all feature "damaged" sites, and "less damaged" sites. Smaller operators are more likely to take you off the beaten path, as they have greater flexibility than the big boats. If you rule out Key Largo because of what you've heard, you'll miss some of the best reef and wreck diving in the Florida Keys (imo).
If you want to avoid crowded boats and dive sites in the Keys... don't dive on the weekends! Weekday diving the way to go. Let the operator know what you're looking for (uncrowded sites, healthy corals, etc.)... and what you don't care to see (eg. hordes of other divers, trampled corals, or whatever).
I've dived with Rainbow Reef in Islamorada and Key Largo, as well as Abyss Pro Dive Center in Marathon, and liked 'em both. Request Rainbow's "six-pack" boat if you want to avoid a crowd. RR is located at Chesapeake Resort in Islamorada, which is very nice. They can probably get you a discounted room rate there. Coconut Cove Resort is nearby, and also very nice. Abyss is located behind the Holiday Inn in Marathon. They only take out six divers at a time.
Since you're obviously concerned about your personal safety, and you haven't been diving in a few years, please consider a pool refresher, or at least a guided dive or two, to get you safely back into the swing of things. I'd be concerned about the safety-consciousness of any operator who would put you in the water without requiring one or the other, considering your three year "dry-spell".
As for "walls"... you won't find the true vertical variety here (try Cozumel for those). What we do have are some pretty dramatic "drop-offs" along the forereef. Most begin at 40-60' and drop at various angles (under 90 degrees) to the sand at 70-100'. For drift diving in the Upper Keys, request the outside edge of Molasses or Conch Reef.
I hope this helps. For more info on diving in Key Largo, check out our website at
www.BlueWaterDiver.net and let me know if you have any other questions. Be safe, have fun, and never stop learning!
ready2dive:
So glad I found this ScubaBoard! We are planning a trip to the Keys next month (20th wedding anniversary!!) for 2 days and am trying to figure out where to dive and a good dive operator. We are looking for a couple easy wrecks and reef/wall dives. We are AOW, but haven't been diving for 3 years (a little landlocked) Have heard some horror stories on dive operators and want to make sure we have the help we need and competent dive operators. Also have heard that Key Largo is way too crowded, and the reefs are damaged from being over-dived. It looks like we may be staying at Coconut Cove Resort on Islamorada, so we have access to both Key Largo and Marathon. (unless anyone knows anything on this resort we should know about!)
Thanks for your time and help!
