Islamorada/Marathon recommendations?

[TN Traveler]

Capt Doug Morgan is working out of Capt Hooks - since the marina at Banana Bay was distroyed by Hurricane Wilma. he is top notch.

The folk at Capt Hooks run a good operation - and Doug is a great addition.

 

[JohnDough]

I'll second Key Dives - Mike, Marcia, and the crew are excellent. Dove there last year 6 days and have reservations for this year also. One day we only made 1 dive because it became choppy, a few people fed the fishes. they took a vote to skip dive #2 and when we returned they issued Appropriate refunds without being asked - most shops wouldnt give a refund for any reason.

 

[ageddiver]

Thanks for all the great help, folks. Looking forward to some warmwater diving for a change. It gets a bit painful to dive up here at this time of the year, although we still do.

I spent a summer many years ago on Pigeon key near Marathon and dove Sombrero many times, and am looking forward to a repeat. And I would like to see the Thunderbolt, although I dove the Eagle once and really kind of liked it. Will contact Capt. Hooks or Key Dives to make arrangements. Headed down this Thurs. barring another blizzard.

I'm diving with Jeff and the Minnow while in Key Largo because we've used him in the past, and feel more comfortable on the smaller boat (he's also very flexible). We'll definitely do the Duane, Spiegal, etc. while there. Will hopefully be as nice a trip as last year's!

 

[Footslogger]

We had a great experience with the Conch Republic Divers in Tavernier. My wife has completed her classroom work up in Atlanta and we went down to Florida over the Xmas holidays a while back. They did her check out dives and then we stayed another 2 days and dove with them.

'Slogger

 

[daniel f aleman]

I would avoid all dive shops in Big Pine Key. They are either rude or in my humble opinion incompetent

Don't let that stop anyone from diving around Big Pine Key and the Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary - good diving there. There are operators from the other nearby Keys that will go there as well.

 

[Chaseh]

Is World Down Under still in business on Islamorada? I was certified there on a vacation about 18-20 yrs ago but haven't been back.

 

[ECR]

I'll second the recommendation about Conch Republic Divers in Tavernier. My wife and I have dove with them two Januarys running now. They are very service- and safety-minded.

In '05, we requested Spiegel Grove when we reserved, and they took us ... just the two of us ... a very long trip for only two divers. (A great dive, by the way.) Our other dives with them over three days included the Eagle, and several very nice shallow reefs.

Last month, the conditions were pretty bad with sustained southeasterly winds. They are not shy about cancelling dives (full refund, of course), though they also have their grey area where they will take experienced divers out who want to dive despite realistic description of challenging conditions. We did two trips like that, and Captain Jim handled the trip, the mooring, and the reboarding exceptionally well. However, the shallow reefs were badly stirred up, and we decided to cancel our last day. Again, because the conditions were iffy, even though they went out, we received a full refund for those dives. You won't find that everywhere!

--Eric

 

[ageddiver]

Dive report: Just got back yesterday and had four exceptional days of diving. Logged 14 dives in total, just over half on the wrecks. The weather was incredible, and I realize we lucked out based on reports from previous weeks. I highly recommend Jeff Jarvis (Minnow) for those who do not require a DM in the water. He'll size you up and make sure you're in the right areas for your skills, and with the small boat could make site decisions on the fly based on diver densities at the locations. Did the Duane, Spiegal Grove and Bibb multiple times each.
We did make it to Capt. Hooks to dive the T-bolt. While a polite operation and a nice dive, having a DM lead the dive and make all the decisions was inconvenient (to us).

Thanks again to all for the advice on operations, and good luck with your diving in the keys.