MV Spree Dry Tortugas Trip report

[Debraw]

OMG! The Spree is in the Dry Tortugas for the next couple of months and Troy and I had a wonderful time. I saw 6 dolphins in the wild while scuba diving at a dive site called Shutterbug. It was amazing. Simply amazing. I posted my video of pictures I took while we were on the trip. YouTube - MV Spree Dry Tortugas Florida Scuba Trip

The weather was great, maybe a little windy at times that created some waves but entry and exits were easy to moderate. Captain Frank made sure to pick sites and get us diving. If it wasn't easy he sure made it look easy. We never worried about anything during the whole trip. Everything worked on the boat, the crew was phenomenal and a great touch was the Naturalist and Photo specialist onboard. The food was EXCEPTIONAL! We went to Fort Jefferson one afternoon and marveled at the Sooty Tern birds that visit the Fort's local island numbering up to 70,000 in a migraton period. Troy and I also flew into Fort Lauderdale and drove down to Key West so we were able to see a lot of the keys on the way there and back. Florida is interesting, but I love Texas and I am looking forward to flying home tomorrow morning.I would definitely book this trip again. There are a lot of dive sites throughout the Dry Tortugas and I only saw boats on the horizon in many cases. It felt like we were the only ones in the water. Tons of fishes, critters, and stellar sites for divers. Great trip, great price. More later, the computer is rocking and I am tired. Enjoy the pics.

 

[Zinc]

Thanks for the report and pics; nice job Debraw! The DTs have been on my wish list for awhile. Glad to hear you had a good time

 

[deeper thoughts]

Thnx for the report

 

[Debraw]

I am sitting at the Fort Lauderdale ( FLL) airport waiting for our return flight so I thought I would expand on my trip report a little. Troy and I flew into FLL on Friday May 23 via American Airlines out of DFW. We checked our bags curbside for the $2 per bag charge and we had a total of four checked bags. They were never weighed and we did not pay any overage charges. Same deal on the way back. Checked four bags curbside ( 2 bags, clearly large scuba bags) in FLL and not weighed and no extra charges. Not sure if it was because we checked curbside with the guys hat depended on tips or not but it was a breeze. No hassle. We picked up the rental car in FLL from Dollar and got a jeep for a week at $126. 00, booked online with a special via the website. Great deal! It was about a 3 hour drive down to Key West, a little slower than expected but it was Memorial Day weekend and all. They are expandng the roads around Key Largo. If you are driving to Key West then the major towns are Key largo, Marathon and Key West. Don't worry if you forgot something for your dive bag, there are plenty of Diver's Direct and Diver's Discount shops along the way. I was mesmerized by the plethora of liquor stores, dive shops, boat stores, and porn stores along the way. I told Troy "this is paradise!!!" LOL!
The weather is hot and sticky. It rains in the afternoons a little. Typical tropics. We made it to Stockton Island 10 minutes north of Key West in time to unload, pick out of bunks, and then go to the Rusty Anchor for dinner and briefing. Back to the boat after dinner to finish up the briefing and leave the dock around 11:30pm for the 70 mile ride out to the Dry Tortugas. Little bit of a chop but I slept like a baby. I recently invested in a headset of Big Ears, silicone molded ear pieces designed for me and they work like a champ, not a sound gets in while I am sleeping and or listening to music. We got up fresh as daisys on Saturday morning and started the first of a five dive day on Mushrooms for the two morning dives. Brush up on your fish ID if you are headed to the Tortugas, there are so many species it's hard to keep track of what you are looking at. I also invested in an edition of Reefnet Fish ID DVD and it was a great guide to the fish, juvenile and adult. It has a list of fish that you can add to your "life list", like what birders do. I had a great time getting to know my new camera and I took lots of pictures on this trip. Over 600! Thank god for digital. Great macro life in the Tortugas also. My advice it to slow down and take your time and look for the subtle movements of the reef. I saw barnacles, clams, lobsters, scorpion fish, crabs, cleaner shrimp, arrow crab, all because I slowed down. More later......

 

[ZzzKing]

The DTs have been on my wish list for awhile.

Then you should drink more and dive less.

 

[texdiveguy]

Debra are those 'horns' I see in your new Avatar..........

 

[Debraw]

Debra are those 'horns' I see in your new Avatar..........

Oh yeah, that is my new Devil horn beanie from Terrapin Suits. I bought it on the Spree. Appropiate? LOL.

 

[ReefHound]

Great trip report. There are a few spots left on the CHUM/Zendiving trip that is Monday June 23 through Sunday June 29.