Question Key Largo in Early Dec for new diver. Are heavy currents common?

[atxdiver]

Compared with the NC wrecks out of Morehead City, and with the exception of Spiegel in Key Largo (haven't done Bibb, Duane) I don't think current will be a big issue. That said, current on even the shallow dives like Molasses, Elbow, etc. can pick up and make things a bit more sporty than you'd like. I noticed that on all three trips down there this year (February, June, September). I've also seen that the current varies days to day and even within the trip. Funny how nature works.

I may be an outlier, but I like diving with a guide. Part of the reason is I no longer have a regular dive buddy. Second, the guides I've been fortunate to use in KL find cool stuff I'd otherwise miss. They're just on the reefs more often and know where things are. I get more out of the trip and have a better time. Another reason is my last dives in KL were 15+ years ago. I can go back in my logbook and see that I'm today I'm diving at many of the same places I dove then. But dive sites (and divers) change over time, so the guide deal works for me. I don't feel like I'm restricted by diving with a guide. But they know I'm a (long) retired instructor and we wind up just having a good time. They always teach me something new.

However, and it's a big "however," I'm not interested in being part of a group of a half-dozen with a guide. Been there, done that. But all of that can be worked out with the dive operator when booking. They're always glad to take a bit more money. Since I don't get to dive as often as I'd like, it's a reasonable (to me) tradeoff.

Operators I've used this year that I'd recommend are Amoray, Conch Republic, and Horizon.

Congratulations on getting the kiddo certified. I was fortunate to take mine on his first ocean dive there MANY years ago. He no longer dives, but I have hope for my grandchildren.

Happy diving.

 

[Jake 10]

 

[Chrisk919]

Well since Jake brought this thread back to my attention, and as a brief trip summary:

We really only had 1 dive that had strong current.

Guess where it was? Yep, Dry Rocks just off the Christ of the Abyss statue.

Reverse current again, out of the north. Pretty bad Viz (for Key Largo) - 20-ish feet - on Dec 4th AM dive.

I thought I had a pretty solid compass bearing on the pencil buoy for the statue when we dropped in.
Very strong surface current, dropped to the bottom and it was strong, but workable.

Just getting from the boat to the reef (150') was 8 minutes of kicking, and that day was the first day with the new camera in the water with a LOT of extra drag.

Long story short we never did find the statue - (or as my son said "I guess you still haven't found Jesus!" lol)

I called it early when it took me 1000 PSI to just reach the reef, a quick turtle to pick up the pencil buoy had the crew asking "are you ok?" as if there were plenty of other people having issues. I signalled "OK" and realized it was another 200 PSI just to get me back into position on the reef. We picked up a random insta-buddy/straggler whose wife bailed at the outset, and my son was still working through the logistics of staying out of the main current, so I gave up on finding the statue as it was still another 100' into the current, and my son was lower on air than I.

We weren't the last on the boat (That would be Captain G from Amoray guiding two other folks) but let's just say we were the last on a VERY LONG tag line of people who had already called it and was having trouble getting on the ladder in the surface current.

That's the most gas I've burned in 24 minutes in a very long while.

The rest of the trip? Smooth sailing. Mon/Tues was a touch rough for Keys but not bad (3-4 ft swells out of NE on a 5s period). Wed through Friday were just fine. Friday was glass -- Classic FL Keys diving.

There were some cold upwellings that made their way in sometimes (checking my logs they were about 72deg F) but mostly on the outside of the reefs so we just stayed between reefs for those ( the Elbow and Dry rocks).

 

[Johnoly]

.....my son said "I guess you still haven't found Jesus!" lol......

Thanks for the great writeup. We love dive reports with conditions !!

 

[Chrisk919]

Thanks for the great writeup. We love dive reports with conditions !!

Thanks! I somehow knew you would reply, given your stated love of strong current.

As an aside, my son on day 1, in a mild current, was logging his dives and asked "Was that a strong current?" - I replied no - mild...

When we got back on the boat after the aforementioned dive on Dry Rocks, as we both sat down in our seats I replied "THAT can be logged as strong current!"

I did think of you on that one, but he wouldn't have understood the reference, lol.

@Jake 10 - think White Slave, but a bit stronger.