Trip Report Key Largo Trip Report

[drrich2]

During the briefing typically. If being able to dive to the maximum extent of your air or NDL is important, I suggest you ask when you book. Most charter boats do not allow that, at least not here in Florida. There needs to be some sort of limit for those diving large singles, doubles, or with crazy good air consumption. Without that the boat has no hope of staying on any sort of schedule.

True. I think this is one of those issues that needs to be came at from both sides, which is a strength for forum discussions. I agree, if you get a diver who's on vacation from dive mastering and can stay down 1 1/2 hours on an 80-cf tank, on a 2-tank morning boat trip that gets ridiculous when the crew need to get back to prep. for the afternoon trip.

On the other hand, I recall from another thread a poster citing a Sandals Resort dive op. limiting divers to 45 minutes, and I get the impression many divers consider that too short. I doubt any of us would be satisfied with a 30 minute limit on shallow reef dives, and thankfully I've not seen that happen.

My point is, the recreational diving public has some sort of ill-defined unconscious assumption about how long they ought to be able to dive, gas reserve and NDL depending, at common destinations with benign conditions. My personal impression is that length is 50 minutes to an hour (when it's 50 minutes, some people like to get in first and out last to add some dive time).

If a dive op. restricts recreational dives in benign conditions to a 45 minute maximum duration, and they won't overtly warn people in advance of booking with them that this will be the case, they're going to get negative criticism about it when those divers post trip reports. People invest money and time in these trips, and when their dive time is arbitrarily (in their view) cut short without advance warning, it rubs people the wrong way.

So I agree, dive times have to be limited as a practical matter. But 45 minutes? I'd want to know that in advance.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

45 minutes does seem short to me if that means head on the surface at 45 minutes. The dive operators I know of with 45 minute limits (Jupiter Dive Center), it is 45 minutes BOTTOM TIME and they expect you on the surface by around 52-55 minutes.

 

[Dan G]

Great TR. Thanks. Glad you got to experience flat water in the Keys. The diving is really great when the conditions are that good. I have been out with RR a few times and decided to switch. Like you, I felt the short SIs were a drag. RR is very good at what they do and they have lots of loyal customers, but it just is not for me. I went with Horizon Divers in 2021 and had a great experience.

 

[Rearviewmirror]

45 min is a short dive particularly for the shallow reef sites in Key Largo, not sure if any other operators limit the dives that much.

I've used Conch Republic strictly (Tavernier), they open the pool for "about an hour", if you're ready to go, and one of the first in, you can get over an hour without issue.

Over a week of diving... that's a significant difference in bottom time... nearly 3 hours total...

How did you find Conch Republic in terms of variety of dive sites? Rainbow Reef sounds great in terms of variety, but i don't love the packed boat vibe particularly as I'm usually diving solo (paired up with a guide or insta buddy).

 

[CajunDiva]

Circumstances vary. I wasn't there that day and don't know the circumstances. But I have been diving with Rainbow Reef for almost 20 years and have done MANY, MANY dives with them. Not once in that time have I been told the dive would be limited to 45 minutes. The captain always looked at his watch and said "it's now ... o'clock - be back on the boat by ... o'clock - one hour from now.

Granted, I'm the poster child for seasickness so I'm always sitting at the back of the boat waiting to jump in as soon as the pool is open. And I'm usually the last one up the ladder, but not because I'm delaying anyone. I do lots of exploring under the boat while I'm waiting in line to ascend. My dive times are rarely less than an hour, and I always come up with at least 1000 to 1500 psi. Shallow dives are good like that.

We once did an hour and forty minute shallow dive off of our friend's boat in Key Largo and still came up with a good bit of air. But no reputable dive operation on a schedule can afford to let divers dive as long as their hearts desire.

 

[ScubaDeej]

Hi, appreciate the feedback on the quick turnovers and strict time on dives.

Does anyone have any recommendations for Key Largo dive shops that are a bit less "regulated." I'm going in December with my wife and we both have very good air consumption and love diving with smaller non-cattle call companies that are more relaxed and let you dive to to your air consumption.

 

[Jcp2]

Pricing & Schedule | Quiescence Diving Services, Inc.

keylargodiving.com

 

[Skeptic14]

How did you find Conch Republic in terms of variety of dive sites? Rainbow Reef sounds great in terms of variety, but i don't love the packed boat vibe particularly as I'm usually diving solo (paired up with a guide or insta buddy).

On my trips we never hit the same site twice. CRD is also further south in Tavernier so its easy to hit some different reefs aside from molasses, although they will run up to it. And what's pretty cool about CRD is if you are the first signed up you get to select the site; not always the specific one but the type.