more keys questions

[lmorin]

If you request or go on a "reef" trip from Key Largo, you will probably encounter depths no greater than about 35-40 ft. They are generally all good dives for beginners. The water in Feb. will not be warm yet. Be prepared.

 

[idocsteve]

If you request or go on a "reef" trip from Key Largo, you will probably encounter depths no greater than about 35-40 ft. They are generally all good dives for beginners. The water in Feb. will not be warm yet. Be prepared.

Define "warm". As a NE wreck diver, I'm used to diving in temps of 43-63 degrees.

Keys temps aren't usually lower than mid 70s as far as I know..and a 5/3 wetsuit should be more than enough to keep away the chill for most of the dive.

 

[Buoyant1]

I'll put in another vote for the Benwood! It was my first wreck dive, and I've been hooked ever since! It bottoms out at about 45 ft. but a good bit is above 40 ft. And there's a LOT to see!

Snappers Ledge is a great reef to visit, I just did a dive on that three weeks ago when I was down there. In the Key Largo area, I've been to Molasses Reef, Pickles Reef, and the Aquarium. All fairly shallow reefs that have lots of life!

 

[BigHarryDiver]

Define "warm". As a NE wreck diver, I'm used to diving in temps of 43-63 degrees.

Keys temps aren't usually lower than mid 70s as far as I know..and a 5/3 wetsuit should be more than enough to keep away the chill for most of the dive.

My wife and I dove Key Largo mid January 2009 (her 1st dives after OW) and temps on all dives were a balmy (by NJ standards) 72F . I wore a 5mm because I get cold, she was in a 3mm and had no complaints. Neither of us used hoods.

 

[kidsdream]

While I do recommend staying around MM100 in Key Largo, I would suggest another op to consider (in addition to the ones previously mentioned) would be Conch Republic located about 8 miles south in Tavernier. A great choice for a new diver as they have both a great large boat (46 Newton) that is larger, faster and at least a decade newer than Slate's boats as well as a 30' Island Hopper.

If you want true personalized experience and support, give Jeff and the HMS Minnow a call. If the weather is calm'ish (unfortunately not always the case in the winter) a great 6-pack platform to dive from. Great briefings with sketch type UW maps of each site (not just the wrecks).

Lots of great site - Snapper Ledge and North North Dry Rocks are too favs.

 

[RonFrank]

I have not dove out of Key West.

Anywhere you do reef diving in the upper Keys out of Largo is going to be good beginner dives with a few exceptionx. Conch Wall is deep, and sometimes has current.

Christ of the Abyss is IMO over rated, but it's kinda cool, and for a new diver EVERYTHING is going to be new. Last I was there it had fire coral growing on it, so make sure you both can identify what that looks like, and keep your hands off (which is a good policy UW regardless).

I second the idea of N. Dry Rocks, and NN also. Another favorite of mine is the City of Washington/Elbow reef. It's a torn up wreck (not a lot left), but Elbow reef while not dramatic is a cool dive. Since they feed fish there, often one sees a lot of Nurse sharks, and Goliath Groopers along with the regular cast of characters.

Basically there is a ton of cool reefs to dive in the upper keys, so have the captain take you to their favorite spot, or where the best vis of the day is.

 

[MSPDiver]

I also agree with Elbow and City of Washington. You have a good chance of seing a palagic? There is a wall close by so you get the shark and large grouper there. I have also seen a reef shark there. Better then average vis. I also agree with Snappers Ledge. As far as the waer temps go, anybody from the Northeast is going to think that 72 temps are great. That is our ocean temp in the middle of August at the surface. At depth your talking 50's. Nothing is worse then slappin on a 7mm in 95 degrees. Its the keys you cant go wrong if you are on a boat diving in Feb. A bad day in the keys is usually better then a great day anywhere else.

 

[idocsteve]

I don't wish to rain on anyone's parade, but my feeling is that other than the wrecks, the Keys are over rated.

I've dived most of the sites in the upper Keys, and my experiences have been less than stellar...I find them to be largely devoid of aquatic life, with large areas of dead or dying coral, quite often the surge is up, and this makes the visibility poor especially on the more shallow reefs. I find the Bahamas to be the same, at least Nassau...although the shark dive and the DPV dives on the wall were unique experiences although probably not worth repeating.

After diving in places such as Cozumel, and St Maartin...well for seasoned divers who have been around a bit, there's just no comparison.

In fact my sister who lives in Fort Lauderdale doesn't even dive locally anymore, she says it's just not worth it. When I first started diving and would visit her and she would complain about the dive conditions I just didn't get it. Now I do.

 

[lmorin]

Define "warm". As a NE wreck diver, I'm used to diving in temps of 43-63 degrees.

Keys temps aren't usually lower than mid 70s as far as I know..and a 5/3 wetsuit should be more than enough to keep away the chill for most of the dive.

I agree with what BigHarryDiver said above. Temps will be about 70-72 deg. I dive a 5 mm suit, my wife a 3 mm. We are typically right on the cusp of getting too cold and occasionally have had to cut dives short for that reason. If you are diving 43-63 deg water in a 7 mm suit, then you will probably find Jan/Feb water temps balmy in the Keys. But, if you are using a drysuit up north, you may find the winter Keys water cold if you are in 5 mm suit or less. Responses are obviously person-specific. I just bought a hood to make those winter Keys dives a bit more tolerable.

 

[DebbyDiver]

Wow. Just wow.

I've been diving the Keys for 32 years and the Fort Lauderdale area for about 29. I LOVE living and diving here. So do the scores of tourists I've encountered on various dive boats and beaches who dove with me.

I don't wish to rain on anyone's parade, but my feeling is that other than the wrecks, the Keys are over rated.

I've dived most of the sites in the upper Keys, and my experiences have been less than stellar...I find them to be largely devoid of aquatic life, with large areas of dead or dying coral, quite often the surge is up, and this makes the visibility poor especially on the more shallow reefs. I find the Bahamas to be the same, at least Nassau...although the shark dive and the DPV dives on the wall were unique experiences although probably not worth repeating.

After diving in places such as Cozumel, and St Maartin...well for seasoned divers who have been around a bit, there's just no comparison.

In fact my sister who lives in Fort Lauderdale doesn't even dive locally anymore, she says it's just not worth it. When I first started diving and would visit her and she would complain about the dive conditions I just didn't get it. Now I do.