rainmaker
Contributor
We drove from our home in north Georgia to Key Largo (a two-day drive) and arrived the evening of Feb. 19. I began my dives the following day. Gasoline was plentiful on the trip, and was priced from $1.97 at a few stations just south of Atlanta to $2.49 near Homestead, Florida. I noticed that gas was less expensive in the Keys than it was around Homestead.
We were fortunate to have great weather the entire time. Each day seemed to be more beautiful and warm than the one before it. It was in the 80's each day, and went down to the high 60's each night. There was no rain at all.
Most of the time the seas were very calm. I managed not to get seasick or sunburned on this trip, which I attribute mainly to high doses of the anti-motion sickness drug Bonine (which can be purchased over the counter at drug stores and Wal-Mart) and massive and frequent use of SPF 30 sunscreen.
Additional information concerning the diving, the dive operators and our lodging is shown below.
The Diving:
I made 10 dives in 5 days, and they were among the most beautiful dives that I've ever done. Seven were made on reefs (Banana Reef, Horseshoe Reef, Molasses Reef, S. South Ledges, N. Dry Rocks, Christ-In-The-Abyss and French Reef) and three were made on wrecks (Mike's Wreck, the Duane and the Benwood).
Visability ranged from 30 ft. to about 60 ft., the water temperature was 72 - 73 degrees and the depths ranged from about 20 ft. on one of the reefs to just over 100 ft. on the Duane wreck. The lengths of the dives ranged from 16 minutes to 48 minutes.
On the Benwood dive, I saw the most abundant marine life that I've seen to date. It was a beautiful and warm day and the seas were calm. Large schools of tropical fish were everywhere; it was like swimming in a large aquarium. There were thousands of them. It was my last dive on this trip, and I was very reluctant to leave. As I was preparing to exit the water, a large barracuda (about 6' ft. long) swam very close to me and didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave. I didn't think of it at the time, but it may have been attracted by the sunlight hitting the stainless steel D-rings on my BC. Perhaps it looked like wounded prey to him. Anyway, it stayed 10 - 12 ft. from me during my ascent, and hung around the back of the boat for a while after I'd left the water. It was exciting.
The dive on the Duane wreck was also special. By far, it was the largest wreck that I've ever seen. However, the current was very strong. After arriving on the bow and leaving the mooring line, my partner and I swam toward the superstructure. It was a constant effort to make progress, and we used a lot of air. Soon after reaching the superstructure, I checked my and my partner's air. We'd reached our turn-around point. Reluctantly, we turned back toward the bow and swam back to the mooring line. I made a safety stop at 20 ft., but my partner didn't. He got back to the boat with about 500 psi, and I had about 400 psi.
The reef dives were all in shallow water (20 - 35 ft.), and they were relaxing and fun. I spent a lot of time just slowly gliding over the reefs, observing the wildlife, admiring the indescribable beauty and taking photos. The reefs of Key Largo appear to contain more species and color than the reefs of Key West (where I dived last year). Tropical fish (including some large parrotfish) were everywhere, and I saw one shark. I also saw a large grouper or jewfish (there was a difference of opinion among the divers concerning the species) that weighed several hundred pounds.
The Dive Operators:
Eight of my dives were made with Silent World Dive Center in Key Largo. Owners Ric and Janet, Captains A.J. and Bob and Divemasters Pat (as in Patricia) and George run a safe, professional, efficient and courteous dive operation. In my opinion, the 10-dive / 5-trip package that Silent World offers for $200 is probably the best diving deal available in the Keys. In addition, they limit the number of divers on their boat to 14. I will definitely dive with Silent World again. Their phone number is 800.966.3483. Their dive shop is located in Central Plaza at mile-marker 103.2, and their dock is located on Garden Cove Drive (about 3 miles north of the dive shop).
Two of my dives were made with Captain Slate's Atlantis Dive Center, also in Key Largo. I was supposed to make all 10 dives with Silent World, but because of a dive destination change, I was given the option of going with Atlantis (their dock and dive shop are located next door to Silent World's dock).
The large Atlantis Dive Center boat was crowded and the captain appeared to be either having a bad day or is approaching career burn-out. When I misunderstood one of his instructions after I'd exited the water on my first dive, he was very abrupt and unnecessarily rude. Also, I heard two divers complaining that they had leaks in their tanks. The captain told them that unless they were large leaks, not to worry about them. One of the divers who had a leaky tank was my dive partner. His tank on the second dive appeared to have a small leak around the valve.
I might use Atlantis Dive Center again, but they wouldn't be my first choice. Also, at the present time I wouldn't feel comfortable doing a deep dive with them.
Our Lodging:
We stayed at the Bay Harbor Lodge, located at mile-marker 97.7. This is a small, quiet, "mom & pop" type place that is located directly on the water. They have a very nice pool, a beach area, and beautifully landscaped grounds.
Our room was a bit small for 2 people. However, it had a queen-size bed, a coffee maker, small fridge, ceiling fan, air conditiong unit, phone, TV, and microwave. However, the phone was hard-wired to the wall, which made Internet use a bit difficult. With the manager's approval, we removed the phone from the wall and I was able to connect my laptop. The room was very tastefully decorated with "tropical island" decor. The cost for the two of us was $95 per day. With taxes added, the daily room rate was $105.
On the day we arrived, I did some snorkeling off the lodge's beach. I found a few small shells, and managed to see a medium-size stingray. There were also small kayaks available for guests (no extra charge), and my life partner Carol enjoyed using them several times.
