Less dived sites in the Upper Keys?

[bladder]

Hi fellow Florida Keys Divers!

We're a group of 4 and we'll be staying and diving in the Tavernier area in 2 weeks. We booked a place for a couple of nights and have use of a boat, so even though we're diving with Conch Republic Divers during the day on Friday and Saturday we are thinking of taking the boat out Friday afternoon and doing an afternoon and night dive.

Can anyone recommend the so-called "secret" dive spots that are rarely if ever visited by the commercial Ops that might be a bit more pristine with active marine life because they're not overwhelmed with the daily tourism?

And a site that might be especially nice for an night dive.

Thanks!

 

[Wookie]

Carysfort reef. Are you comfortable running the boat at night? In the dark? There's a lot of shallow water in that area.

 

[sportxlh]

This isn't a secret spot since Conch Republic goes here occasionally, but I think Conch Wall is one of the best reefs to dive. Its deep (@ 100 feet at the base) compared to other reefs so not many other boats hit it, at least they don't hit it often. Many of the visiting divers to the keys prefer the shallow reefs and when they dive deep, they do the wrecks. Some don't even know there are deep reefs. I've always found Conch Wall to be in pristine condition. It's really cool to do as a drift dive.

Dante's Ledge is another good deeper reef off of Islamorada that gets even less traffic. I've dove it with CRD as well but it was on an all day 4 tank dive trip since it is out-of-the-way.

 

[bladder]

Carysfort reef. Are you comfortable running the boat at night? In the dark? There's a lot of shallow water in that area.

Well, in all honesty, not really. 3 of us have or had boats at one time or another but we're certainly not familiar with the area and haven't done a lot of night boating. The boat is docked in Tavernier I thought it would be a quick easy run out to the reef. I figured we'd speak to the boat rental place and we'd have a Garmin/GPS/Depth finder.

If you think this is a BAD idea then we may need to reconsider.

 

[The Chairman]

I agree with Carysfort. Most overlooked and under dived reef in the Keys.

 

[Wookie]

Well, in all honesty, not really. 3 of us have or had boats at one time or another but we're certainly not familiar with the area and haven't done a lot of night boating. The boat is docked in Tavernier I thought it would be a quick easy run out to the reef. I figured we'd speak to the boat rental place and we'd have a Garmin/GPS/Depth finder.

If you think this is a BAD idea then we may need to reconsider.

I know that I would program in a course and run it during daylight so you know what to expect. Nighttime makes even me nervous, and I've been doing it for a living for 20 years.

I think that the suggestion to dive Conch is not a bad one. Straight out and back and not much to hit. But here's a thought. If you really want to rent a boat for a day, do a day dive or 2 at Carysfort, then a second at Ball Buoy or The Drop, both have moorings. Pay CRD to take you for the night dive. You'll find that diving from a dive boat is much less expensive then renting a boat. And you don't have to worry about what the boat is going to hit.

But going to Carysfort is an adventure that you hardly ever get. It's off the beaten track for both Biscayne boats as well as Key Largo boats. So it's worth doing if conditions are right and you want to spend a day on a boat.

 

[bladder]

Ok thanks for the very helpful feedback, we're considering our options.

For what it's worth when I ran my private boat diving idea by my girlfriend she said I am out of my freaking mind (and she knows boats better than I do, she's owned some really big ones over the years with her exH)

 

[seadweller]

I would do your night diving with a commercial dive boat . It will be a lot less stressful and
you will enjoy yourself more , Conch Republic Divers are good guys . If you have use of a
boat during the day just run around and check out the bay and maybe snorkel and have lunch
at Hens and Chickens . Have a good time .
Sea Dwellers

 

[tomfcrist]

Least dive spot? There are a lot of candidates. Vitric would be my vote.

 

[bladder]

Ok thanks for the comments. I like the snorkeling idea!

Or we'll pay Sea Dwellers a visit for the night dive.

The rest of the group outvoted me on the private diving idea which is now completely off the table but I'm bookmarking this thread for those off the beaten path dive sites for possible future use.

Thanks