So is Kelly's on the Bay/Aquanuts closing?

[deeper thoughts]

I've heard great things about Conch Republic Divers and Tavernier Divers, and KeyLargoBrent is associated with Blue Water Divers, which I've also heard nice things about, but I'd suggest steering clear of HMS Minnow. My wife and I had a very bad experience with them a few years ago. We found them on Undercurrent, and I would never use them again due to some serious concerns over their handling of diver safety issues.

-Grier

wow could you pm me with details cause i am shocked, before i moved here i must of dove 50x with them and always a+

 

[RonFrank]

I read a post here in August that Kelly's on the Bay and Aquanuts are closing. However, their web site is still open and shows the new owners. i emailed them but have not heard back. Does anyone know if they did sell out to the developers or not? i want to go down there in a month and again in June.

LJ

They are closed. I dove with them during their last week which was at the end of July. They sold their dive Op to another Op (I assume boats, tanks, the name). The resort was sold to developers who will be tearing the place down, and building condo's.

I would recommend Blue Water Divers. They are a bit more expensive vs. what Aquanuts used to charge, but you get more personal service, and the boat is really nice with a limit of 10 divers. When I went out with them, we had four divers on one trip (including Brent) and three on another. We drifted the Grove which made for a very nice dive with no need to kick into current.

They are kinda like six pack diving without a six pack boat (I guess 10 pack). People always rave about small boats, but IMO bigger boats are nicer. Let's face it, how many boaters brag about how tiny their boat is! Bigger boats are more comfortable, easier to get back on, handle rough seas better, and have more room for STUFF! As divers we have LOTS of STUFF!

http://www.bluewaterdiver.net/

 

[RonFrank]

What happened with the HMS Minnow? They are on my short list of operators in Key Largo because of the Undercurrent review and the fact they are a 6-pack and not diesel.

Curious, why do you dislike Diesels? Fumes maybe? All the Diesels I've been on did not have exhaust issues where it was smelling things up.... maybe I've just been lucky.

 

[TheRedHead]

Seasickness. If I'm queasy, nothing instigatges a lurch to rail faster than a whiff of diesel. I'm very familiar with every preventative. I use the patch and it works best. I also enjoy diving more in smaller groups. You only get an hour (really, only 50 minutes) and if you don't rush to be one of the first in the stampede when the mate yells, "Pool's open," then you lose precious diving time too. I've always liked 6-packs over Newtons, backrolls over giant-strides.

 

[TheRedHead]

If you're looking for a first class 6 pack and not diesel, check out Dive In (MM 97.5/Oceanside) and Capt Pete. The shop and Capt Pete are very accomdating and professional!

Thanks, do they have a website?

 

[500 PSI]

Good to know Capt. Pete is running a six pack. I enjoyed his company and he is very flexable as to dive sites. I'll look him up in April.

 

[MsParamedic]

Thanks, do they have a website?


They sure do...go to www.diveinflkeys.com

 

[LJinFLA]

I did get a repy from the email address on the Kelly's/Aquanuts website. They said their last day of operation will be February 18, 2006. I do not know if that is the Resort or the boats, but i suspect it is the resort. I know that at least one of the boats was sold to Crital Clear and is docked behind Tropic Vista. I think the email referred just to the resort.

LJ

 

[TheRedHead]

Since they're closing, I will opine that I think Aquanuts was one of the worst cattleboats I've ever had the displeasure to board. We drove down from Miami to do one day of diving in Key Largo and it was Molasses Reef for exactly 60 minutes with perhaps a 5 minute SI and motoring about 100 feet to dive it again. I was so fed up with all really bad divers kicking up sand and torturing the reef, I called the 2nd dive a 35 minutes. My buddy signaled he was going to hang out under the boat and shoot some more photos. The DM almost went ballistic and was going to haul my buddy up even though you could see him perfectly well from the boat.

Got that off my chest . . .

 

[RonFrank]

I did get a repy from the email address on the Kelly's/Aquanuts website. They said their last day of operation will be February 18, 2006. I do not know if that is the Resort or the boats, but i suspect it is the resort. I know that at least one of the boats was sold to Crital Clear and is docked behind Tropic Vista. I think the email referred just to the resort.

LJ

I think the resort is closed.

They were refering business to other Hotels, and DiveOps, and that was last July while we were there. All the boat captains, and DM's were either finding new jobs, or attempting to do so.

The new owners of the boats *may* have kept the operation open under the Kelly's name, but not the Hotel. At the time when we were there the entire DiveOp fate was up in the air, and Kelly's was attempting to find buyers which apparently has now happened.

The group that purchased the Resort could care less about the DiveOp, they were in it for the Development opportunity.

I'd say the Key Largo locals have the up to date poop.... Key Largo (and the Keys in general) are kinda a small place with Boat Captains on the radio on a regular basis so word travels.