Best Florida Keys dive location recommendations

[JTDivers]

Hello All,

Looking to take the wife to the Keys for her birthday in October and we do not know a whole lot about what type of diving you offer. We have both been wanting to visit the Keys, however in looking there seems to be a vast array of locations and islands, from Largo to West. Can anyone assist us in "real" information from local divers. looking for the down and dirty on dive locals including the good, bad, and ugly.

Thanks again

 

[Speedster00]

Hey JTdivers,
I just got back for a trip in the Keys this week.
There are a few people that were I found very helpful and nice. I will list them from the Key Largo to Key West.
If your Diving in Key Largo - Here are some of the people that I personally met and were great:

Sky from Atlantis Divers at the beginning of Key Largo, she was very kind and helpful - unfortunately we ended up staying a bit farther south so we never dove with them.

Ginger from Ocean Divers in Key Largo was helpful and nice to talk with - unfortunately we didn't dive with them.

Becky from Rainbow Reef Divers in Key Largo- They were our first dive in the Keys - they send a guide down to show you different sights and they were great. Dove Molasses Reef and French Reef with them.

Dave from Key Divers in Islamorada was great and we did the most diving with them -
Dove the Eagle wreak, Alligator reef, Alligator Deep, Alligator reef (different section) Capitan Foolish an another spot I can't think of off hand.

We were going to dive the Vandenberg wreak off Key West but after spending the night/morning on Duval Street we got in way to late. Didn't do the Duval crawl back to the cottage so I guess it we did OK but to dive at 8:30 AM just wasn't going to happen - Next time

If there is any thing I can help you with just pm me.

Andy

 

[Big G]

Hello All,

Looking to take the wife to the Keys for her birthday in October and we do not know a whole lot about what type of diving you offer. We have both been wanting to visit the Keys, however in looking there seems to be a vast array of locations and islands, from Largo to West. Can anyone assist us in "real" information from local divers. looking for the down and dirty on dive locals including the good, bad, and ugly.

Thanks again

The Keys offer diving for every taste and skill/experience level, so you'll find something for you here, for sure. Here's a couple of recommendations from an experienced local.

Check out Scuba-Do in Key Largo.

:: Scuba-Do Dive Company :: [ Welcome to Scuba-Do! ] Scuba Diving in Key Largo, the Florida Keys

A great operator with personalized service who can take you to shallow reefs and wrecks and the deeper wrecks like the Spiegel Grove or the Duane, if you're advanced enough to do those kind of dives. They are also centrally located in Key Largo, so they can go either north or south, easily.

You may also want to check Conch Republic Divers.

CONCH REPUBLIC DIVERS " COME SEE WHY WE'RE NOT JUST ANOTHER DIVE SHOP"

They are a little more south, but run a great op.

Let us know what you find out.

 

[100days-a-year]

Another plug for Ginger and Kenny at Ocean Divers,further W on Big Pine is Underseas both are top notch.The only 2 shops we use,tried others but they could never meet our needs.

Best dives shallow Christ statue,Sombrero and Looe Key

Best dives <120' Thunderbolt and Busch,yes the bigger wrecks are cool but haven't been down long enough to accumulate as much growth.

Best dive>120' is the Wilkes Barre from 170' to 250',there are few dives anywhere that allow you the opportunity to see so many species.

Worth a long trip & a little extra cash are the Marquesas and Tortugas trips.

 

[Speedster00]

We found the operators at Conch Republic were great to talk with and they guys at Silent World(?) were very informative too. We met with so many of the dive shop to get a feel of their operations and got to know so many nice people. I just can't remember them all

 

[McCainiac]

Chris Brown and the guys at Silent World are the shop to go with!!!

 

[scubaguy655]

There are several good dive ops in the Key Largo area. If you search around in the forum, you will find some of the favorites......some that have already been mentioned.

My wife and I like to dive with Jeff Jarvis on the HMS Minnow. Jeff runs a smaller 6-pack and typically beats the other boats out by 1/2 hour or so. We have been diving with Jeff for 6+ years 3+ weeks a year and always have a great time. I like the smaller crowd and often times it is just 4 of us on the boat for the week. If luck is with you (and not with Jeff), you might get a private charter with just the 2 of you.

It really depends on what you like. The larger boats like Conch Republic offer a more stable ride in rougher seas and they are a great op to dive with...good people too!

 

[JTDivers]

Hi Everyone,

The Wife and I would like to thank all of you that responded to our query!!! We will contact all suggested operations and try to formulate a battle plan........However, I am quickly understanding that we NEED to have more time in the water. Hummmm, I think return trips will be necessary to have a good understanding of what diving in the Keys really means, OH DARN!!!

Thanks again everyone!!!!

 

[RonFrank]

I have dove the Keys for years. My favorite Ops have been listed, and I think the diving out of Key Largo is among the best in the Keys. I have not done the Vandenburg, but one issue many have with this dive is that Key West is a great party spot, and you can either party hardy, or dive, but not generally both!

My experience with the Keys is that there are a lot of great dive Ops, and it is hard to have a bad time with most Ops in the area. Make sure if you plan on diving the deeper rec wrecks that you understand the qualifications the Ops may impose. Basically you need AOW, or to pay a guide.

Many folks are down on the Keys as a destination dive spot for whatever reason. I always enjoy the diving there, and have done a lot of it.

Have fun, and dive safe.

 

[johnschroeder]

I also reccomend Silent World -- they are without a doubt a top notch shop. They will take care of you in a way that few others can, believe me. I dove with them last September and plan to go back as soon as I can. While in Key Largo I stayed at Amoray Dive Resort. They are also a great group. The accomodations are a bit spartan but functional and clean. I plan to go back there also -- I feel like they are old friends after just one stay there.