Diving the Keys -When is the best time to go?

[professionalscuba]

Good morning all! For the past 5 years, we have dragged our little boat (Yamaha SX210) down to both Marathon and Cudjoe areas for a week or two at a time. Out of all this time, we have only had 2 or 3 days where the water was flat and not like riding a bull to get out to the reefs (Sombrero and Looe). Or making it a real challenge to enter the boat after the dive - not to mention the folks on the boat getting seasick. We always go the last week of May and/or the first week of June.
Are we going at the wrong time? Or is it just bad luck? What have others experienced?

Thanks!
Tommy D

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I believe the calmest conditions in the Keys overlap with hurricane season ... from about Mid-June/July to about mid-October. It is typically calm ... unless there is a tropical system out there, then it's very much NOT CALM! A tropical system even hundreds of miles away can impact the weather and sea conditions.

Others who live in or dive the Keys more than I do will hopefully chime in as well.

 

[gamon]

I've traveled to Florida dozens of times over the past 3 decades.

All different times of year. I've lost anywhere from zero days to an entire week and there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason.

I was just there this past April for 2 weeks and I lost about half the scheduled diving days between the upper Keys and Jupiter due to rough seas that apparently had been around for the better part of 2 months prior to my trip.