Key largo - Key West - Crystal River??

[Scuba Duffer]

Hi - We are a diving couple form Canada that stumbled across this board and decided to make our first post. We are heading down to FLA at the end of Feb. We will be travelling around a bit and are looking for some dive recommendations. Important to us is a friendly crew that puts safety first. Also, since we are still wet behind the ears with only about a dozen dives behind us - diving with a DM is a definate plus (although we hear that is rare in the Keys). We have our own gear and only require tanks and wieghts.

The only real "must do" for us is the Spiegel and the Christ statue!

We are looking for recommendations based on this for both operators or sites!!

Key Largo - we are staying at the Travelodge- 2 days diving here.

Then Key west - Quality Inn - 2 days diving there.

Then a few days off and up to Tampa. We were then going to head to Crystal River to dive with the Manatees - just one day.

Then we have about 3 days with nothing planned before we catch a flight out of Ft Lauderdale - and are open to anygood diving suggestions - we were thinking of going back down to Largo as we are told that is the best.

Well - I guess thats a LOT to ask for a first post! Please feel free to comment on any or all - and THANKS!!

By the way - great board!

 

[seadog]

Think about WPB for great drift diving, lots of good OPs.
don't think some of the dive shops will think 12 dives is enough to do the "Grove". personally I have to agree with them - for most new divers

 

[herman]

Hi and welcome to the board.
I have to agree with SD, the Spiegle Grove is a bit much for new divers. Christ of the Abyiss is a nice dive and very easy- 20-30 ft with lots of fish. There are plenty of shallow reefs for you to explore. If you have not spent any time on boats IN THE OCEAN or the great lakes (smaller lakes and rivers do not count) please consider seasickness. It can sure make a nice dive very unpleasent. The last dives I did in the Keys....at Christ of Abyiss come to think of it, my new dive buddy and coworker on his very first ocean dive "fed the fishes". I am sure he did not enjoy it but I got some great pictures of him hanging over the rail to show off at work!! If you are unsure of your reaction to boats, some seasick meds may be in order, it's cheap insurance. My buddy "never gets seasick"...until that day. He did not turn down the seasick med the next day.
I have had dive ops in that area require you to hire a DM to go with you if you do not have enough diving experience to suit them, you may want to call or email some of them, tell them your experience and see what they require. The going rate was about $25/dive. We dove with Silent World in Key Largo. Nice boats and DM's.
At least to me, the better diving is from Key Largo to the middle Keys, Tavanier or so. Unless you just want to see KW, stay up the keys some. The diving and food is better and the lodging is cheaper IMO. KW is too much of a tourist trap for my taste. The Mel Fisher museum is worth the drive to KW however. If it were me, I would dive in the morning and to drive to KW for the afternoon.

You might want to give some of the springs a try. Ginnie Springs has some interesting caverns that are easy to dive.

 

[FloridaDiver]

Key West is a "must do" in terms of land based activities - it's one of the few places in the Keys with some nightlife. I would plan on diving Looe Key, a very pretty reef about 20 miles north of Key West. Looe key is one of the prettiest reefs in the Keys, and because it's pretty far "down the road" from Key Largo, doesn't get as much diver traffic. It's a perfect place for new divers. The Looe Key Reef Resort in Big Pine Key, while not fancy, was a great place to stay and has a 3 tank trip on their big power cataraman (complete with hot dogs and candy bars). Their phone # is 1-800-942-5397.

In Key Largo, I would dive with Ocean Divers. They run two nice 45 Ft. boats and have a very organized operation. I would consider doing your AOW class with them if you want to dive the Grove. Otherwise, I would skip that wreck (to be honest, there are better dives IMHO). The Spiegel Grove is an advanced dive, deep with sometimes strong currents. While the wreck starts at @60 ft. or so, that's just the side of the boat - not too exciting. I passed 100' easily just looking around. I much prefer diving the Duane.

The Christ statue is a pretty dive. Also, North North Key largo Dry Rocks, and, if you can get them to take you (it's farther out) - Carysfort and South Carysfort reefs are beautiful. I've also dived Molasses reef many times, and, while it gets alot of diver traffic and is a bit beat up - you won't find more fish life anywhere. it's a nice dive.

Oh, and make sure you eat at The Fish House in Key largo - it's fantastic (The Pan Sauteed Yellowtail rocks!)

Crystal River may be the highlight of your trip - I love to snorkel with the manatees. I would skip using a dive op and rent a boat from the Plantation Inn Dive Shop (352) 795-5797. The main spring is about 400 yards from their dock, the river is very easy to navigate, and they'll give you a map and suggestions. I did it both ways and much prefer to rent my own boat. Scuba is not necessary (nor desired, the manatees hate bubbles), although there is a cool cavern in the main spring (not suggested for new divers - it's small and easy to find the exit - but it is an overhead environment). While in that area - you might want to do a "tour" of some of the other springs. There are many within a couple of hours or so of Tampa (where I live) - some are good - some get boring after 10 minutes. I can give suggestions if you need them. One day would be enough to hit a couple of sites.

