sportxlh
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Spent three days diving in Key Largo with a buddy of mine who was in town: he’s the guy that got me back into diving five years ago so will forever be stained with that in my wife’s mind.
For kicks and grins, we used Rainbow Reef one day since so many SB’ers give high recommendations. I see why folks enjoy the operator. We took the new big and stable boat: even with a near full complement of divers in the AM, it didn’t feel all that crowded, though the afternoon dives with only 10 divers were a bit more comfortable with a lot of elbow room. We didn’t use the guide service, but almost everyone else on the boat did: I think those who were solo in the Keys really appreciated the guides. The most impressive part of the operation was the enthusiasm of the crew: the fresh-faced young folks in the training program have very positive attitudes and seemed truly happy to be working for Rainbow Reef: we didn’t see/hear much cynicism or sarcasm.
The only real downside to a larger boat is the number of divers one might see underwater on shallow reefs ('thundering herd' as one SB puts it). On Snapper, my buddy and I set off in the opposite direction of the guides and didn’t see another diver, but on Pickles/Pillar, it’s pretty hard to avoid other divers if one wants to see the pillar coral. In the afternoon, we also headed in opposite directions as the guides on the two locations on French reef and didn’t see other divers. So it’s not too difficult to have a private dive with Rainbow on spread-out sites but on concentrated sites, it is nearly impossible to avoid other divers. I’ll add Rainbow Reef to my list of dive shops: especially if my favorite shop is not going to sites I care to visit.
On Saturday and Sunday, we headed out with our #1 shop, Conch Republic, for a total of eight dives off the large boat. As is usual, we had great dives and enjoyed the experience. The boat has a wide beam and took the bumpy water outside the reef fairly well. The sites consisted of both deep and shallow; Spiegel Gove’s current was ripping, so we cancelled the second dive and followed up on the Bentwood which had zero current. The Saturday afternoon boat trip had very few divers, eight I believe: we saw a few other divers underwater on Davis reef but didn’t see another sole on Spanky’s reef.
Sunday started with a double dip on the Eagle with ten divers: we could almost do a free descent since there was no current. I have numerous dives on the Eagle, but one of the Conch Republic guys diving for fun that day, showed me a swim-through I had missed in the past: which I appreciated. The afternoon dives were at two separate locations on Hen’s and Chickens which is one of the most beautiful shallow reefs in the upper Keys: there’s nothing quite like it that I’ve experienced in Key Largo and the structure reminds me a bit of some of the sites in the Dry Tortugas. Swimming between the coral peaks feels a bit like a aerial survey of some alien planet: I could dive that site over and over again and not get tired of it (plus we also saw the civil war wreck for the first time too). Too bad the site is protected: I saw many huge bugs!
Hamburgers at Category 3 get a thumbs up as did the fish at Fish House.
What a terrific weekend.
For kicks and grins, we used Rainbow Reef one day since so many SB’ers give high recommendations. I see why folks enjoy the operator. We took the new big and stable boat: even with a near full complement of divers in the AM, it didn’t feel all that crowded, though the afternoon dives with only 10 divers were a bit more comfortable with a lot of elbow room. We didn’t use the guide service, but almost everyone else on the boat did: I think those who were solo in the Keys really appreciated the guides. The most impressive part of the operation was the enthusiasm of the crew: the fresh-faced young folks in the training program have very positive attitudes and seemed truly happy to be working for Rainbow Reef: we didn’t see/hear much cynicism or sarcasm.
The only real downside to a larger boat is the number of divers one might see underwater on shallow reefs ('thundering herd' as one SB puts it). On Snapper, my buddy and I set off in the opposite direction of the guides and didn’t see another diver, but on Pickles/Pillar, it’s pretty hard to avoid other divers if one wants to see the pillar coral. In the afternoon, we also headed in opposite directions as the guides on the two locations on French reef and didn’t see other divers. So it’s not too difficult to have a private dive with Rainbow on spread-out sites but on concentrated sites, it is nearly impossible to avoid other divers. I’ll add Rainbow Reef to my list of dive shops: especially if my favorite shop is not going to sites I care to visit.
On Saturday and Sunday, we headed out with our #1 shop, Conch Republic, for a total of eight dives off the large boat. As is usual, we had great dives and enjoyed the experience. The boat has a wide beam and took the bumpy water outside the reef fairly well. The sites consisted of both deep and shallow; Spiegel Gove’s current was ripping, so we cancelled the second dive and followed up on the Bentwood which had zero current. The Saturday afternoon boat trip had very few divers, eight I believe: we saw a few other divers underwater on Davis reef but didn’t see another sole on Spanky’s reef.
Sunday started with a double dip on the Eagle with ten divers: we could almost do a free descent since there was no current. I have numerous dives on the Eagle, but one of the Conch Republic guys diving for fun that day, showed me a swim-through I had missed in the past: which I appreciated. The afternoon dives were at two separate locations on Hen’s and Chickens which is one of the most beautiful shallow reefs in the upper Keys: there’s nothing quite like it that I’ve experienced in Key Largo and the structure reminds me a bit of some of the sites in the Dry Tortugas. Swimming between the coral peaks feels a bit like a aerial survey of some alien planet: I could dive that site over and over again and not get tired of it (plus we also saw the civil war wreck for the first time too). Too bad the site is protected: I saw many huge bugs!
Hamburgers at Category 3 get a thumbs up as did the fish at Fish House.
What a terrific weekend.
