Key West In Early December

[jplflyer]

I will be in Orlando for business in December. I am considering flying in early, renting a car, and driving to Key West. I know: it's a long drive. But if I'm not flying back to Orlando, I don't have that pesky 24-hour wait time after diving before I fly, and my meetings begin on Tuesday, so I could drive on Monday instead of during the Sunday traffic on the causeway.

I'd be alone (no dive buddy).

I'm a relative novice. I got my OW in the 90s, my AOW in Barbados about 5 years ago, haven't done any diving since, but I'll get some in on local (Minnesota) lakes this summer, so at least I'll remember how to use my gear. I'd come with full gear minus tanks.

I'm looking for some place or person who would take care of me. I don't want to be alone on a cattle car with 40 other divers. What I'd *really* like is to find a dive master I could hire for several days -- someone who could run me through some specialty courses, help me get better at underwater photography, and otherwise help me get better at not doing anything stupid. If Eclipse Divers was still in operation, this would be a no-brainer -- Michele was amazing.

Other than posting here, I have no idea how to either find a dive master who could take care of me or at least a shop that isn't so big I'd be lost in the crowd. I also don't know what such an arrangement would cost.

Comments anyone? Thanks.

 

[sportxlh]

I'd recommend diving in Key Largo over Key West: you'll have better shallow sites.

You can hire a guide from most any shop: I like Conch Republic the best, but have had good experiences with Rainbow Reef and Horizon too. All those ops have big boats but if you hire your own guide, it doesn't really matter. Of those three, only RR's boats seem like they are routinely filled completely up. The other two seem to have just a bit more elbow room because there are usually fewer divers. RR provides guides for free but at a 1:4 or 1:6 ratio, so if you want a true one on one experience, you should hire a private guide. For a six pack, check out Quiessece

 

[tkaelin]

Any reason KW vs say Ft Lauderdale, West Palm Beach or Key Largo?