Islamorada vs Marathon--Dive/Fish

[drogerstn]

I've narrowed my choices (somewhat) to staying at a resort in/near Islamorada or one in/near Marathon in the Keys in June. I'm planning to rent a 21 to 23 ft. center console boat for fishing and diving. I am primarily interested in dives no deeper than 60 feet.

Is there much of a difference between the two regarding dive sites and fishing? Any pros and cons between one & the other?

 

[KeyLargoBrent]

the sportfishing capitol of the world... gets my vote. Upper Keys diving is hard to beat... more reef structure, great wrecks, better average visibility, etc. Have fun!

 

[yknot]

I stayed in Islamorada last month and made some nice dives between MM90 and 80. I can't comment on what the diving is like in Marathon but if you don't know which has more to offer I would wonder about your qualifications to rent a boat and dive/fish these waters. I would be interested to hear peoples opinions on the self guided tour. As far as the hazards I observed were: very shallow areas, especially in and out of boat docking areas, also some currents when diving. How would you locate the reefs? At the least you would need GPS coordinates. As far as fishing goes it looks like you may need to do more than motor out two miles and drop in a line. Again, knowledge of local waters is going to be critical. I would guess that the gear required would be somewhat species dependant also. In any event you probably can't go wrong diving and fishing in either location.

 

[pdoege]

Good diving and fishing. No idea about Marathon.

The shallows and tides can be tricky. Be sure to study the maps and a GPS is a good idea.

You may want to hook up with a local, or at least get some coords for the reefs and such.

Peter

 

[BILLB]

I dive the Marathon area for 2-3 weeks every summer. I like the laid back style and the dive sites are good. Two of the prettiest reefs around are Sombereo and Looe Key. There are numerous other patch reefs that offer such things as sharks and old barges with tons of fish.

There is the old Seven Mile bridge rumble (know as Underwater City). It is a deep dive (110 fsw) but you never know what will show up!

The Thunderbolt wreck (120 FSW) is a superb wreck with very large Giant Grouper (two the last time I was there) sharks and tons of Barracudas.

The wreck of the Auguste Busch (100 fsw) is a great wreck for fun and training.

Geology does play a difference here. the Viz is not as good as the Upper Keys, but like I said before, the atmosphere is laid back and the fishing is good too.

And...you are only 30-40 miles from key West for an evening of sinful fun!

 

[drogerstn]

Thanks everyone for the help. I had already checked and found that there seem to be more published dive sites near Islamorada, but Sombrero Reef and Looe Key (closer to Marathon) are interesting.

I don't think I'll be disappointed in either location but I'm leaning towards Islamorada with a better chance of clearer water. It seems that having a trailered boat or using dive operators would be nice since there are so many interesting sites from one end of the Keys to the other. We have to visit Key West for a day trip, which makes Marathon a good choice since it would shorten the round-trip....

The real pressure comes in selecting the right accommodations; if my wife doesn't like it, I'm in real trouble.

 

[seadog]

at the Holiday Inn in Marathon in June & diving with Abyss Dive Center. Haven't been there yet so that's all I can add.

 

[Rick Christ]

Don't be missed led, all diving in the keys can be great and can be poor. The same as anywhere. About the visibility, the Gulf Stream runs west to east along the keys. The clear tide water that comes from the south and Central Amers., goes by Key West first before it gets to Key Largo. Vis will change with the Gulf Stream and the tide. Vis may also change with the rain on the Keys. The reef is the same all the way along the keys, largo has good and bad areas, the same in Key West and all points in-between . You need to find a diving outfit that you like, the type of diving you like to do, I would recommend you try as many sites and different companies as you can, up and down the Keys. I recommend you stay with a smaller boat (not to small) instead of the bigger cattle boats. The smaller boats can tailor to your style of diving. I deal with conditions on both ends of the Keys, good and poor. I have been on the Bibb& Duane in great conditions and some real poor vis. and big current also. The same goes for the Eagle, Tbolt, Busch, and Cayman. Some years ago before the mooring balls were installed on the wrecks, we had to bounce the wrecks to get moored. I came off the boat to hook into the Cayman Salvor in Key West area. We could see the wreck from the surface in 90+ feet of water, but when I hit at water from the surface I could see the complete wreck, all 185'. That’s 250+' of vis. other times I could not see the wreck 15' away. The point is no one part of the Keys is better then the other, There are some different things about all the areas. Have fun and go look & try as much a you can.

RMC
Big Pine Key, FL.