn't have merit and not factual(pelagics, goliath grouper, lemon shark aggregations, the exception, althought we observe our fair share in the keys). i suggest you endure "the long painful drive" to dive the keys more often and dont forget your video camera. we should all(residents and visitors alike) be grateful to have easy access to such diverse, world class diving along the southeast coast of florida. no need to promote one area at the expense of another, it's all terrific,,,,,,,

reefman
key largo

 

[dkramer]

I have dived with Ocean Divers in Key Largo & Tilden's in Marathon & neither operator said anything to me about weight other than to show me where they were located. I chose Ocean Divers in Key Largo because we would be diving mid-week &, although they run large boats, they are known for not canceling because there are not enough divers. As long as there is a buddy pair on board, they go out. My friend was coming down from Ohio & I wanted no snags. Sure enough, on Thursday of that week, it was just me & my Ohio friend. We went out & had the whole boat to ourselves.