al248005
Contributor
We just booked a private charter through Finz for February to there and I can't wait!
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Will do! Everything I've heard has been good so far!Let us know what you think of the diving
No doubt the diving in Tortugas is good, and little doubt that it's notably better than the rest of the Keys.Will do! Everything I've heard has been good so far!
I believe you get a tour of Fort Jefferson too which normally costs 190 just for that...but will definitely everyone know!No doubt the diving in Tortugas is good, and little doubt that it's notably better than the rest of the Keys.
The burning question I have is it worth the cost of about $500 for 3 dives (assuming you can fill the 6 pack with divers) and the 4 hour round trip boat to get there, in addition to the long drive you gotta make to get to Key West.
I flew out there two years ago. The flight itself was fantastic (6 person sea plane). We spotted hundreds of turtles, sharks, and dolphin (from the low flying plane). We could not bring our dive gear on the plane so we brought our snorkel gear. We swam away from the island to a reef maybe 200 yards away. It was fantastic! Full of life. We snorkeled around the dock…nice. Wish there was an easy way to get there with dive gear. The liveaboard prices seem crazy high for that trip.I'm headed to the Keys next month and the Tortugas has been a bucket list item for quite some time however recent searches don't find much to say about it other than what is written on websites by companies that profit from divers (and snorkelers) going there so I take that with a healthy dose of skepticism.
Since I'm not seeing much else about it here on ScubaBoard or really anywhere else, and most dive Ops other than Finz are not taking divers there anymore I'm thinking there's good reason for it. If the diving was so great there, then there would be a lot more to say about it.
Finz dive center charges $2300 for a 6 pack private charter plus $55 per diver for 3 dives. You can do 4 dives if you skip the fort tour and there's an additional fee for the 4th dive, plus rental gear and tanks if you need them. So even if I can get 4 more divers to fill the boat, you're talking the better part of $500 for 3 dives (I need tanks and weights).
Can anyone tell me the diving is that much better than elsewhere in the Keys that it's worth trying to fill about, spend that sort of money and travel 2 hours each way to get there?
And/or can most of the same stuff be seen by taking the Ferry for under $200 bucks and snorkeling around the island?
Thanks
For me >>>>> 100% Y E S. It's consistently big fish that you won't find elsewhere in FLA. And I'm even talking about right outside the park boundaries line. Inside that line is even better for photography especially on Sherwood Forest & Playmate Rock that were loaded with big fish. It's not a macro photography trip by any means, this is the big stuff. I'd pay $500 easily for a 3 tanker go fast out there.is it worth the cost of about $500