Trip Report Key Largo Late August 2024

[arkstorm]

Nice review, enjoyed the read. Next time make sure you go a little south and check out the Duane and Bibb, they are my favorite wrecks down there. I would also suggest doing some diving in Jupiter and Boynton Beach as it's very different and I think much better diving..... Not to mention drift diving is just more fun. If you are more of a wreck person the lady luck is worth a visit, but the Spiegel is its own monster. My friend has over 450 dives on it and he's always teaching me a new path.

We were very much wanting to dive the Duane and the Bibb but conditions didn’t allow for it.

We were told strong currents made those sites “un-dive-able” while we were there.

 

[arkstorm]

Great write up. I’m diving with them again in a few weeks. I’ve never found their guides intrusive, if anything, they were fun to dive with.

Interesting you should say that. One of the reasons I brought up this point was because I found one of their dive guides to be rather intrusive. Not all of them though. Most of them were fine.

 

[arkstorm]

I really want to re-emphasize that I have nothing bad to say about Rainbow Reef. Just chocolate and vanilla.

 

[arkstorm]

That's different than what you said- which was that a guide is required. You could have easily stated, as I would have done that you prefer to dive alone (if certified and equipped), or with your buddy or whatever. You just went along with it. Not that there's anything wrong with that but you're spreading fake news.

It's no different then when you're diving alone on a boat and the crew tries to give you a whole lot of medical and legal liability and a good chance to mess up a perfectly good dive by saying "you're going to buddy with this random diver of unknown skills, experience and fitness, and if they mess up and there's an accident you can expect to be sued". "Um, no I'm not, my buddy is that bright yellow 19 cf cylinder strapped to my main tank". Unless she's a cute young hottie in which case I will say "Would you prefer to lead or follow".

I think you are missing my point which is that every group had a guide and every diver was required to dive with their guide. Even if you preferred to dive alone or with your buddy, you were still required to stay with your group and with your guide. Fake news?!? Just reporting what my own two eyes two ears witnessed.

 

[FreqFlier]

I think you are missing my point which is that every group had a guide and every diver was required to dive with their guide. Even if you preferred to dive alone or with your buddy, you were still required to stay with your group and with your guide. Fake news?!? Just reporting what my own two eyes two ears witnessed.

You're absolutely right. We dived two consequent days with RR recently, two double dips on SG. First day everything was great, next day it took me upwards of half an hour to refuse their DM. You can refuse their guide, it just gets almost confrontational if you do. For whatever reason. Tips maybe?