I try to travel to Florida every year for some diving. This year took me to Key West and Key Largo. For the Key West portion of my trip, I traveled solo.
Travel
Landed in Miami a little after 5:00 PM and was in my rental car soon after on my way to Key West. A note on tolls: I do not know if the toll rules have changed for all rental agencies or if Alamo, which I used, is different than most others. In the past, to be able to go through tolls I have been required to pay a daily toll fee between $10-$15 plus the cost of any tolls used. The daily toll fee was incurred whether a toll was used or not. (yes you read that correctly) For this trip, Alamo charged $5/day plus tolls only on the days a toll is used. That being said, I got myself an EPASS transponder last year to avoid any extras from the rental car agency. Works great, the transponder from the app, and charges appear on the account on the same day.
During the drive to Key West, I was all ready to grab some provisions at the Key Largo Publix and a Cuban sandwich from Fernandez The Bull. Unfortunately, tragedy struck and Fernandez was temporarily closed for, according to the sign on the door, a family vacation. I had been thinking about that Cuban since I booked my flights, so this was a tough pill to swallow. I mustered the fortitude and traveled on, determined to find a good Cuban sandwich upon return to Key Largo in a few days. More on that later.
Hotel
I stayed at El Patio Motel in Key West. Quite affordable compared to other hotels in Key West, clean, and friendly. Lots of parking and it’s in a quiet area. Tile floor in the room. Good internet. Friendly staff. I would return to El Patio no problem.
Diving - Captain's Corner
I dove two days with Captain’s Corner (thanks @Capt Jim for the recommendation) and they are a great op. Highly recommend. They are well organized with a friendly professional crew. Everyone I met who worked for them was easygoing and knowledgeable. They will store gear for you overnight, which is nice.
On both days I went out on the AM trip to the Vandenberg and had excellent dives. Great surface conditions making for a pleasant ride out and calm SI. Minimal to no current at depth on both days. Day #1: About 30’ of viz for both dives. Day #2: 80’ for dive #1 but closer to 30-40’ for dive #2. During the SI we could see the pocket of blue water that was present on dive #1 slowly move away from us. I feel fortunate we had such great conditions since I have heard the Vandy can be a bit like a rodeo on rough days.
Dove with DM Tina and I think we did just about every swim through on that ship over four dives. Some highlights were an elevator shaft, the flag room, and the memorial to Joe Weatherby, IIRC, who died in February and is largely responsible for turning the Vandy into an artificial reef. Lots of Great Barracudas on the site as well as some Goliath Groupers. The Vandy is huge and worth plenty of dives. Most people are diving air due to the depths on the Vandy and I would not have minded a tank of their banked 30% (IIRC) for dive #2. Being limited to 121fsw for the second dive would not have been an issue.
Food
Koffie House located close to Captain’s Corner on Greene St. Very good coffee, but not the fastest place in the world. If you need something to eat don’t also be in a hurry.
Dinner at Moondog Cafe. A laid-back and reasonably priced spot with a varied menu and a nice selection of beers on tap. I had Mahi tacos and a salad. Very tasty.
Cafelito for a very good Cuban Sandwich.
The Jerk. A Jamaican BBQ joint. Took my food next door to Heroes Bar, had a draft, and enjoyed my BBQ. Would not have minded a bit more chicken and less plantain and rice, but otherwise excellent BBQ flavor and a nice amount of jerk heat.
Ana’s Cafe for breakfast. Very good cafe con leche and fairly average bacon and eggs with not terribly good Cuban Toast.
One thing to keep in mind about Key West is the parking. I walked from El Patio to everywhere except the diving in the AM. The public parking lot at Captain’s Corner is $5/hour so it’s $25 since the boat returns from the Vandy between noon and 12:30 each day. I tried to find the elusive street parking that is neither pay-to-park nor resident permit-only, which I’m told absolutely positively definitely exists near the marina, but to no avail. Not a huge deal. Just factor it into your budget or stay within walking distance.
Would love to come back to Key West and dive some more. I would definitely do more dives on the Vandy plus add the Cayman Salvager.
Transfer Day
I looked into doing some AM dives on my way to pick up my buddy at the Miami airport, but I just could not find an op in the Middle Keys that was going to a wreck. Getting to aa reef was no problem, but not what I was interested in. This really surprised me as I figured I could get to the Thunderbolt or the Aldolphus Busch, but it just did not work out. Those dives are on my ‘must do’ list, but either ops wanted a minimum of 5 divers or I was told the mooring balls were gone. Any suggestions for future trips are welcome.
