Ok, so let me start by saying this might be in the wrong section (might belong in the one up from here). I thought this section appropriate as this is my first vacation for diving and wanted to share my experience as it may help someone else. This isn't for the old diver who's seen it all (although feel free to read it and let me know where I went wrong), it's for the new diver. I'm pretty new here (about a year in so far), so by all means, move if necessary.
My wife and I just got back (it's always such a bummer coming home) from a 10 day vacation in FL. 1/2 was just us and some family (that lives in FL), the other 1/2 we met up with friends. I've never been to FL on my own (took kids but that revolved around Disney). I took a good bit of time before we went, reading through posts (on here), and exploring different options for all over FL. Just to put it in perspective, I put about 1600+ miles on the rental car, so we got around a good bit. I'm a bit of a diving fanatic, my wife just likes it, so there's definitely a different opinion on how much diving we should do. All told I got in 5hrs, 6min of diving (I wanted more, but it is what it is, I'm very happy to be able to experience what I did). She's freshly OW cert, I have a few more and am AOW (but by no means do I think I'm advanced anything). Just giving a bit of a background, someone with more vacation / diving experience might have done things different. I know I'll do a few things different next time.
1st Dive spot. Devil's Den in Willinston FL. Somewhat off the beaten path which I liked. It's technically considered a cavern dive, but it's a very wide open cavern (flame me if you like). I had called both Blue Grotto and DD and discussed what the dive was like with both before deciding on DD. At any point in our "overhead" diving there was maybe 10-15' to swim over and up to get to OW. There was a lot more overhead at BG, so I opted to not do that just yet. The lady on the phone was adamant that all types of divers come to DD. It's shaped like an upside down bowl with a rock structure in the middle. Google pictures for reference. Beautiful place to go. This was my wife's first OW dive outside her cert. (although we did a lot of pool / some quarry time trying new gear, bp/w, kicks, etc. before we went south). For beginners, this place was great. Really helped my wife build some confidence in us as a team. Viz was 40-50' easy, maybe more.The lady giving the dive brief said there were a few swim through's. She said "you cover your light, if you see light in the darkness it's a swim through. If you cover your light, and there's no light "in the tunnel", don't go in......you'll die." There are a few tunnels that lead into caves, I saw them but never went in, just shined a light to see. We got in a total of 80+ minutes of diving between 2 dives. Wife was fine, I got cold on both dives after 30 or so min. We both had 3mm suits (rash guard underneath). With 3mm rental suit, weights, 80cf tanks, and admission for 2, price was $147.xx. It was a great start for us, it did get a little monotonous just swimming around a big giant circle, but I think it was really good for us being new.
2nd Dive spot. We had gone through the everglades and down to the keys (did the gator / airboat / swamp stuff along the way). Ended staying in Florida City as it was much cheaper than Key Largo (25 min drive). Did a 2 tank morning dive with Rainbow Reef. I had read that it was a cattle boat, and they tend to cut dives short, but I knew my wife would be comfortable with more people getting in the water in the ocean (she's afraid of sharks, etc.). In that aspect RR lived up to what I was looking for. I haven't been on a boat in quite a few years, so needless to say I got really sick on the way out (I had taken Dramamine but it didn't do anything). Swells were 4-5', wind was 20mph. To me it was rough, nothing to do w/RR though. Everyone else on the boat was fine but said it was pretty rough, so it was just my luck to be the one. I didn't let it stop me from diving. I dumped cold water down my back and jumped in when they said we could. I did opt to stay with the DM for our first ocean experience / trip. We were grouped in teams of 6 or 7 (including DM). I was surprised at how fast they wanted us to fin through the water. It felt a little rushed. I was interested in all the life, but every time I looked up, the group was on the move again. First dive was cut short @ 40 min (I'm assuming we ended when someone's air reached a certain point). There was good bit of current, but I ended my first dive with around 1100-1200 psi. My wife got floaty near the end (not enough weight) and had a difficult time with the current. She felt nauseous once back on the boat, so opted to not do the second dive.
