Florida Keys compared to other dive destinations

[awlilley]

can anyone tell me how the reefs in the keys compare to other destinations? We have a family of four and have done a liveaboard in the bahamas the last two years. Looking for a less expensive trip this year, we are considering the keys but are a little concerned about the condition of the reefs due to such high number of divers and their effect on the reefs. Would love some feedback from other divers before we book a trip. thanks.

 

[herbdb]

The Keys can be great when the wx is good. The problem is that anytime the wind is against the Gulf Stream the seas kick up and even if the boats go out, it is uncomfortable and the surge cuts the visibility. This makes planning a trip in advance difficult. I have lost quite a few diving days because of this and now only go to the Keys when I know the weather is good. I don't plan in advance, wait for a good forecast and do a last minute trip. If you can drive this is easier.

For a diving family of four, you can't beat Bonaire. I leave next Friday night with my two sons and grandson for a week in a two bedroom villa with unlimited shore diving, nitrox, 4 door pickup truck and breakfast buffet included. This only cost $3400. We usually get 25+ dives and the diving is great. The villa has a full kitchen, and we pick up lunch fixings then eat supper out. Food prices are similar to the Keys, possibly slightly higher. If you want to save money, you can do your own cooking in the villa.

The freedom of shore diving is amazing. Diving Nitrox you can dive one site, drive 5 minutes down the road and dive another. Boat diving is available, but for the most part they visit the same or similar sites. We had boat dives on our first trip, but ended up skipping them in favor of the shore diving. Even with airfare this compares favorably with a week in the Keys. Read this thread.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/abc-islands/427648-bonaire-whats-changed-if-anything-2.html

 

[danvolker]

can anyone tell me how the reefs in the keys compare to other destinations? We have a family of four and have done a liveaboard in the bahamas the last two years. Looking for a less expensive trip this year, we are considering the keys but are a little concerned about the condition of the reefs due to such high number of divers and their effect on the reefs. Would love some feedback from other divers before we book a trip. thanks.

I am biased, as I dive Palm Beach and have an online magazine www.sfdj.com which is all about why Palm Beach diving is the Best place for you to go in this hemisphere....but rather than getting lost in my opinions, which the Keys guys will not like at all, watch this video of PALM BEACH DIVING 6 minute Tour version of "Why Divers prefer Palm Beach" video - YouTube and then tell me what you think!
The other side of this, is that for the hours of the day when you are NOT diving, Palm Beach does not even have a competitor dive destination in this hemishere...We have world class dining, shopping, incredible eco-tourism in mangroves or the Loxahatchee River canoe or kayak trips( feels like an Amazon River expedition), and in general, a huge infrastructure of things divers can do when not diving.
The Hilton on Singer Island ( which is the island you see in ther opening of the video) has a special of $79 per night for divers that book through the sfdj.com "Find a Hotel page" on the Hilton page....this through Thanksgiving I believe....
I look forward to hearing your feedback on this.

Here is just a tiny bit of the "what to do when not diving" of Palm Beach... http://www.palmbeachfl.com/vacations/culinary-dining/restaurants

 

[deeper thoughts]

I live in the Florida Keys. This area is fantastic for family diving. Review some of the pixs that are posting on this board.
You will see that the reefs have unbelievable life Hotels are quite inexpensive.
I have a couple of hundred dives on these reefs and am never bored.
Good luck to whatever you choose

 

[awlilley]

Thanks for the responses. We have friends that have been to Bonaire, and they rave about it. What did airfare run for you guys? that was a consideration for us. We also have friends that have done the Blue Heron bridge, so we are thinking of stopping in West Palm either on the way down or on the way back to the Keys. We definitely found out about the wind affecting conditions this year on our liveaboard. We had more wind than last year along with some rain, and our visibity was definitely different from last year, along with current on almost every dive. Still had a good trip, but not the calm seas we experienced the same time last year. I appreciate the input!

