Quicky Report from our trip to Ft Lauderdale and the Keys .......

[sarita75]

Cross posted in the Florida section, but since there were grousing about a report/photos - here you go. And I've made a quicky for the guys. Buahahah :devil1: I will post a more complete entry on my blog by the end of the week probably.

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Just home on Sunday from a week vacation over to Fort Lauderdale and the Keys. Unfortunately, the weather was not as cooperative so rather than the 4 days of diving I had planned, we only got in one while in Fort Lauderdale, and none in the Keys.

Fort Lauderdale dives were done with South Florida Diving Headquarters. We were travelling with some people working on their OWC so it was nice to be able to dive with them. SFDH were fantastic - I can't say enough about the Sherrie and staff and Ed, their instructor. Our dive went to Lighthouse Ledge and Sunkist reefs, which were both nice and the water temp was 75 degrees. While 25 degrees warmer than what I am used to, the length of the dives (50 minutes; 40 minutes) left me slightly chilled. Surface conditions were quite rough although the captain was very skilled in the manuevering of the boat to get us in and out without too much difficulty.

We were meant to dive with Conch Republic in the Keys, however we were again faced with uncooperative winds. CR was great with respects to keeping us in the loop and was more than amenable when we chose not to go out the 1st day because the new divers were really weary of the seas and being seasick again. Many thanks to the warm and friendly atmosphere at CR and for Capt Gary and Admiral Brenda for being a great group of people to work with. I look forward to the day in which I can visit the Keys and actually GO DIVING!

Lastly - accommodations. We were meant to stay at one place in Lauderdale by the Sea, but when we checked in - it was just "too rough". We stayed with family for 2 nights and then moved to a resort motel on A1A. Nothing to rant and rave about - but it was clean, friendly staff, pool, and they didn't mind our gear all over the balconies.

In Tavernier, we stayed at Ocean Pointe Suites. I must admit, I wouldn't recommend them. I try not to be overly fussy about things, but I just didn't enjoy this place, especially not for the price. The accommodations appear to be people's apartments or condos, perhaps they are considered Time Shares, I don't know. But ours was really poorly furnished. HARD beds, old furnishing (kitchen bar stools with marks/stains on them), the walls were really horribly maintained with ill-matching touch up jobs on scratches, etc. We had issues with our bathroom but they were addressed promptly. All kitchen facilities functioned properly, etc. That being said, the AC worked, there were plenty of dishes, etc. However, we were really unimpressed by the lack of staff at the reception desk, resulting in phones not being answered or being put on hold for all eternity. Noone seemed really interested or genuine. All in all, it felt like the perception was that they were doing us a favor. Maybe I am picky as I have worked a number of years in hotels, but I wouldn't recommend them. Sorry.

So, here are a few photos (there are more in my albums).

Stoplight Parrotfish

Cocoa Damselfish

Christmas Tree Worm

Blackbar Soldierfish

Unknown Yellowfish

Coral

.

 

[msbrew]

great pics Sarah. looking forward to seeing more. we also did several dives with South Floriday divers and had a wonderful experience with them. sorry about the rest of the trip, the next time will go better i am sure!

 

[mikeguerrero]

Wow,

Sarah I'm impressed on the colors in your pics... They really are vibrant, did you use your Canon and the strobe that I saw you with at Pt Lobos?

By the way the unknown yellow fish, clearly looks like the Yellow Coris Wrasse scientific name Halichoeres chrysus. They are very peaceful and make great pets, I should know as I have two of them in my show tank.

 

[Jim Ernst]

And I've made a quicky for the guys. Buahahah evil1: Quote :Sarita75



Poor Mark (her husband)....

Sarah....

You just keep giving more and more personal info about your husband to us, what is up with that?

LOL, Glad you had a nice time for the most part and you have very nice pictures.

 

[micboucher]

Great report and pics Sarah! Sorry the weather didn't cooperate again...next time. :14:

 

[Jim Kerr]

My daughters live in Ft Lauderdale so I usually go down there for the Thanksgiving holidays and always manage to squeeze in some diving in the Keys. Since it's right after the hurricane season I usually don't have any weather issues. It's also their slow season so you can get some pretty good rates. I was going to dive with SFDH my last trip out there but had a change of plans. I've yet to dive any of the Ft Lauderdale dive sites so your report is very encouraging.

Thanks for the heads up on OPS. What did you mean by "rough" accomodations?

 

[sarita75]

Thanks for the heads up on OPS. What did you mean by "rough" accomodations?

Rough Accommodations with respects to OPS - As they are people's condos or timeshares, each seems to be appointed and decorated differently. We saw another unit in a different building (long story, but we were lost) and it was really beautiful. Ours, however, was not. It was merely functional. Rough aspects: Front door screen didn't fit properly (and it was just the screen to keep out insects, etc apart from the hurricane blinds); bad blinds in the bedrooms letting in alot of the light from the outside walkway (right outside the window); walls were poorly painted (scraps and damage were just painted over but with the wrong paint [matte v. glossy]); furniture was really dated, worn and stained in some instances.