Second dive was the same, although different spot, a little less current. Had I had my wife to buddy with, I think I would of just went off ourselves. At some point my group criss-crossed with another and somehow I and another diver swapped groups. Totally my fault, but everything was fine. I apologized to my original DM later (and the generous tip helped I'm sure), I was just zoned out for a minute watching the fish and when I looked up,...well they all look the same to me. Ended the second dive @ 1100psi, 46min. Back on the boat felt sea sick again.
My remarks in no way should seem bad against Rainbow Reef. I wouldn't change who we went with for our first trip out. I needed my wife to feel comfortable enough to get in and see that nothing is there to eat you. Mission accomplished. The captain / crew / DM's were all lively and very nice, even funny at times. I couldn't of changed the weather (although God did I wish I could). When we go again, it would be with a smaller op, that maybe let us dive our tank to 500psi or 1hr, whichever comes first. That was my mistake for not asking. I think if we did Key Largo I wouldn't opt for a guide either. Would be really nice to just buddy up and move slow checking out all the little things. But this was my first experience, and it wasn't all bad, so a good dive things considered. I got in the ocean and got wet, and I saw some stuff I can't see at home. More stuff than any quarry in MD can offer. Total for this trip was $172 (for 2). Total time, 86min (40 then 46). Rash guards, ss bp/w, 80cf tanks. I think 42' @ deepest.
3rd Dive spot. This was our last, and by by far best dive spot of all. We did the Blue Heron Bridge. My goal was to do the BHB, then fall back down to Ft. Lauderdale to shore dive the pier, but we spent so much time at BHB we never made it back down south. I had looked up the tides and rented tanks from Pura Vida divers. The idea (or so I read) was to get in the water 30 min or so before high tide. We splashed around 10:30ish as high tide was 11:00. Beautiful stuff. Viz was pretty good, 25-30'? I had bought a dive flag instead of renting one ($10 to rent, $20 to buy, rope included). There wasn't many other divers, only a few times did we cross paths. Got in 2hr 20min, and ended with 1100psi (it's only 10-20' deep). Started at the west end side of the park (where coincidentally people aim for you when they cast for fishing. Had a line get drug right across my torso, but didn't catch thank goodness. We had a flag 15' above us to mark where we were). There are warnings for where people fish, and since we had just got in, I didn't do anything but swim away. Saw moray eel, stingray, crabs, mantis shrimp, hermit crabs, flounder, and tons of fish (have a reef tank, so fish id is ok/good). Tangs, blennies, fox fish, grunts, butterfly, angel, pipefish...and on and on. By the time we were done, we were so "one" with the fish that they were all around us, even the bigger ones. (I guess your ok if you don't eat one after a certain amount of time). Truly an amazing dive. The life was everywhere. Total for tanks and weights for this excursion, $26. I loved this dive because I lean more towards shore dives. It's such an adventure and a rush. I can do them at my own pace, and they're pretty cheap all things considered (I know the "c" word and diving don't really go together). It was perfect. Viz did degrade as the hours went by, but coming from MD, anything over 10-15' in a cold dark quarry is pristine accommodations to me, lol.
I'm a numbers guy. So total for bp/w and equipment owned (for 2) is right around $1400-1600. Cost to get cert for me (OW, Nitrox, AOW) was $1040, wife (OW) is @ $445. Total spent on all quarries and rental tanks so far is somewhere around $300ish (for both of us). Total spent on the FL trip (just diving) was $348 (ok, $377 if you count my wife's lost rental weight($12), and my lost gloves ($17). Grand total spent diving so far; $3762. The reward for getting to explore a piece of the other 3/4 of the planet.....preiceless, wouldn't trade it for anything....sea sickness and all.
