Jupiter to Key Largo

[Tuckster]

Wife & are are flying into FLL (10/1) for a week & plan to make 4 or 5 dives. From reading this forum, it sounds like the best locations are the upper keys (shallow dives on nice reefs & several wrecks) & Jupiter for deeper dives & larger stuff (rays, turtles & sharks). We may split it up but it looks like a lot of driving. I would also like to spend a couple of nights in FLL on the intercoastal where we can take the water taxi to dinner etc. & the wife even mentioned 1 night in Key West. Too many decisions....I know we'll enjoy all the dives but may not be able to include them all. Any & all suggestions are welcome.

Thanks

 

[StSomewhere]

Consider whether you want to spend a lot of your week just driving around so Fla. vs. hanging out and doing fun stuff. In our experience, that's a packing in a lot in one short week. YMMV.

 

[ScubaDadMiami]

If it were me, unless the above water activities were the priority, I would spend the time in Jupiter and Palm Beach areas. That is, if you are only going to be reef diving.

The reefs tend to be in better shape, it is not as crowded, it is less expensive, and you will see bigger fish life. The Keys are nice but not as nice. Broward is good for wreck diving.

 

[bahamasita]

For an awesome deep wreck dive, you MUST dive the recently uprighted Spiegel Grove in the Florida Keys. I would highly recommend using Conch Republic in Tavernier. I just got back from a wonderful weekend of diving in Key Largo with them and it was AWESOME! They are a truly well-run, professional, safety-conscious operation and Capt Gary and Capt Jim are incredibly knowledgeable about the dive sites there. They gave excellent dive briefings at each dive site.

In case you haven't heard, the Spiegel Grove is a huge ship that was recently uprighted by Hurricane Dennis. I am a new diver, so could not go on this dive, but people in my group who did had an incredibel time! They couldn't stop talking about it. In fact, that site was only opened up for diving after the hurricane last Tuesday, I heard! People said that they dove 90-100ft+ on that dive and saw all sorts of marine life. I never went past 46 ft on my dives this time, but I saw nurse sharks, dolphins, eagle rays, moray eels, puffer fish, lobsters, crabs, etc. etc. on this trip! Imagine if I could have gone deeper!

Good luck on your trip!

 

[ScubaMarine]

I figure since everyones saying something different id add my own 2psi. I live in Ft Lauderdale and the beach area is great place to stay. Take the water taxi to Grill 66 a restaurant open just over a year, excellent for white table cloth and romance. Also try the new Chima on Sunrise, very classy brazillian steak house.

As for diving its an hour and a half to Key Largo where there are a million dive operators. You can usually call the day before to book a spot on the boat. Id recommend Scuba Doo for a six pack, Silent World for a 12 pack, and any bigger than that and your crazy. I havent seen the Spiegel since its been uprighted but I hear its a very busy site now.

Also if your staying Lauderdale you might as well see some cool wrecks. Tropical divers in North Miami is a six pack run by a very professional team. They also can take you to a number of wrecks from the Army Tanks to the Deep Freeze.

All of the operators have web pages. Check them out! Hope you enjoy your vacation!

 

[Tuckster]

Thanks a bunch for your "2 cents".....It all helps. Having people like you offer ideas & suggestions only helps make the vacation more enjoyable. I was unsure about the FLL stay but the water taxi & many restaurants really sounds like a lot of fun.