Need comments on a planned trip from FLL to Key Largo to Key West to Miami

[selo]

I have business in Miami on a Friday (Oct 16) and I am planning to arrive early and dive in the Keys. I got my certifications in Los Angeles (Catalina Island) but these days I prefer warmer waters.

I am considering two options, both involving driving from FLL to the Keys and returning to Miami on a Thursday afternoon to take care of business on Friday. I have identified my dive ops (after reading several threads here).

1) 3-day 2-tank morning dives at Key Largo, drive to Key West in the afternoon of the 3rd day, 2-day 2-tank morning dives at Key West, driving to Miami at the end of the 2nd day (a Thursday).

2) 4-day 2-tank dives at Key Largo, spend the entire day on Thursday to drive around (possibly to Key West) and back to Miami. This seems a bit less hectic without the checking-into the hotel, diving, checking-out, driving soon after the second dive of the day, etc.

Any suggestions? Also, would the water temps be around mid to high 70s in mid-October?

Thank you in advance,
Selo

 

[CajunDiva]

I like your first option, primarily because it would give you the opportunity to visit Key West and dive the Vandenberg. I'm not sure I would spend two days diving there though - I suppose it would depend on the dive op and locations offered. Key Largo has LOTS to offer, with great reef life and fantastic wrecks. You mention you got your certifications in LA, so I'm assuming you have at least Advanced Open Water, which would be required to dive the wrecks.

I'm thinking the water temp would still be 80 degrees + in October. If I recall correctly, it starts cooling down around November. Hope you have a great trip. PLEASE come back and give us a trip report so we can live vicariously through you!

 

[Lorenzoid]

If it's diving you're interested in, then stay in Key Largo. The drive to Key West and back is something that everyone should experience just for the fun of it, but the diving in Key West is not all that great unless you have a specific goal that's unique to the area, like the Vandenberg. Key West itself is worth visiting for the fun of it, but not for the diving. If you want to maximize your diving, stay in Key Largo. That's where the good diving is. If you want to get in some tourism at the cost of losing some diving, then by all means drive to Key West and back.

 

[sportxlh]

I generally like your first option better too, but part of it depends on what you're looking for. Key West has a lot of sightseeing type of things to do (Hemmingway's house, southern white house, museums, churches, etc etc.) along with a ton of restaurants and taverns and evening activities like watching the sunset over Mallory Square. It'd be a shame to just to drive down and then back in a single day since there are a lot of non-diving things to do.

One thing you might consider is doubling up your dives in KL on one or all the days. I rountinely do 4 dives a day while in the upper Keys and on my last trip a couple weekends ago, one day included six dives (a twighlight and a night dive were in the mix). If you do two 2 tank dives one or more days, you'll still have plenty of time to enjoy the bars and restaurants in afternoon/evening in Key Largo.

The water temps should be in the upper 70's, but sometimes they'll still be in the 80's and sometimes cooler.

 

[AdivingBel]

You don't have to go all the way to Key West (BTW the Vandy is a FUN dive) for diving outside of Key Largo. There is lots of excellent diving both wrecks and reefs just south of Key Largo through the middle Keys even just across 7 mile bridge. Tavernier, Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine all have great dives and several very good dive OPs all within divin' day trips of Key Largo. Don't get me wrong I really enjoy Key Largo, but (IMHO) some of these other spots can have a little different flavor. Have fun.

 

[LowVizWiz]

Any suggestions? Also, would the water temps be around mid to high 70s in mid-October?

Thank you in advance,
Selo

I'd suggest staying in Key Largo, Tavernier or Islamorada and diving morning and afternoon for two days. Making a day trip to Key West on day 3 (As said earlier the diving there is not great, but you may be able to do the Vandy) sightsee and return to the Upper keys on the same day. Dive the morning of day 4 and travel to Miami in the afternoon.

I would avoid trying to do the drive all the way from Key West to Miami after a long day specially if you are solo. Not only is it a boring long drive, but it's a dangerous road too.

The last 4 years around mid October I've gotten as the low temp: (2014) 86º, (2013) 84º, (2012) 82º and (2011) 82º.

I hope that helps.

 

[scubadada]

Hi selo,

I see that you were Rescue certified in 2009 and have a good number of dives. I assume you would like to dive some of the good wrecks in the Keys during your visit as well as doing some reef diving.

I just returned from doing the wreck trek on the M/V Spree after not diving in the Keys for several years. This included my 24th dive on the Spiegel Grove and 21st on the Duane as well as my 1st dives on the Eagle, Thunderbolt, Adolphus Busch, and Vandenberg. I was very glad to have had the opportunity to dive the Eagle, Thunderbolt, and Adolphus Busch, but they are simply not in the same league as the Spiegel, Duane and Vandenberg. The 3 dives I did on the Vandenberg were simply inadequate to explore this massive wreck and I hope to have the opportunity to return to Key West. The main obstacle for me is the long, tiring drive to Key West. I drive from Boynton Beach and this is about 225 grueling miles, taking 4 1/2 to 5 hours. The trip from Key Largo would be nowhere near as difficult but the drive back up to Miami would be pretty tough after a morning of diving.

If I have my math correct, you will be arriving on Saturday and driving down to Key Largo. You will then have Sunday through Thursday free until your business meeting on Friday. I would only drive down to Key West if I really wanted to dive the Vandenberg, otherwise, I would spend a leisurely time in Key Largo and vicinity diving the wrecks and reefs. You could dive the Spiegel, Duane, try for the Bibb and the Eagle, and enjoy the reef diving. As mentioned above, you could easily do 4 dives per day and could add a night dive if you wanted. You may be considerably younger, more energetic, and more resilient than I am, and the drives to and from Key West would work out well for you.

Best of luck for your visit, let us know what you ultimately chose to do and how it went.

Good diving, Craig

 

[Lorenzoid]

You don't have to go all the way to Key West (BTW the Vandy is a FUN dive) for diving outside of Key Largo. There is lots of excellent diving both wrecks and reefs just south of Key Largo through the middle Keys even just across 7 mile bridge. Tavernier, Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine all have great dives and several very good dive OPs all within divin' day trips of Key Largo. Don't get me wrong I really enjoy Key Largo, but (IMHO) some of these other spots can have a little different flavor. Have fun.

Well sure. These islands are so interconnected and so similar to each other (from this visitor's perspective) that you might not notice when you cross from Key Largo into Islamorada. From this visitor's point of view, Key Largo, Islamorada and Tavernier are pretty much all the same. The dive ops visit many of the same sites. As for venturing further into the Middle Keys, again, it can be a nice drive to do for the hell of it, but I don't think the diving is any different from Key Largo, etc. I'm not sure what you mean by "a little different flavor"--for diving, I don't perceive any difference. If anything, the diving is better up in Key Largo, etc.--the Upper Keys.

 

[selo]

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. After further research, I decided to concentrate on Key Largo with 3 or 4 days of AM and PM dives and perhaps taking the last day off to be a tourist on the top side at Key West.

I will fly LAX-IAH-FLL, rent a car, drive to Courtyard by Marriott across Rainbow Reef, get a stay/dive package from them for 3-4 days. Then drive to Miami on Thursday afternoon, stay at Coconut Grove, U of Miami on Friday, back to LAX on Sunday.

I plan on coming back next year for the Dry Tortugas/Vandy charter on MV Spree, followed by some other sites in between Key West and Key Largo.

Thanks again for the comments, and to all who contributed to other threads about diving in Florida.

Best,
Selo

 

[luscioman]

Selo would it be possible to get a dive in on Saturday AM in Miami? Deco Divers usually does deeper wrecks every Saturday AM.