I wrote all this because a year ago I fantasized about a trip after reading different trip reports. Now it's my turn to give back and share my experience. I hope you enjoyed reading, please feel free to point out anything you would do different. I'll post some links to pictures when I get a chance. Thanks to SB, helped a TON in my journey so far
My wife and I just got back (it's always such a bummer coming home) from a 10 day vacation in FL. 1/2 was just us and some family (that lives in FL), the other 1/2 we met up with friends. I've never been to FL on my own (took kids but that revolved around Disney). I took a good bit of time before we went, reading through posts (on here), and exploring different options for all over FL. Just to put it in perspective, I put about 1600+ miles on the rental car, so we got around a good bit. I'm a bit of a diving fanatic, my wife just likes it, so there's definitely a different opinion on how much diving we should do. All told I got in 5hrs, 6min of diving (I wanted more, but it is what it is, I'm very happy to be able to experience what I did). She's freshly OW cert, I have a few more and am AOW (but by no means do I think I'm advanced anything). Just giving a bit of a background, someone with more vacation / diving experience might have done things different. I know I'll do a few things different next time.
1st Dive spot. Devil's Den in Willinston FL. Somewhat off the beaten path which I liked. It's technically considered a cavern dive, but it's a very wide open cavern (flame me if you like). I had called both Blue Grotto and DD and discussed what the dive was like with both before deciding on DD. At any point in our "overhead" diving there was maybe 10-15' to swim over and up to get to OW. There was a lot more overhead at BG, so I opted to not do that just yet. The lady on the phone was adamant that all types of divers come to DD. It's shaped like an upside down bowl with a rock structure in the middle. Google pictures for reference. Beautiful place to go. This was my wife's first OW dive outside her cert. (although we did a lot of pool / some quarry time trying new gear, bp/w, kicks, etc. before we went south). For beginners, this place was great. Really helped my wife build some confidence in us as a team. Viz was 40-50' easy, maybe more.The lady giving the dive brief said there were a few swim through's. She said "you cover your light, if you see light in the darkness it's a swim through. If you cover your light, and there's no light "in the tunnel", don't go in......you'll die." There are a few tunnels that lead into caves, I saw them but never went in, just shined a light to see. We got in a total of 80+ minutes of diving between 2 dives. Wife was fine, I got cold on both dives after 30 or so min. We both had 3mm suits (rash guard underneath). With 3mm rental suit, weights, 80cf tanks, and admission for 2, price was $147.xx. It was a great start for us, it did get a little monotonous just swimming around a big giant circle, but I think it was really good for us being new.
2nd Dive spot. We had gone through the everglades and down to the keys (did the gator / airboat / swamp stuff along the way). Ended staying in Florida City as it was much cheaper than Key Largo (25 min drive). Did a 2 tank morning dive with Rainbow Reef. I had read that it was a cattle boat, and they tend to cut dives short, but I knew my wife would be comfortable with more people getting in the water in the ocean (she's afraid of sharks, etc.). In that aspect RR lived up to what I was looking for. I haven't been on a boat in quite a few years, so needless to say I got really sick on the way out (I had taken Dramamine but it didn't do anything). Swells were 4-5', wind was 20mph. To me it was rough, nothing to do w/RR though. Everyone else on the boat was fine but said it was pretty rough, so it was just my luck to be the one. I didn't let it stop me from diving. I dumped cold water down my back and jumped in when they said we could. I did opt to stay with the DM for our first ocean experience / trip. We were grouped in teams of 6 or 7 (including DM). I was surprised at how fast they wanted us to fin through the water. It felt a little rushed. I was interested in all the life, but every time I looked up, the group was on the move again. First dive was cut short @ 40 min (I'm assuming we ended when someone's air reached a certain point). There was good bit of current, but I ended my first dive with around 1100-1200 psi. My wife got floaty near the end (not enough weight) and had a difficult time with the current. She felt nauseous once back on the boat, so opted to not do the second dive.
