bdshort's very first warm water adventure (FL Keys!) thread

I guess technically this doesn't really belong is this forum, but I thought it would be fun to post about my first warm water adventure here to share with my Alaska friends! My first warm water trip is set, and I'm ready to go! I haven't left Alaska yet, but my dive bag is all packed and set!

I will be diving in Key Largo with Ocean Divers. I gave them a call today to see if anyone else had signed up for the same trip I had, and it looks like I'll be doing my dives with 4 students and their instructor. I'll be diving on the Spiegel Grove, and a reef. I'm also planning on diving in the Looe Key area, but haven't set up a plan for there yet.

I plan on posting my pics and stories here, assuming I can find free wireless access for my laptop, so keep watching! About 8 more hours and I'll be on the all night flight from hell to Miami, via Seattle and Atlanta. I can't wait!

Brian

Ocean Divers are a great group to dive with..very professional. I use them most of the time when I take my classes to the Keys

bdshort:

I plan on posting my pics and stories here, assuming I can find free wireless access for my laptop, so keep watching! About 8 more hours and I'll be on the all night flight from hell to Miami, via Seattle and Atlanta. I can't wait!

Brian

Click to expand...

Yes! We want all the pix your camera can handle. I hear they have a big yellow thing in the sky down there that emanates warmth and light-find out what it is!

Poog

Have fun, you may never go back to cold country.

Have a great trip.

I spent the past couple of years a little north of the Keys. My favorite dive in Key Largo is by far the Duane. If you get a chance, call Scuba Doo. They run a fine op and are very friendly.

Good luck and great diving!

I think the key largo coffee house and the library offers wireless internet

The resort here has free wireless, and it's fast too! Dove this morning on the Grove and French Reef! It was awesome. Warm blue water! Mike, I'm not coming back, sorry! (Just kidding, I need to come back to pick up my scooter first. And you can't beat shore diving 5 minutes from home, even if the water is cold and not so clear and not so blue).

First dive was the Grove. Ocean Divers uses steel 85's, and I ended up having a dive time of about 25 minutes. Viz was 100+ feet, and no real current. I ended up tagging along on this dive with an instructor and 3 students, which went fine. We even did a penetration, which was way cool. The water was a bit rough on the surface, and I made a bonehead mistake of taking my reg out when I got back. It started freeflowing and flying about. Kind of embarrassing, but at least it was at the END of the dive.

2nd dive was at French Reef. Lots of pretty colorful fish and corals. We did one swim through. Highlight for me was seeing a 6-7' nurse shark! We also saw a spiny lobster, and a moray eel, though I didn't get a good picture of that. This dive was somewhat hampered by my mask fogging up. I used defog but I guess not enough cause I had to keep flushing it out. Also, my big dive light flooded. I think it's toast, cause when I opened it, it had a lot of pressue and everything inside looked brown and corroded. Oh well.

Planning on diving down in the Marathon Key / Big Pine Key area next. I may even do a couple trips I'm having so much fun.

Anyway, here's a link to the pics. They're in reverse order for some reason. The first group is French Reef, then starting with the pic of me, the rest are the Grove.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30555179@N00/sets/72157594499956822/

Oh, BTW, Ocean Divers is awesome! Great group of people, I'd definitely go with them again. I hear Blue Water (KeyLargoBrent here on SB) is really great too, but I was the only one that had signed up for this morning.

Wow Brian!
Great Pix and it looks like you are having a great time - oh how I miss that pretty blue water...

Have fun on the rest of your trip - more pictures please! See you when you get back!
Dive Princess

Great pictures, thanks a lot.:shakehead Palm trees, warm water, colorful fish, sun, and 100+ viz...you have a lot of explaining to do young man!!!!


Poog

Nice pix especially the one looking down on the spiegel