diving the keys?

[scooba doo]

ok, a friend of mine has a house on marco island, and she gave me permission to use it on my spring break. i was thinking of goin to mexico, but figured why not find a dive operation in the keys since im gonna be right there. i was just looking for some information on the dive operations down there, and any suggestions on certain sites i should dive. thanks for any help.



dan

 

[KeyLargoBrent]

ok, a friend of mine has a house on marco island, and she gave me permission to use it on my spring break. i was thinking of goin to mexico, but figured why not find a dive operation in the keys since im gonna be right there. i was just looking for some information on the dive operations down there, and any suggestions on certain sites i should dive. thanks for any help.



dan

In Key Largo, my favorite deep wreck is the USCG Cutter Duane. My favorite reef is Molasses Reef. These two sites can be dived on a single two-location trip. You'll need proof of deep diving experience, or a professional guide, in order to dive the Duane. The MV Benwood, with a max depth of around fifty feet, is a decent shallow wreck. Enjoy!

 

[wreckchick]

Dan,

Just so you know.... Marco isn't really that close to the Keys. You can probably make a day trip down to see Brent and dive the Key Largo area, but if you want to do any substantial diving, you'll probably want to stay overnight somewhere along the way.

Rachel

 

[scooba doo]

yeah, i didnt realize how far away marco island was until i looked it up last nite. i just went by what my friend had told me, but i think it might head down and stay for a night or two. thanks.

 

[RonFrank]

Marco Island is about 145 miles from Key Largo, or about a three hour drive.

IMO you can not go wrong diving the Largo area. Some of my favorite Sites were French Reef, Mollassas Reef, and N. Dry Rocks. The Grove was a fun dive, but I really like the reefs and the hour long bottom time one gets on the shallower dives.

Another option is to do some diving north of the Key. The Reefs from Jupiter down to Palm Beach are great fun.

Some Dive Ops I'd recommend are Blue Waters (Brent) in Key Largo, Capt. Paul and the Temptation out of Jupiter, and while I've not dove with them SplashDown Divers in Palm County.

http://www.jupiterdivecharters.com/
http://www.splashdowndivers.com/index.html
http://www.bluewaterdiver.net/

Have Fun,

 

[MarineVet32935]

Marco Island is about 145 miles from Key Largo, or about a three hour drive.

By car on the Tamiami, yes. Actually, maybe a bit further. But you can rent a fast boat out of Marco and be diving in the Marathon area in about two hours.

Set a heading of about 160*, you can't miss it.

Just keep an eye on the skinny water.

 

[scooba doo]

my roommate(his girlfriends grandparents own the house) is gettin scuba certified and he is goin to go with me. turns out that her grandparents have 2 boats down there, one 35' offshore, and just a 21' open bow. they are goin to come down and since they know their way around down there, are goin to make atleast two boat trips to key west. turns out they always make a couple stops to snorkel and dive anyways...

 

[Crawdad]

If the boat thing doesn't work out, try Scuba Do (no pun intended ) It's a small op, so no cattle boat, and if you need a guide for the SG, try to have Scuba Do get Pam, I had her for the SG and you couldn't ask for a batter guide.

 

[DiverMo]

Whatever you do, check around and gain as much knowledge as possible about the area. Ask lots, and I mean lots of questions. It may not be the very best diving in the area (like the Keys or West Palm), but you can still get wet and have a good time. Above all else - keep safety at the top of the list, keep in constant contact with your buddy, and listen to your dad.

Signed,

Your Dad