The drive through the Keys has it's highlights. 7 Mile Bridge is pretty cool.
Travel
Landed in Miami a little after 5:00 PM and was in my rental car soon after on my way to Key West. A note on tolls: I do not know if the toll rules have changed for all rental agencies or if Alamo, which I used, is different than most others. In the past, to be able to go through tolls I have been required to pay a daily toll fee between $10-$15 plus the cost of any tolls used. The daily toll fee was incurred whether a toll was used or not. (yes you read that correctly) For this trip, Alamo charged $5/day plus tolls only on the days a toll is used. That being said, I got myself an EPASS transponder last year to avoid any extras from the rental car agency. Works great, the transponder from the app, and charges appear on the account on the same day.
During the drive to Key West, I was all ready to grab some provisions at the Key Largo Publix and a Cuban sandwich from Fernandez The Bull. Unfortunately, tragedy struck and Fernandez was temporarily closed for, according to the sign on the door, a family vacation. I had been thinking about that Cuban since I booked my flights, so this was a tough pill to swallow. I mustered the fortitude and traveled on, determined to find a good Cuban sandwich upon return to Key Largo in a few days. More on that later.
Hotel
I stayed at El Patio Motel in Key West. Quite affordable compared to other hotels in Key West, clean, and friendly. Lots of parking and it’s in a quiet area. Tile floor in the room. Good internet. Friendly staff. I would return to El Patio no problem.
Diving - Captain's Corner
I dove two days with Captain’s Corner (thanks @Capt Jim for the recommendation) and they are a great op. Highly recommend. They are well organized with a friendly professional crew. Everyone I met who worked for them was easygoing and knowledgeable. They will store gear for you overnight, which is nice.
On both days I went out on the AM trip to the Vandenberg and had excellent dives. Great surface conditions making for a pleasant ride out and calm SI. Minimal to no current at depth on both days. Day #1: About 30’ of viz for both dives. Day #2: 80’ for dive #1 but closer to 30-40’ for dive #2. During the SI we could see the pocket of blue water that was present on dive #1 slowly move away from us. I feel fortunate we had such great conditions since I have heard the Vandy can be a bit like a rodeo on rough days.
Dove with DM Tina and I think we did just about every swim through on that ship over four dives. Some highlights were an elevator shaft, the flag room, and the memorial to Joe Weatherby, IIRC, who died in February and is largely responsible for turning the Vandy into an artificial reef. Lots of Great Barracudas on the site as well as some Goliath Groupers. The Vandy is huge and worth plenty of dives. Most people are diving air due to the depths on the Vandy and I would not have minded a tank of their banked 30% (IIRC) for dive #2. Being limited to 121fsw for the second dive would not have been an issue.
Food
Koffie House located close to Captain’s Corner on Greene St. Very good coffee, but not the fastest place in the world. If you need something to eat don’t also be in a hurry.
Dinner at Moondog Cafe. A laid-back and reasonably priced spot with a varied menu and a nice selection of beers on tap. I had Mahi tacos and a salad. Very tasty.
Cafelito for a very good Cuban Sandwich.
The Jerk. A Jamaican BBQ joint. Took my food next door to Heroes Bar, had a draft, and enjoyed my BBQ. Would not have minded a bit more chicken and less plantain and rice, but otherwise excellent BBQ flavor and a nice amount of jerk heat.
Ana’s Cafe for breakfast. Very good cafe con leche and fairly average bacon and eggs with not terribly good Cuban Toast.
One thing to keep in mind about Key West is the parking. I walked from El Patio to everywhere except the diving in the AM. The public parking lot at Captain’s Corner is $5/hour so it’s $25 since the boat returns from the Vandy between noon and 12:30 each day. I tried to find the elusive street parking that is neither pay-to-park nor resident permit-only, which I’m told absolutely positively definitely exists near the marina, but to no avail. Not a huge deal. Just factor it into your budget or stay within walking distance.
Would love to come back to Key West and dive some more. I would definitely do more dives on the Vandy plus add the Cayman Salvager.
Transfer Day
I looked into doing some AM dives on my way to pick up my buddy at the Miami airport, but I just could not find an op in the Middle Keys that was going to a wreck. Getting to aa reef was no problem, but not what I was interested in. This really surprised me as I figured I could get to the Thunderbolt or the Aldolphus Busch, but it just did not work out. Those dives are on my ‘must do’ list, but either ops wanted a minimum of 5 divers or I was told the mooring balls were gone. Any suggestions for future trips are welcome.
The drive through the Keys has it's highlights. 7 Mile Bridge is pretty cool.
