How's the diving in Dry Tortugas lately?

[gamon]

I'm headed to the Keys next month and the Tortugas has been a bucket list item for quite some time however recent searches don't find much to say about it other than what is written on websites by companies that profit from divers (and snorkelers) going there so I take that with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Since I'm not seeing much else about it here on ScubaBoard or really anywhere else, and most dive Ops other than Finz are not taking divers there anymore I'm thinking there's good reason for it. If the diving was so great there, then there would be a lot more to say about it.

Finz dive center charges $2300 for a 6 pack private charter plus $55 per diver for 3 dives. You can do 4 dives if you skip the fort tour and there's an additional fee for the 4th dive, plus rental gear and tanks if you need them. So even if I can get 4 more divers to fill the boat, you're talking the better part of $500 for 3 dives (I need tanks and weights).

Can anyone tell me the diving is that much better than elsewhere in the Keys that it's worth trying to fill about, spend that sort of money and travel 2 hours each way to get there?

And/or can most of the same stuff be seen by taking the Ferry for under $200 bucks and snorkeling around the island?

Thanks

 

[Wookie]

The diving is far superior than anything else in the keys. There are no other boats running out there because we all had other things to do with our boats.

I am happy that Rob has a big enough fast enough boat to make the 70 mile round trip.

The only liveaboard going out there doesn’t take sport divers, because he doesn’t need to. He takes researchers only, because it’s worth researching.

I spoke to one of the lead fisheries researchers yesterday. Dry Tortugas and FMG are likely the only place you will see 30” hogfish regularly. I’ve personally seen 1000 black groupers in a single dive. 800 lb Goliath grouper are not uncommon.

You can indeed see many of these things snorkeling around the coaling pier if you take the ferry. Unless the weather is crappy and the vis sucks. The ferry will run in crappy weather, since the goal is to see the fort. Trosset won’t, since the goal is diving.

Don’t dismiss the hour at the fort out of hand, it’s truly amazing.

 

[gamon]

Thanks @Wookie, very helpful.

 

[drrich2]

The diving is far superior than anything else in the keys. There are no other boats running out there because we all had other things to do with our boats.

Any thoughts on why rec. diving in the Dry Tortugas hasn't caught on more strongly?

The Juliet doing a Bahamas itinerary out of Miami is very reputable. During the pandemic, St. Croix got more attention as a dive destination that didn't involve leaving the U.S. (assuming you're a citizen and start here). Anyone new to diving who's a little 'iffy' about heading off to another country could dive Key Largo or Islamorada, but seems like there'd be a stronger market for Dry Tortugas trips. More buzz.

And yet...crickets. It joins some other destinations that get good reviews (e.g.: St. Eustatius, Grand Turk) but surprisingly few trip reports here.

I’ve personally seen 1000 black groupers in a single dive. 800 lb Goliath grouper are not uncommon.

How many people complain about not seeing more big grouper in Cozumel? How many descend on Jupiter, FL, in the fall for the Goliath grouper aggregation?

What's keeping the Dry Tortugas out of the lime light?

 

[Jcp2]

It’s a really long trip by boat.

 

[drrich2]

It’s a really long trip by boat.

It'd need to be a live-aboard, but that doesn't stop the Juliet and others. Is the land-based dive resort competition of the upper Florida Keys simply too much competition? Would too many people rather do land-based in Key Largo or Islamorada than a live-aboard further south?

The diving is far superior than anything else in the keys.

This is what caught my eye in this thread. Little Cayman is sometimes held up as having the 'best diving in the Caribbean.' The outer atolls of Belize via live-aboard likewise get high praise. That gets them a lot of attention. Many SB posters express a liking for 'big animals.' Sounds like the Dry Tortugas have them, so in theory they could be partial competition to Jupiter. My follow up questions would be:

1.) How's the viz. typically?
2.) Is it often drift/current diving, or minimal current?
3.) How lush is the coral growth/gorgonians?
4.) Is a lot of the diving spur and groove formation, and over flat bottom maybe 40-feet deep (reminiscing about Key Largo), or sloping wall like Bonaire, or what?

I'm trying to get a sense of where the Dry Tortugas 'fit' compared to other destination options for the recreational diver.

 

[Wookie]

I'm trying to get a sense of where the Dry Tortugas 'fit' compared to other destination options for the recreational diver.

As you know, I ran dry tortugas for 20 years.

Dry tortugas has big fish because it’s 90% MPA. So the spearfishers don’t want to go. They would rather go to FMG which also has big fish.

The permit system for dry tortugas takes years, and like any American Bureaucracy may be shut down for any reason. Like COVID. It took me 12 years to get my permit. I operated on a letter from the Undersecretary before that. If you don’t know how to get a letter from the Undersecretary, you may be SOL. Trosset (Finz) applied years before he got his permit, he only bought a suitable fast boat after he got it.

Juliet is too large to be allowed to use the moorings in the keys, and John Beltrano (previous owner of Juliet) burned all of those bridges. Juliets moorings in Bahamas/st croix etc we’re put in by Nekton, and are hell for stout. I assume they maintain their own.

So it isn’t just about good diving. The feds really don’t want anyone there.

 

[Wookie]

1.) How's the viz. typically?
2.) Is it often drift/current diving, or minimal current?
3.) How lush is the coral growth/gorgonians?
4.) Is a lot of the diving spur and groove formation, and over flat bottom maybe 40-feet deep (reminiscing about Key Largo), or sloping wall like Bonaire, or what?

The vis is 100 feet, unless it’s 20. It’s better on Tortugas bank than it is in the park.

It is always moored diving, and the current is slack, unless it’s 2 knots.

The coral is exceptional, black coral is everywhere, gorgonians, few soft corals, but more than flower gardens.

Not spur and groove at all, it’s patch reef in 60-100 feet of water, except on Sherwood Forest, which is 100 feet deep and reminiscent of the West Glower Garden Bank.

 

[Johnoly]

What's keeping the Dry Tortugas out of the lime light?

It’s a really long trip by boat.

@Wookie knows this but it's a combination of Fuel costs and finding good crew. Just my opinion but the volume of business is definitely there. The Ultimate Getaway was constantly sold out for trips and they were so reasonable that most times I could equal almost my whole charter fee in the value of the fish I shot. I personally would have paid 50% more because the trips were so much fun and like Wookie said, the fish were off the charts, nothing else like it in Florida.

There are still Key's departures with some of the 'triple engine' guys now doing a day trip out there. But it's still a chunk of money cause that massive fuel burn isn't cheap. And the price competition from just doing a regular day charter is stiff competition. Plus you need to add in a before & after hotel night stay due to the dock times and that's not cheap.

Naples is a lot more reasonable cost wise, but a bit longer travel time. There are guys doing 1 night go-fast boats out there including moon light bean bag camping and 6 steel tanks with lots of short deep drops.

Lastly there is one big boat doing 3 day/2nite trips for fishing only out of Marco Island to the Dry Tortugas. He has been approached about diving, but the boat isn't setup for it. I heard he did smile at the idea/concept of it, so who knows.

The dive business is absolutely brutal - just ask DEMA,,,,it's the people offering $$$$ 'niche' quality diving that can survive the difficult industry storms. So the debate question would be....”Could an Aggressor level boat{$2.5k} to the Dry Tortugas be profitable? “

 

[Wookie]

Could an Aggressor level boat{$2.5k} to the Dry Tortugas be profitable?

I did not think so.

A luxury 12 pack might fill the bill.

Not inspected.