We enjoyed our stay very much, and I would definitely visit the Bay Harbor Lodge again. Their phone number is 800.385.0986.
We were fortunate to have great weather the entire time. Each day seemed to be more beautiful and warm than the one before it. It was in the 80's each day, and went down to the high 60's each night. There was no rain at all.
Most of the time the seas were very calm. I managed not to get seasick or sunburned on this trip, which I attribute mainly to high doses of the anti-motion sickness drug Bonine (which can be purchased over the counter at drug stores and Wal-Mart) and massive and frequent use of SPF 30 sunscreen.
Additional information concerning the diving, the dive operators and our lodging is shown below.
The Diving:
I made 10 dives in 5 days, and they were among the most beautiful dives that I've ever done. Seven were made on reefs (Banana Reef, Horseshoe Reef, Molasses Reef, S. South Ledges, N. Dry Rocks, Christ-In-The-Abyss and French Reef) and three were made on wrecks (Mike's Wreck, the Duane and the Benwood).
Visability ranged from 30 ft. to about 60 ft., the water temperature was 72 - 73 degrees and the depths ranged from about 20 ft. on one of the reefs to just over 100 ft. on the Duane wreck. The lengths of the dives ranged from 16 minutes to 48 minutes.
On the Benwood dive, I saw the most abundant marine life that I've seen to date. It was a beautiful and warm day and the seas were calm. Large schools of tropical fish were everywhere; it was like swimming in a large aquarium. There were thousands of them. It was my last dive on this trip, and I was very reluctant to leave. As I was preparing to exit the water, a large barracuda (about 6' ft. long) swam very close to me and didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave. I didn't think of it at the time, but it may have been attracted by the sunlight hitting the stainless steel D-rings on my BC. Perhaps it looked like wounded prey to him. Anyway, it stayed 10 - 12 ft. from me during my ascent, and hung around the back of the boat for a while after I'd left the water. It was exciting.
The dive on the Duane wreck was also special. By far, it was the largest wreck that I've ever seen. However, the current was very strong. After arriving on the bow and leaving the mooring line, my partner and I swam toward the superstructure. It was a constant effort to make progress, and we used a lot of air. Soon after reaching the superstructure, I checked my and my partner's air. We'd reached our turn-around point. Reluctantly, we turned back toward the bow and swam back to the mooring line. I made a safety stop at 20 ft., but my partner didn't. He got back to the boat with about 500 psi, and I had about 400 psi.
The reef dives were all in shallow water (20 - 35 ft.), and they were relaxing and fun. I spent a lot of time just slowly gliding over the reefs, observing the wildlife, admiring the indescribable beauty and taking photos. The reefs of Key Largo appear to contain more species and color than the reefs of Key West (where I dived last year). Tropical fish (including some large parrotfish) were everywhere, and I saw one shark. I also saw a large grouper or jewfish (there was a difference of opinion among the divers concerning the species) that weighed several hundred pounds.
The Dive Operators:
Eight of my dives were made with Silent World Dive Center in Key Largo. Owners Ric and Janet, Captains A.J. and Bob and Divemasters Pat (as in Patricia) and George run a safe, professional, efficient and courteous dive operation. In my opinion, the 10-dive / 5-trip package that Silent World offers for $200 is probably the best diving deal available in the Keys. In addition, they limit the number of divers on their boat to 14. I will definitely dive with Silent World again. Their phone number is 800.966.3483. Their dive shop is located in Central Plaza at mile-marker 103.2, and their dock is located on Garden Cove Drive (about 3 miles north of the dive shop).
Two of my dives were made with Captain Slate's Atlantis Dive Center, also in Key Largo. I was supposed to make all 10 dives with Silent World, but because of a dive destination change, I was given the option of going with Atlantis (their dock and dive shop are located next door to Silent World's dock).
The large Atlantis Dive Center boat was crowded and the captain appeared to be either having a bad day or is approaching career burn-out. When I misunderstood one of his instructions after I'd exited the water on my first dive, he was very abrupt and unnecessarily rude. Also, I heard two divers complaining that they had leaks in their tanks. The captain told them that unless they were large leaks, not to worry about them. One of the divers who had a leaky tank was my dive partner. His tank on the second dive appeared to have a small leak around the valve.
I might use Atlantis Dive Center again, but they wouldn't be my first choice. Also, at the present time I wouldn't feel comfortable doing a deep dive with them.
Our Lodging:
We stayed at the Bay Harbor Lodge, located at mile-marker 97.7. This is a small, quiet, "mom & pop" type place that is located directly on the water. They have a very nice pool, a beach area, and beautifully landscaped grounds.
Our room was a bit small for 2 people. However, it had a queen-size bed, a coffee maker, small fridge, ceiling fan, air conditiong unit, phone, TV, and microwave. However, the phone was hard-wired to the wall, which made Internet use a bit difficult. With the manager's approval, we removed the phone from the wall and I was able to connect my laptop. The room was very tastefully decorated with "tropical island" decor. The cost for the two of us was $95 per day. With taxes added, the daily room rate was $105.
On the day we arrived, I did some snorkeling off the lodge's beach. I found a few small shells, and managed to see a medium-size stingray. There were also small kayaks available for guests (no extra charge), and my life partner Carol enjoyed using them several times.
We enjoyed our stay very much, and I would definitely visit the Bay Harbor Lodge again. Their phone number is 800.385.0986.
