Key Largo charters for late Sept.

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Stogie1020

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Location
Tucson, AZ (all beach, no water)
I am planning my first dive trip since OW cert, and am going to Key Largo 9/19-9/24. I know this is storm season, but luck willing, I plan to dive three or four times. Since this is my first real trip (not including San Carlos, MX for OW) I wanted to know if there was a "stand out" charter op for diving in Key Largo. I will be staying at the Mariott. Closer to the hotel would be better. Also, is it possible to dive the Spiegel Grove w/o Advanced Open Water? I would like very much to do this, so if any dive shops don't go there, I don't want them. Thanks for the input...
 
Most Key Largo dive ops run trips to the Spiegel Grove, and are within a few miles of the Marriott. As an Open Water diver, without recent deep diving experience, you'll be required to dive with an Instructor or Divemaster guiding you. I recommend picking up a copy of PADI's Adventures In Diving book in advance of your trip. Reading the chapters on Deep and Wreck will help you to prepare for diving the Grove. Completing the relevant Knowlege Reviews at the end of the forementioned chapters, either before or after completing your dives, will allow you to obtain credit that can be applied toward your Advanced Open Water certification.

Have fun, be safe, and never stop learning!
 
Paradise Charters, located in the Holiday Inn/Ramada marina (MM100) is a good operation. They take a maximum of 12 divers and always have a DM in the water. Although I haven't checked, I am fairly confident they are doing SP dives although you may be asked to do a check out dive if you don't have AOW or any logged dives below 80'.
 
Bluewater Divers at the Holiday Inn Marina, they are close to the Marriott and run a really nice operation. They take a maximum of 10 people and the guys there are very experienced. Check them out at www.bluewaterdiver.net. As stated above though, most ops are checking for logged deep dives, AOW cert or will require a dive guide.




Reeflover
 
If you just completed your OW, you ought to get some more dive experience before you try to dive the Spiegel Grove.

Last week, I dove it three times (I have AOW & Nitrox cards and over 100 ocean dives and quite a few over 100 ft).

Surface current varied from negligible (dive 1) to noticable (you are a pretty stiff pennant on the mooring line during your safety stop) to RIPPING (dive 3).

Seas varied from 1-2 feet (dives 1 and 2) to 6-8 feet (dive 3).

The ship captain told me that it can shift from one state (calm) to the other (wild) during the course of a dive.

Have you tried to climb on a boat with a full load of Scuba gear on when the ladder is plunging up and down 6 to 8 feet? 4 to 6? 2 to 4? 1 to 2?

All of this is between 30 feet and the surface, BTW.

Next, there is a big !@#$ing difference between, for example, an Out-Of-Air emergency at 30 feet with a buddy in a quarry and an OOA emergency at 125 feet... A dive down the side of the Grove (ain't much on the exposed port hull at ~~52 FSW) means a dive down well past OW recommended limits, especially if you don't have the experience.

Key Largo has very little between real advanced rec dives (like the Grove) and good, beginner coral, BTW. The Benwood was a nice dive one of the two times I dove it (vis stank the second time -- vis can vary with current...)

Go by the book. Build the experience. Don't hot dog. Otherwise, you can either spoil diving for yourself or ... feed a lot of fish.
 
Thanks for the warnings re deep divei, but I wasn't looking to do any kind of penetration or deep dive. My understanding was that the top of the SP was in something like 45 feet. I just wanted to see what a large wreck looked like to inspire me to get AOW and deep dive certification. I have no motivation to decompose at 200 feet!! Thanks for all of the info, though.

P.S. I think I am going to book with Amy Slate's. Any comments pro or con?
 

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