Diving in keys in Feb.

[JessicaDodge]

Ok, I am going diving in the keys in feb. I may be going with my boss and his girl, if so she will probably do most of the planning cause she dives down there a lot. If not, I have a few questions. Where is the best place to dive. What is the weather like the last 2 weeks of feb. What boats are the best to go out on. A little back ground info on me only got certified in july, have 9 dives so far. only 4 in the ocean. So nothing too challenging. Also, where are some good hotels to stay in? something inexpensive but fairly good. I mean if I am staying down there by myself I don't want to feel afraid to leave my room. That's about it, oh, and I may need to rent some of my gear... any ideas?

Jessica

 

[Bomber]

Jessica,

Those are kinda hard questions to give you a definite answer. The Keys are aprox 150 miles top to bottom and there are a lot of different dive ops and opportunities.

Can you narrow down what area you might be staying in?

Like the weather in February, it can be just about anything but a hurricane. We've had a cold, windy winter so far (cold is a relative term ).

Bomber

 

[JessicaDodge]

I really don't know and don't care where exactly I dive. I was thinking more the upper keys like key largo or something. But if there is a better dive down south, I could do that too. Really just trying to get an idea of the best place to go. I have vacation coming in Feb. and haven't been diving since Nov. I am going crazy so I know I want to dive. Other then that the plans are kinda up in the air. Any recomendations would be great.

Jessica

 

[raxafarian]

I'm going to be there in Feb. and since I've been searching prices... it seems to be the high season as far as hotels go. We ended up renting a condo for 700/week. The hotels seemed to start around 80.00/night and climb rapidly.

Most of the charters tend to go to the reefs, which are mostly shallow. I think that it's a slower time for diving, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding charters if you don't get the chance to book in advance.

I like www.diverscityusa.com

Other charters that I've seen have good recommendations are quiescence, silent world, and ocean divers.

 

[JessicaDodge]

Thanks Raxafarian, They look like cool people to dive with... Does anyone else have any suggestions?

Jessica

 

[KeyLargoBrent]

at BlueWater Divers ( www.BlueWaterDiver.net ). We're located right in front of the Holiday Inn in Key Largo. We offer friendly, personalized service, and we never overcrowd the boat (10 divers max/certified for 15).

We can hook you up with accommodations at the Holiday Inn, the Ramada Inn, or the Marina del Mar; all of which share amenities, and are within walking distance of several restaurants and clubs.

Winter weather is "hit or miss". The past few days have been absolutely gorgeous... warm and calm... more like summer than winter... but be prepared for rough seas, as they are more typical this time of year. Bonine is a beautiful thing!

 

[raxafarian]

I'll add bluewater divers to the list of "recommended by others"

 

[Bob]

raxafarian,
Check out Blue Water Divers the next time you're in the Keys. I promise you'll like the boat, Capt. Glen and Brent. Very laid back and easy going atmosphere. These guys will let you dive your profile and not complain. None of the 30 minutes and be back at the ladder stuff...... :tree: Bob

 

[raxafarian]

Bob once bubbled...
raxafarian,
Check out Blue Water Divers the next time you're in the Keys. I promise you'll like the boat, Capt. Glen and Brent. Very laid back and easy going atmosphere. These guys will let you dive your profile and not complain. None of the 30 minutes and be back at the ladder stuff...... :tree: Bob

I'll keep 'em in mind. I've been happy with diverscity. Same thing... dive your own profile. They also run tech trips.... so it's definitely "do your own thing". They have nitrox (any mix you want) and trimix. I guess I would say keep them in mind too .... depends on the diving type you want to do, I guess.

 

[socaldiver]

Bluewater Divers is a great ops to go with. Capt Glen and Brent did a fantastic job on our dives with them, EXCEPT they could not manage to flatten the seas and gave no reasonable explanation why they couldn't.