Your Favorite Spots in the Keys

[PAFirefighter]

Hey all. So my only dive trip so far has been to Bonaire. With the exception of quarry diving here in PA, that's all I have done. What a beautiful location might I add, but I am sure you all know that! I did see the sticky up top, but there's a lot to decipher in there for specific locations in the Keys.

My girlfriend (Rescue Diver, AOW, etc.) and I (OW) are planning a driving & diving trip. We will be driving from here in PA down to the Florida Keys, with stops in Nashville and Miami along the way. We have approx. 2 weeks for this trip and are planning on sometime in March or April for timing. I've never been to the keys, but my girlfriend has and she really loved it.

What are your favorite dive spots and/or dive resorts in the Keys? Great wrecks would be neat as well. Any help is much appreciated. Thank you!

 

[beachleboe]

I worked the keys for 4 yrs and have dove from Key Largo to Key West. I believe Ocean Divers in Key Largo is the classiest operation and makes regular trips to Spiegel Grove wreck and Mallasses Reef a beautiful fish filled reef. Marathon has a nice wreck the Thunderbolt and most reefs are fish filled. In Key West the newest wreck is the Vandenberg and my choice of dive ops is Southpoint Divers. I spent most of my time in Marathon because I felt it was a more social community. Key West is the party town. Hope this helps

 

[Thalassamania]

Do not miss a dive on the Thunderbolt.

 

[JMorben]

I highly recommend the HMS Minnow. Jeff only takes out 6 divers and leaves earlier than most dive operations.

 

[sportxlh]

PAFirefighter: you'll find that a lot of folks on SP are partial to operators in the Keys that they frequent. My bet is not many of the operators are really all that bad and most are good to great.

My favorite is Conch Republic Divers but I've had good experience with Silent World as well. I've not been to Bonaire, but the way people describe it to me leads me to believe that what you'll find in the Keys will not be the same as what you found in Bonaire. There aren't too many all inclusive dive operators from which you lodge and then catch a dive boat and there are no 'house' reefs or beach dives: there are a few inclusive hotel/dive boat operators like Amy Slate's, but that's the exception. Most people stay in a hotel or rent a condo and then drive to the dive operator each morning. There are a few places where the hotel is within walking distance of a dive boat or a dive operator located on the hotel property (like Pirate Divers at the Mariott on Key Largo).

Any of the wrecks in the upper Keys is worth seeing: I've dove the Spiegle Grove, the Duane and the Eagle. I've never dove the Bibb but have heard it is similar to the Duane but deeper. I happen to like the Eagle becasue it was sunk in the 1980's so has a lot of growth and was split apart by one of the big storms which makes for interesting topography. There are a lot of shallow wrecks like Mike's wreck, Bentwood, City of Washington, etc. My favorite reef is Conch Wall because it is in fantastic condition since so few dive operators go there regularly, but I've enjoyed all the shallow ones too such as Snapper, Davis, Molasses, etc.

Enjoy your trip to the Keys, in your downtime or if poor marine conditions prevent you from diving, the History of Diving Museum just south of Key Largo on Islamorada is worth visiting.

 

[scallop]

I highly recommend the HMS Minnow. Jeff only takes out 6 divers and leaves earlier than most dive operations.

Minnow has been sold. I was going to book him for Christmas week. Spoke with Jeff a couple times via e mail. I received a phone call from another gentleman who informed me he has taken over the operations. Never did get together as he was booked for dates I had open.

 

[Capt Scotty]

Favorite places in the keys....lets see...Gilberts, Sharky's, Big Chill, Shipwrecks...wait where you asking about Diving or drinking.....lol

 

[mselenaous]

Hey all. So my only dive trip so far has been to Bonaire. With the exception of quarry diving here in PA, that's all I have done. What a beautiful location might I add, but I am sure you all know that! I did see the sticky up top, but there's a lot to decipher in there for specific locations in the Keys.

