So. FL conditions in Jan or Feb

[Jethroish]

Planning a trip for sometime mid-Jan to mid-Feb. What are the normal conditions in from FLL down thru Key Largo amd Islamordo? Would I need more than a 3mm full? Is that a stormy time of year?
Thanks

 

[DebbyDiver]

It's a real crapshoot. It could be flat calm and gorgeous, or we could have ten foot seas. Plan to come down and enjoy our beautiful reefs but have a non-diving backup plan.

Wear whatever protection you need for about 72 degree water and you'll be fine.

 

[Matteo]

It's a real crapshoot. It could be flat calm and gorgeous, or we could have ten foot seas. Plan to come down and enjoy our beautiful reefs but have a non-diving backup plan.

Wear whatever protection you need for about 72 degree water and you'll be fine.

yep, that pretty much sums it up as far as conditions...personally I add a hooded vest to my 3 mil during that time of year

 

[HowardE]

Planning a trip for sometime mid-Jan to mid-Feb. What are the normal conditions in from FLL down thru Key Largo amd Islamordo? Would I need more than a 3mm full? Is that a stormy time of year?
Thanks

Like Debby says, the weather is a crap shoot, but then again, it is a crap shoot any time of year. At least you shouldn't expect rain in the winter, but the winds do blow, and the seas can be rougher in the winter than in the summer.

The viz is better in the winter than in the summer IMO.

Would you need more than a 3mm is a tough question to answer. IMO yes. I would recommend at least a 5mm and maybe a hood. Last winter, some friends from Colorado came down, and they were very happy that I recommended the 7mm suits to them, especially since we did 18 dives in 5 days... Personally, I dive dry in the winter so there you have it.

 

[deeper thoughts]

Like Debby says, the weather is a crap shoot, but then again, it is a crap shoot any time of year. At least you shouldn't expect rain in the winter, but the winds do blow, and the seas can be rougher in the winter than in the summer.

The viz is better in the winter than in the summer IMO.

Would you need more than a 3mm is a tough question to answer. IMO yes. I would recommend at least a 5mm and maybe a hood. Last winter, some friends from Colorado came down, and they were very happy that I recommended the 7mm suits to them, especially since we did 18 dives in 5 days... Personally, I dive dry in the winter so there you have it.

I would say the viz is better here in the upper keys in the summer but still beautiful in the winter. I wear a 3mil shorty with long sleeves and I am comfortable

 

[Tienuts]

I dove the Speigel Grove on 2/5/06. The air temp that day was 58 and the water temp was 67. That was from 4 different dive computers.

 

[DebbyDiver]

Of course it is usually colder at depth though...shallower dives would give you warmer temps. Heck, sometimes wrecks are that cool in the summer!

 

[HowardE]

On 2/5 last year, I dived in Boynton - temp was 72...

I did the Spiegel Grove on 2/1 and went to 120 feet, and the temp was 72 according to my SmartCom

 

[garyfotodiver]

And I was diving off Pompano Beach in 70ft on 1/6/06. Air temp was 55F, water temp was 68F. Very comfortable in a 3mm full suit.

 

[DebbyDiver]

:14: Jethro, bottom line: Your Mileage May Vary.