After Crystal River, I would head east across the state and dive West Palm Beach. I like to dive with Diving Solutions in WPB. WPB diving is generally drift diving, you just float along with the current. The reefs are limesone ledges running North/South parallel with the coastline. You won't see the hard coral formations like in the Keys - but I usually see something exciting (reef sharks, turtles, big moray eels). Just cruising along with hardly a fin kick is fun by itself.

That's about it - a great Florida dive trip where you'll see about all the state has to offer. Enjoy your trip!



I hope this long post helps.

 

[Scuba Duffer]

Thanks For the input!!

Herman - Don't have to worry too much about seasickness - we have our own 24ft'er that we cruise the Great Lakes in. We have been in 4ft - 5ft swells a few times (which is a lot in a small boat) and no problems with seasickness - we have done our share or rough water without incident - thanks for the advice though.

Floridadiver - WOW!! - Great info - just what I was looking for - thank you very much. I have sent an e-mail to the plantation asking about some arrangements. This may sound like a silly question - but if you rent one of those small Jon boats - how do you get back in - do you have to pull yourself up??

Is the Spiegel Grove really that advanced a site?? Our Max depth to date is 85ft - we definitely won't exceed 100 under any circumstance until further trained. We are both very comfortable under water. We also noticed from the group dives that we have done that we seem to fair better than most. Most DM's stop paying attention to us early on in the dive because they can tell we are very comfortable - we have even been told that. Although we only have 12 dives - they are all in the last 7 months ranging from Turks and Caicos to Cozumel to Aruba - lots of different conditions.

We really do not want to exceed our limits - but we really do want to see the Spiegel. What about a guided tour with a DM? I here Paradise Charters in Largo always sends a DM down with you.

Thoughts??

 

[scuubaadoo]

in kew west is one of the best I have come across, very friendly helpful and knowlegable. Call Capt. Bob at 1-800-929-5549. For Crystal river call Fred at Port mmarina dive shop 1-800-443-0875. tell both of them Randy sent you.

 

[scuubaadoo]

Paradise charters is in Key Largo, sorry all those keys can't keep the names right.

 

[sexysadie]

One of my favorite things to do when I visit Florida is swim with the manatees. I have always rented a Jon boat from Crystal River Manatee and Dive Tours. They are really great and it is a lot of fun. You can't dive with the manatees but if you snorkle they will come right up to you. I have had the most luck right around King's Spring. Good luck and I hope you ahve a great trip!

 

[FloridaDiver]

Concerning the Jon Boat, they usually have a small metal ladder on the rear to climb back in - it's not really a problem. They also rent large pontoon boats, which I rent when I have a big group.

Another suggestion for your "manatee day" is to make a stop at the Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park 7 miles South of Crystal River. They have a manatee rescue program with an underwater observatory. It's a great place to learn more about these wonderful creatures.

If you're sold on doing the Grove, by all means hire a DM to go along if the dive op requires it. Some dive ops will let you get by with proof of experience below 100' if you don't have your AOW yet. When my wife and I dove the Duane a few years ago, she didn't have her AOW and was required to have a DM go along. I paid the money ($50.00) and tagged along as well. It was a great dive as the DM knew the wreck better than I did and gave a great tour.

Herman, I hate to disagree, but when I dove with Silent World a couple of years ago, they were terrible. The captain was rude, the boats were only so-so, and the general attitude was poor. I feel that you can do much better with Ocean Divers.

Another suggestion while in Key Largo - if you want to do something different from diving, I greatly enjoyed my kayak tour with Florida Bay Outfitters. They do a 2-3 hour tour that takes you across Florida bay and through a maze of mangrove tunnels. It was a very nice way to spend an afternoon and the staff was great. They supply everything you need. Also, Pennekamp Park has kayak rentals and an interesting nature trail as well as one of the few sand beaches in the Keys. You can snorkel around the mangroves, which is very interesting.

If you have a warm night and want to go somewhere casual, fun and stay outside, check out the Lorelei restaurant in Islamorada. It's a unique place that's worth a visit. They usually have a band with outdoor or indoor seating.

I could go on like this for awhile - can you tell I love the Keys?

 

[Scuba Duffer]

Thanks Again!

I talked to the people at the Plantation and they say they have an agreement with the local Dive Operators that they will not let any boats go out until after 8:00am - after the tours are out. We were really hoping to get out before the tours and all the "non divers" - stirring up the silt. In light of that - and considering it is only a few dollars more - we are thinking maybe well take the tour. For the extra few bucks - we will probably learn more about the manatees themselves from the guide. We are leaning towards "birds under water" - they seem like a good outfit.

For Largo - Paradise charters seems to have a good rep and they always put a DM in the water with you. I have sent them some questions about the Grove - describing our qualifications - I'll see what they say.

Thanks Floridadiver for the info on Looe Key. We looked into it and are spending a day with Looe Key Reef Resort doing a 3 tank trip on their big power cataraman. GREAT recommendation bythe looks of it!

West Palm - Thank you so much Seadog and Floridadiver for the info there. After searching out some info - I have a feeling this will be the best diving of the trip. We are definitely going with "Diving Solutions" (Floridadiver's recommendation) - I was very impressed with thier web site - looks like a first class operation.

This info has been a big help guys and gals - thanks a bunch! With the exception of the actual operator or boat rental in Crystal River - I think we are pretty much set!!