My girlfriend (Rescue Diver, AOW, etc.) and I (OW) are planning a driving & diving trip. We will be driving from here in PA down to the Florida Keys, with stops in Nashville and Miami along the way. We have approx. 2 weeks for this trip and are planning on sometime in March or April for timing. I've never been to the keys, but my girlfriend has and she really loved it.

What are your favorite dive spots and/or dive resorts in the Keys? Great wrecks would be neat as well. Any help is much appreciated. Thank you!

Welcome to the Keys. We have awesome diving for all levels of divers. I recommend reading through the Florida Forum as there are many many threads about the Keys discussing diving, sites, conditions, training, accommodations & even dining/drinking places. You will find often praised ops, and even some who are SB participants. Each shop has its own personality and specialties. Some have small boats with 6-10 divers, others have big comfy stable boats (more divers but if you tend to get seasick bigger boats are for you), some allow hunting, others are tech diving, or instructor development centers, one even caters to nonEnglish speaking Europeans, some included a free inwater guide (usually interns). I recommend checking out several here on SB, then call them to see if what they offer meets your expectations. They all work hard so you have a safe, fun & memorable dive vacation. Most ops have working relationships with local hotels & condos to get you the best pricing for that property, so feel free to let them take care of the details.

On the topics of the above listed dive sites, the beloved wreck dives are 100+ ft deep. Dive ops will require you to be minimum of AOW or hire a guide to dive the Speigel Grove, Duane, Eagle, Vadenberg, etc. I recommend completing your AOW while you are here as well as Nitrox if you have done that yet.

Let me know when you are in Key Largo and maybe we can meetup for a

Happy Diving!
Elena

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

In South Florida (Palm Beach to the Keys) March and April are the two most difficult (ie, worst) diving months due to frequent windy conditions making for choppy seas. Not to say there are not calm stretches during that time of year, but you are really taking the chance of missing a lot of diving days. June through September are the calmest, clearest, warmest months and the best diving. If this a trip of a lifetime, and you are flexible, the summer or early fall is best (Sept is my personal favorite as the crowds are less but the weather is usually great). Need to watch for tropical storms, of course, but they are rare.

As for sites, all of the wrecks and reefs mentioned above. One site that has not been mentioned is Looe Key (off of Big Pine Key) which is, in my view, perhaps the best shallow reef (18-35') in the Keys, along with Molasses Reef.

Because you are driving, you might also consider stopping in Jupiter/West Palm Beach for a day or two. The reefs and wrecks are generally closer to the Gulf Stream, and large marine life (turtles, goliath grouper, sharks) are very common at all times of year, I would say more common than in the Keys. During the summer, multiple turtle sightings are typical on every dive, and in August and September goliath grouper aggregate on the wrecks for spawing, and you can see up to 50 or more giant fish (up to 800 lbs) on the wrecks at that time of year. It is one of the best "big animal" diving experiences on the planet. In fact, I have not had a dive the in the last year where we did not see multiple goliath groupers even on the "off season".

Not saying Palm Beach/Jupiter is "better" than the Keys, it is just a different experience that is also truly great diving.

I highly second Elena's recommendation that you do AOW and Nitrox. In Palm Beach several of best the reefs and wrecks are at depths of 90 to 110' and nitrox in particular can extend your dive time by a good bit. Some shops will take you if you have logged deep dives, but if you have not then you will need to show an AOW card. However, there are excellent reefs and wrecks in the 60-70' range that would be suitable for an OW diver especially with a more advanced buddy. So, if you wanted to do AOW in the Keys, you could still have great diving in Palm Beach on the way down (or even better, on the way back once you have the AOW, if you do that).

If you want more info on Palm Beach/Jupiter please post and lots of people can weigh in with recommendations as well.

 

[beachleboe]

I am glad you like T=bolt. I have over 100 dives on her, installed her latest underwater moorings, and can not wait to get back to her

---------- Post added January 5th, 2013 at 04:41 AM ----------

Favorite places in the keys....lets see...Gilberts, Sharky's, Big Chill, Shipwrecks...wait where you asking about Diving or drinking.....lol

You can not omit Alonzo's in Key West 4-6 happy hour 1/2price appetizers and drinks