For the record: We were in unit 3415 - Building 3, Room 415. If you go, request something else and see what happens.

Rough Accommodations in Lauderdale by Sea: Since we were there at high season, we had a heck of a time finding accommodations which would house all 5 of us travelling with a kitchen, foldout sofa, etc. There were 2 adults, 3 "young adults" - 2 boys and a girl. So we needed a 2 bedroom with a foldout in the living room. The place we had booked "seemed fine" on their website. We weren't expecting the ritz but figured we'd be diving the entire time. Since it is a small "beach apartments" type of place, they closed their office at 8 pm, so they left the room open for us and the key in the room. When we checked in, it was 10:15 PM and the kitchen was tiny (not a big deal), but the entire unit smelled of dampness which they attempted to cover with lysol. The floorboards around the bottom were really dirty and in some spots appears to be either mildewed or rotted away. Very poor lighting. The 2nd bedroom (through a connecting door) was not unlocked, prohibiting our access. The only bedroom we did have access to was really cramped, and again, smelled badly. There was a bed in the living room (not a fold out) and it looked like a really dirty cover on it, very old mattress (blue and white striped - if you remember those oldies). There was no attempt at disguising wires and cables from the TV. Essentially, I felt that I would have had to sleep with one eye open for bugs.

I hate to say bad things as I don't want the impression to be that I am picky - because I really am not. But when you go on holiday, the last thing you want is to be unhappy, etc with where you are staying.

In the end, we had a great experience at the resort motel we stayed at in LBTS. The owner was extremely friendly and accomodating. They had a great gas BBQ we could use, a pool, just a block from the beach. Provided beach chairs, rafts, etc. Very clean mattresses, cold AC, etc. etc. etc.

So, that's that. If you have any other questions, feel free to buzz me.

 

[Jim Ernst]

Rough Accommodations with respects to OPS - As they are people's condos or timeshares, each seems to be appointed and decorated differently. We saw another unit in a different building (long story, but we were lost) and it was really beautiful. Ours, however, was not. It was merely functional. Rough aspects: Front door screen didn't fit properly (and it was just the screen to keep out insects, etc apart from the hurricane blinds); bad blinds in the bedrooms letting in alot of the light from the outside walkway (right outside the window); walls were poorly painted (scraps and damage were just painted over but with the wrong paint [matte v. glossy]); furniture was really dated, worn and stained in some instances.

For the record: We were in unit 3415 - Building 3, Room 415. If you go, request something else and see what happens.

Rough Accommodations in Lauderdale by Sea: Since we were there at high season, we had a heck of a time finding accommodations which would house all 5 of us travelling with a kitchen, foldout sofa, etc. There were 2 adults, 3 "young adults" - 2 boys and a girl. So we needed a 2 bedroom with a foldout in the living room. The place we had booked "seemed fine" on their website. We weren't expecting the ritz but figured we'd be diving the entire time. Since it is a small "beach apartments" type of place, they closed their office at 8 pm, so they left the room open for us and the key in the room. When we checked in, it was 10:15 PM and the kitchen was tiny (not a big deal), but the entire unit smelled of dampness which they attempted to cover with lysol. The floorboards around the bottom were really dirty and in some spots appears to be either mildewed or rotted away. Very poor lighting. The 2nd bedroom (through a connecting door) was not unlocked, prohibiting our access. The only bedroom we did have access to was really cramped, and again, smelled badly. There was a bed in the living room (not a fold out) and it looked like a really dirty cover on it, very old mattress (blue and white striped - if you remember those oldies). There was no attempt at disguising wires and cables from the TV. Essentially, I felt that I would have had to sleep with one eye open for bugs.

I hate to say bad things as I don't want the impression to be that I am picky - because I really am not. But when you go on holiday, the last thing you want is to be unhappy, etc with where you are staying.

In the end, we had a great experience at the resort motel we stayed at in LBTS. The owner was extremely friendly and accomodating. They had a great gas BBQ we could use, a pool, just a block from the beach. Provided beach chairs, rafts, etc. Very clean mattresses, cold AC, etc. etc. etc.

So, that's that. If you have any other questions, feel free to buzz me.

Wow that really sucks Sarah, Sorry so much went wrong and I wish you better on the next time.

 

[sarita75]

Thanks Jim. Here's the way I look at it - it is all part of travelling. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. I just wish we had gotten in more zen-time underwater, that's all! Next time! Heck, next trip is Cozumel, so barring a hurricane - we'll be in the beautiful warm water!!!

 

[Hinalo]

Speaking of Cozumel, here's my video, dropped frames and all, from four days on Cozumel. It's long, 17 minutes.

Cozumel_March_2008QTweb.mov