 

[Jim Lapenta]

What I like about the keys is the variety of dives you can do. Personally one reef looks the same to me as the next, but what the keys offers to me over Bonaire is the opportunity to dive lots of wrecks. Santized ones yes, but wrecks with lots of opportunities to work on skills, see lots of neat marine life in that type of setting, and best of all - most DM's stay on the boat and don't hassle me under water. Here's the site, here's where you might see this, be back in an hour. Then you just dive the plan you come up with.

Only down side is none of them are accessible from a shore diving standpoint. Of course there really is no shore diving to speak of in the keys.

 

[danvolker]

Me it is more about the marine life.. I like it large, and I like alot of it....Wrecks are good for this, as fish tend to aggregate near large structures....In a place like Palm Beach, you get great wrecks.... and ...the much greater volume of marine life of Palm Beach...This really changes what a wreck dive is like....see [video=youtube_share;XyzTrJha5Kc]http://youtu.be/XyzTrJha5Kc?hd=1[/video]

Stop at Palm Beach, dive the Blue Heron Bridge Marine Park, and ALSO dive the Wreck of the Mispah, and a reef like Breakers or Pauls. Then "decide" if you want to go anywhere else



Here is a Mispah specific dive http://youtu.be/vGB8XNq8QF0?hd=1

 

[awlilley]

thanks for more dive ieas for the palm area,too. We saw lots of reef sharks in the Bahams this year and my 16 yr-old absolutely loved it! we all did . so opportunites so see big animals is always welcomed!. My 12 year old enjoys drift dives, and I know Palm has some drift diving also. My 12 year old likes the diving, but also wants some other activities, so we liked the idea of some of the keys hotels that have kayaking, swimming,beaches, etc. Kind of a relaxed, tropical feel, but not too " tourist trap". (We are definitely not the luxury hotel type). I don't ask for much, do I? trying to have a little of what all of us enjoy and not break the bank Thanks!

 

[Reck Diver]

thanks for more dive ieas for the palm area,too. We saw lots of reef sharks in the Bahams this year and my 16 yr-old absolutely loved it! we all did . so opportunites so see big animals is always welcomed!. My 12 year old enjoys drift dives, and I know Palm has some drift diving also. My 12 year old likes the diving, but also wants some other activities, so we liked the idea of some of the keys hotels that have kayaking, swimming,beaches, etc. Kind of a relaxed, tropical feel, but not too " tourist trap". (We are definitely not the luxury hotel type). I don't ask for much, do I? trying to have a little of what all of us enjoy and not break the bank Thanks!

Here is my unbiased opinion. You and the family will prefer the keys. The shallow reefs around Pennecamp are as pretty as anywhere and great for kids that dive or snorkel. So are the reefs around Molasses and Alligator. Expect to see critters large and small... and in huge numbers. Go in season and your 12 y/o will have a hoot chasing lobsters. For you and your 16 y/o there are more challenging and equally spectacular reef or wreck dives. There are also eco-tours to the back country of Everglades National Park where you can run into turtles, huge sawfish, sharks, manatees, alligators and crocodiles in 2-3 feet of gin-clear water, with Bald Eagles overheard. We won't even talk about the world class fishing both inshore and blue water. Day trips to see the key deer and key west are great too.

Plus you can't beat the tropical, vacation feel of the keys. You don't get that with the urban sprawl further up Florida's coast. Accommodations in the keys have quite a range. You can stay in luxurious resorts, old-keys style motels, Bed and Breakfasts, or vacations condo's. Search the web and you can find many deals.

Whatever you decide have a great trip.

 

[PatW]

Most places I have been in the Carribean have reefs with good coral, good visibility (80'+) and the resorts are close to the reefs. The biggest drawback is that in most of these places, there is heavy fishing pressure so one does not see that many large fish.

Key Largo has decent corals, the visibility usually is not that good (60'), and the boat rides are pretty long to get out to the reefs. The big advantage is that there are large numbers of fish and a fair number of big fish.

Another advantage with Key Largo is that equipment is readily available there. In many carribean locations, the equipment options (if something breaks) can be pretty limited.