Miami for Labor Day

[joeamit]

Tell ya what.. I've been more impressed with the dives off of Deerfield Beach and Pompano than Key Largo.

Incidentally, I'm putting together a REEF Fish ID course for Laborday weekend, ya interested? It'll include boat and beach dives.

Please keep the information about the course coming my way….I will join as long as the family does not have other plan for me.

 

[Outlaw14]

You'll enjoy H2O if you so choose to use them. Jeff Brown is the best divemaster I've ever encountered. Gary is a great boat captain as well. They do some great dives <100 feet that you'd enjoy. Talk to Henry or Julia for details and locations.

That being said, there are many great operations and boats in the Miami area. There really is no need to hit the Keys for such a short trip.

Let me know what interests you, and I'll give you some of my top picks. Reefs, fish, wrecks, sand (just kidding), sharks, you name it and you can see it within a short dive(I mean drive) of Miami.

Hello there. Have enjoyed reading this thread and wondered if you could give me some idea about how the diving would be in mid-November? Coming down to Miami on business and hoping to get a weekend stayover to try some diving. Would be looking for recommendations fairly close by Miami/South beach area. Right now have just an OW certification although I may try to take the advanced course later this summer. Not looking for super deep Thanks for any suggestions!

Lauren

 

[GrierHPharmD]

I agree with Mempilot about diving a little closer to Miami, especially if your wife is a bubble watcher. Key Largo is great (done the sites you mentioned many times), but there are lots of sites closer to Miami, if that will work better for you.

Where will you be staying? If you would like to join some of us in the Greater Miami area for some dives, just post your boat schedule here, and let us know some other times that you'd like to dive.

BTW, I'll chime in with all of the boat recommendations above. If you're in Miami, H20 can get you to some nice wrecks just offshore. Beach diving starts a little further North, roughly from Hollywood to Boca Raton.

Hope to cross paths then,
Grier

 

[Former FLL Now MSP Diver]

Key Largo is about an hour (allow an hour and a half) south of MIA.

An hour and a half? Is that walking? It takes me that long to get down from Coral Springs.

Marc

 

[GrierHPharmD]

An hour and a half? Is that walking? It takes me that long to get down from Coral Springs.

Marc

(That's swimming time.)

 

[mempilot]

...wondered if you could give me some idea about how the diving would be in mid-November?

Mid-November diving is nice. The water temps are in the upper-70's, so a 3mm will do nicely. The winds tend to be out the east going into the winter, so expect some chop on the boat. I just pop a Dramamine the morning of the dive to make sure. Shallow reef dives tend to be drift dives. If you haven't done one, don't worry. It's easy, and the DM will brief you on how to keep the diver with the flag in sight. Expect visibility to vary from day to day. If there has been a strong current in the near past, then visibility can be great; otherwise, good visibility is the norm in the 50-70' range. There are a lot of shallow wrecks in the 50' to 80' range, but many more lie at 100 to 135 and deeper. H2O will take you to the C-One, the Conception, and many others that are well within your abilities. Fanatasy Reef, North Canyon, Miami Wall, the Rock Pile, and many others make good non-drift reef dives.

Hope this helps! Tell Henry I said hi if you choose to go with H2O.

Eric S.

 

[ReneeC]

I love Henry at H20 and have dove with RJ as well - but as the DM on the Nautilus of Ocean Safari I am a bit prejudiced. Check out http://www.oceansafari.com/ We usually do the shallower wrecks in the mornings and a shallow wreck or reef in the PM.

The boat is docked at the Sealine Marina in Downtown Miami and has plenty of room for your wife to sun or she can snorkle under my watchful eye.

 

[ReneeC]

Oh - BTW - the water temp right now is upper 80s! If you haven't already invested in a 3 mil you might want to go with just a skin! I haven't used even a shorty for about 2 months.

 

[mempilot]

Oh - BTW - the water temp right now is upper 80s! If you haven't already invested in a 3 mil you might want to go with just a skin! I haven't used even a shorty for about 2 months.

Renee,

One of these days I'm going to have come down and dive with you guys. Maybe this coming Wednesday when I'm back in town.

 

[ReneeC]

Let's us know! I am trying to sneak out of work early to go visit some bugs I know