Second dive was the same, although different spot, a little less current. Had I had my wife to buddy with, I think I would of just went off ourselves. At some point my group criss-crossed with another and somehow I and another diver swapped groups. Totally my fault, but everything was fine. I apologized to my original DM later (and the generous tip helped I'm sure), I was just zoned out for a minute watching the fish and when I looked up,...well they all look the same to me. Ended the second dive @ 1100psi, 46min. Back on the boat felt sea sick again.
My remarks in no way should seem bad against Rainbow Reef. I wouldn't change who we went with for our first trip out. I needed my wife to feel comfortable enough to get in and see that nothing is there to eat you. Mission accomplished. The captain / crew / DM's were all lively and very nice, even funny at times. I couldn't of changed the weather (although God did I wish I could). When we go again, it would be with a smaller op, that maybe let us dive our tank to 500psi or 1hr, whichever comes first. That was my mistake for not asking. I think if we did Key Largo I wouldn't opt for a guide either. Would be really nice to just buddy up and move slow checking out all the little things. But this was my first experience, and it wasn't all bad, so a good dive things considered. I got in the ocean and got wet, and I saw some stuff I can't see at home. More stuff than any quarry in MD can offer. Total for this trip was $172 (for 2). Total time, 86min (40 then 46). Rash guards, ss bp/w, 80cf tanks. I think 42' @ deepest.
3rd Dive spot. This was our last, and by by far best dive spot of all. We did the Blue Heron Bridge. My goal was to do the BHB, then fall back down to Ft. Lauderdale to shore dive the pier, but we spent so much time at BHB we never made it back down south. I had looked up the tides and rented tanks from Pura Vida divers. The idea (or so I read) was to get in the water 30 min or so before high tide. We splashed around 10:30ish as high tide was 11:00. Beautiful stuff. Viz was pretty good, 25-30'? I had bought a dive flag instead of renting one ($10 to rent, $20 to buy, rope included). There wasn't many other divers, only a few times did we cross paths. Got in 2hr 20min, and ended with 1100psi (it's only 10-20' deep). Started at the west end side of the park (where coincidentally people aim for you when they cast for fishing. Had a line get drug right across my torso, but didn't catch thank goodness. We had a flag 15' above us to mark where we were). There are warnings for where people fish, and since we had just got in, I didn't do anything but swim away. Saw moray eel, stingray, crabs, mantis shrimp, hermit crabs, flounder, and tons of fish (have a reef tank, so fish id is ok/good). Tangs, blennies, fox fish, grunts, butterfly, angel, pipefish...and on and on. By the time we were done, we were so "one" with the fish that they were all around us, even the bigger ones. (I guess your ok if you don't eat one after a certain amount of time). Truly an amazing dive. The life was everywhere. Total for tanks and weights for this excursion, $26. I loved this dive because I lean more towards shore dives. It's such an adventure and a rush. I can do them at my own pace, and they're pretty cheap all things considered (I know the "c" word and diving don't really go together). It was perfect. Viz did degrade as the hours went by, but coming from MD, anything over 10-15' in a cold dark quarry is pristine accommodations to me, lol.
I'm a numbers guy. So total for bp/w and equipment owned (for 2) is right around $1400-1600. Cost to get cert for me (OW, Nitrox, AOW) was $1040, wife (OW) is @ $445. Total spent on all quarries and rental tanks so far is somewhere around $300ish (for both of us). Total spent on the FL trip (just diving) was $348 (ok, $377 if you count my wife's lost rental weight($12), and my lost gloves ($17). Grand total spent diving so far; $3762. The reward for getting to explore a piece of the other 3/4 of the planet.....preiceless, wouldn't trade it for anything....sea sickness and all.
I wrote all this because a year ago I fantasized about a trip after reading different trip reports. Now it's my turn to give back and share my experience. I hope you enjoyed reading, please feel free to point out anything you would do different. I'll post some links to pictures when I get a chance. Thanks to SB, helped a TON in my journey so far
