Keys Trip End Of April

[Jon_R]

Going to a wedding in the keys this month. Wedding is Sat the 26th at Hawks Kay. We have a hotel on Marathon. We will get there Thursday Night. Plan is do 4 dives/ tanks on Friday and then 2 on Sat before the wedding. Any recommendations are welcome.

We have all our own gear to include tanks. To do 4 tanks on Fri should we bring 4 tanks per diver or is there usually time to refill tanks between boats?

2 divers just OW 30-40 dives experience drift dives and bridge dives in south Florida.

Specific Questions
Are most dives drift dives?

Are the conditions "usually" calm enough to be comfortable?

Is there a strong need to make reservations now?

This time of the year is it common to just be able to show up and find a boat?

We considered staying in Key Largo the first night and dive in that area on friday. any advice?

My biggest fear is pre booking 2 people for 3 boat trips for ~400 and not able to get out. 3-5 foot is probably going to be a problem.






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[Alvida]

If you don't mind changing hotels, Key Largo is worth the stop, but keep in mind, depending on the time of the wedding you may need to request an early check-in at the Marathon hotel to have time to clean up between the Saturday morning dives and the wedding. We like Island Ventures in Key Largo, but there is a wide variety of operators and many come highly recommended. We have been to Marathon only once and weren't totally happy with the dive op so I'll refrain from any recommendation there, other than Sombrero Reef (when we FINALLY got on it) was great, albeit crowded. We have been diving in the Keys on several trips and have only once done a drift dive, so definitely not the norm.

 

[CajunDiva]

Just my opinion...

I would spend Thursday night in Key Largo. Four dives on Friday would be easy to accomplish there. You could do a morning wreck trip (2 dives) and an afternoon reef trip (2 dives). Then you could drive on and spend the night in Marathon to dive there Saturday morning and be there to get ready for the wedding later in the day.

Whatever you decide...have a blast

 

[sportxlh]

Some dive boats are located right next to their shops and can fill tanks between dives (Conch Republic in Islamorada for example). Others can't. If you decide to dive out of Marathon note that there is a dive operator right in Hawk's Kay (Dive Duck Key). If you decide to use them, call them to see if there is time to refill between boat trips, if I recall, they refilled my tanks but I'm not completely sure about that. I did four dives with them in Sept and they are a decent operator. I like Key Largo diving better than Marathon but when I take one of my trips to the Keys this year, I'll probably dive with them for a day but spend most of the time in Key Largo and Islamorada.

For your other questions: most diving in the Keys is not drift diving. The only site I done drift dives on is Conch Wall in Key Largo.

April conditions can be flat to sporty to ugly with trips cancelled. Watch the NOAA website for marine conditions. While no one can guaranty that you'll get on your first choice of boats, my bet is you can wait until a day or two before you dive to make reservations. I wouldn't wait until the morning you plan to dive though.

 

[iluvtheocean]

2 interesting things that Marathon has though is Keys Fisheries and the Turtle Hospital to check out if the diving isn't so hot...

 

[Jon_R]

I booked morning and afternoon dives with Conch Republic for Friday the 25th. Probably go with a group in Marathon for Sat morning. Doing Conch wall in the morning and TBD Reef in the afternoon. I will give them a call making sure I can fill tanks between dive vs. drag 4 extras down there. Looking forward to it.

 

[djtimmy77]

When we dive the keys on weekend trips we typically use our big steel tanks for the wrecks, and then just use their aluminum tanks for the shallow reefs. This allows us to avoid getting fills while we are there.

 

[Donnah]

I agree, the diving and options in Key Largo are the best. I have done drift dives in Key Largo, but that is not the norm. We like Ocean Divers in KL -- they actually post where they will go each day. Boats are also comfortable. Between am and pm dives you can go to Sharkey's for lunch and hang out with the locals. Conditions in April can be just about anything. This week we went from total flat and 90+ degrees on Monday to high 70s, lots of wind, and white caps on the Bay.

 

[sportxlh]

I booked morning and afternoon dives with Conch Republic for Friday the 25th. Probably go with a group in Marathon for Sat morning. Doing Conch wall in the morning and TBD Reef in the afternoon. I will give them a call making sure I can fill tanks between dive vs. drag 4 extras down there. Looking forward to it.

Conch Republic can definitely fill between trips: I do it all the time and they are my 'go-to' shop on most trips. Also note that Conch Wall can also be dove off of the mooring balls. Sometimes it is drift, sometimes not: depends on the current (or lack of current). Have a great trip!

 

[Capt Gary]

Yes as indicted we can fill your tanks between dives. We also bank 40% nitrox so doing a nitrox fill between dives is no issue either. Just remember to ensure you have a current hydro and VIP sticker on each of your tanks. If you want nitrox then the VIP sticker should be a nitrox sticker.

Good Diving,
Capt Gary