Which Key next week- Help for a California Cold Water diver

[puffer]

I am traveling on buisness Tuesday to Texas and was thinking of taking a side trip (flying) to Florida before returning home to California on Memorial Day. I wanted to go to one of the Keys to go diving-what is the weather like right now? Will I even get to dive or are the winds still kicking up? Also I wanted to know what Key would you recommend and what dive operator, resort based on the following information:

I am a fairly new diver with about 12 dives. Most of these dives were done off Catalina in cool water, think thick full wetsuit, hood, gloves, so I am nervous about diving with so little on

I am a single female traveling by myself so safety is an issue as well as dive buddy.

I have to be back to work on Tuesday and I have to travel via Houston on the company ticket.

If I can't dive I'll like some topside attractions.

Any help would be much appreciated

 

[MikeJacobs]

Great idea! Everybody has their favorite but they're all good. Try Brian at Island Ventures http://www.islandventure.com/contact.htm (1-866-293-5006).

You'll be diving from Key Largo. That means you'll need a car and fly into Miami or Ft. Lauderdale. It's about a 2 hour ride without traffic but can take another hour or so with traffic.

You could also fly into Key West and drive up, but that's a serious drive and the flight/car will be lots more tricky and exensive.

Call Brian or other operators (folks here will chip in I'm sure) and tell them your schedule, skill level, etc. They'll set you up with whatever you need - hotel, restaurants, dive buddies, etc. Ask them about the weather, too, though it's ususally fine.

As far as gear goes, most of us are still diving with 3 mil average - adjust accordingly.

Nice dives are the Spiegel Grove and Duane, though they are deep and you need to be careful about your depth considering your experience level. I hear some operators don't let you dive unless you're an Advanced level, but check when you call Brian.

Otherwise, the reefs are terrific - Molassas and French are most common and terrific, but Looe Key is supposed to be the best (again... ask Brian).

It's safe down there, but be careful about where you stay in Miami.

There's not much else to do down there except drink, so if the weather looks bad consider heading elsewhere.

Finally... when you know your dates, post a "Private Trip" with the date in the header and see if you can't get some of us to go with you. We have dozens of divers online here and we're all eager!

 

[DandyDon]

The shallow reefs of Key Largo are a great place for newbies! Depending on your body weight and how easily you chill, you may want to wear a 3 mil long, but you can easily find some easy dives on lovely reefs with pretty fish well accostomed to divers.

You do not have any business on a boat going to the S.Gove, Duane, or the other deep wrecks. I love diving on them, but those will wait until you have more experience, AOW & Nitrox cards.

It's safe down there, but be careful about where you stay in Miami.

Yeah, skip Miami and drive down to Key Largo ASAP.

Now the bad news: You may find that it's just as easy and cheap to fly from LAX to FLL or MIA as from IAH. Funny how that works.

Run a search on Key Largo, and you'll get all the hotel and operator reviews you can stand...

 

[DIVERTOM]

http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=key+largo

You can get the weather from this web-site wunderground.
I use them for planning my dives in Florida.
http://divertom.net/ Theres photos on my web site of some
of my dives in the Keys and along the East Coast of Florida.
Theres Biscayne National Park not to far from Key Largo which
has some beautiful reefs and Looe Key is a great dive.There
is also great diving from Jupiter south to Miami so take your
pick.

Diver Tom

 

[Bob]

Puffer,
There's no reason you shouldn't dive the Grove. it's only 48 ft to the rail and there's alot of good diving 60 ft and less. If you dive the Grove just be aware that the current can be strong and plan your dive accordingly. I do not recommend a dive for you on the Duane. You need more experience than you currently have. In addition, most Dive ops in the Key Largo area require at least an AOW for the Duane, which can be a very difficult dive. Hope you have a great trip. almtree: Bob

 

[archman]

If you'd like something much simpler than dealing with Miami and Highway 1 driving to Key Largo, you can get flights into Key West. There are dive ops that are more than decent, though not on the "awesome scale" of Looe Key or Pennekamp. If you wanna see the largest masonry structure in the Western hemisphere and the most pristine marine life in the Keys, you can hop on a fast ferry to Fort Jefferson in the the Dry Tortugas. There are wonderful day trips that cater to snorkelers, with air conditioned decks and rinse showers.

For nightlife and "surface attractions" in the Keys, you can't beat Duval Street. Almost as nice as New Orleans.

 

[Scubaguy62]

Puffer,
There's no reason you shouldn't dive the Grove. it's only 48 ft to the rail and there's alot of good diving 60 ft and less. If you dive the Grove just be aware that the current can be strong and plan your dive accordingly. I do not recommend a dive for you on the Duane. You need more experience than you currently have. In addition, most Dive ops in the Key Largo area require at least an AOW for the Duane, which can be a very difficult dive. Hope you have a great trip. almtree: Bob

The Spiegel Grove is definitely an advanced dive and definitely not a dive for someone with little experience. The currents are unpredictable and it's a very crowded dive site. It's true that you can see a lot in 60 fsw, but the temptation to go deeper is ever present, and the sand is at 132 fsw. Please be sure you are up to it Puffer.

The shallow reefs off Pennekamp in Key Largo are your best bet. Mike has mentioned the best two reefs, along with one of the best dive operators in Key Largo. If you dive with Brian, ask him to take you to snapper's ledge. It's a reef not many people know about and one which he (Brian) discovered.

 

[charmygirl]

There are dive ops that are more than decent, though not on the "awesome scale" of Looe Key or Pennekamp. If you wanna see the largest masonry structure in the Western hemisphere and the most pristine marine life in the Keys, you can hop on a fast ferry to Fort Jefferson in the the Dry Tortugas. There are wonderful day trips that cater to snorkelers, with air conditioned decks and rinse showers.

For nightlife and "surface attractions" in the Keys, you can't beat Duval Street. Almost as nice as New Orleans.

I second that emotion. When in Key West, I like to dive with Bonsai divers, a lovely little one man shop. The owner is super laid back and gets in the water with you. You won't have any worries. Very nice dives, very low pressure.

That's my 2 cents.

K

 

[CA Diver]

I dove with Upper Keys Dive Center in early May and had a great time. You can ask for Don, Brian or Jason. I agree with Scubaguy62 the wrecks, especially the Spiegel Grove are Advanced dives and the Reefs are excellent. In addition to Molasses we enjoyed Davis and Snapper reefs. The water was warm but at 79 to 80 degrees you WILL need a 3 mil wet suit. It is alot better than a 7 mil with hood trust me. Enjoy the diving, I did.

 

[DandyDon]

Puffer,
There's no reason you shouldn't dive the Grove. it's only 48 ft to the rail and there's alot of good diving 60 ft and less. If you dive the Grove just be aware that the current can be strong and plan your dive accordingly. I do not recommend a dive for you on the Duane. You need more experience than you currently have. In addition, most Dive ops in the Key Largo area require at least an AOW for the Duane, which can be a very difficult dive. Hope you have a great trip. almtree: Bob

While I respect Bob's training and all, I strongly disagree. :11: Although some operators there will take an OW to the Grove, I disagree with them, and a diver with but 12 dives has no business diving a wreck laying on its side.

Enjoy the reefs; kelp beds are nice, but you've never seen anything like Molasses.