Spiegel Grove

Jackie-O · Jan 26, 2003

Hi All: I would appreciate it if anyone who has dove the Spiegel Grove and is willing to share their experience, might comment

. We are going down to the Keys in March and that's top on our list of dives. On another forum I read that the currents are very strong after 60 ft. I am AOW with about 60 dives and feel confident, but I always look for the most info I can get. Jackie

raxafarian · Jan 26, 2003

We had zero current when we dove it in Oct., but the potential is there for some good currents.

If you go down the mooring at either end, just remember which end you started at

If you go down one of the middle moorings, take a look around when you reach the wreck so you'll know which mooring to go up.

There were some interesting anemones on the bow.

I'll be back there in Feb. and will probably be posting a report and/or more pics.

The ship is huge. We kinda did a quick once-over on our 2 dives. Next time I'll be poking along in a smaller section.

PK · Jan 27, 2003

Jackie,

You'll enjoy the Spiegel Grove. It's a pretty deep dive at over 80 feet. I dove my record depth there at 111'

I hope you have a great time. There are also a large number of beautiful reefs around Key Largo. Check out some of the local discount shops for dive gear, you can get some really good deals.

Have fun!

raviepoo · Jan 27, 2003

I was there in November. I was hanging off the mooring line like a flag in a gale storm until about 70 ft. Then it mellowed out a bit.

Local dive operators said that the current is sometimes flat but it can also kick up without a moment's notice. The would not let anyone in our group dive it unless they had advanced certification or were accompanied by a divemaster. Note, this was not about making money for theri staff. We had a few dievemasters in our group who took down the folks who did not have advanced C cards.

MSilvia · Jan 28, 2003

I was there in the same group as Rax and PK, and agree that it was a great dive. I highly recommend Diver City, the operation we chartered the trip through. WreckWriter met us down there, and gave us a bit of a tour around the wreck, which was calm, as has already been noted.

As a side note, I got some of my all time favorite underwater photos on those dives, including this one I'm currently using as windows desktop: http://home.attbi.com/~msilvia7/TrumpetFish.jpg

This one might give you an idea what the lower than usual vis was like:
http://home.attbi.com/~msilvia7/smLSD32_Spool.JPG

nitroxbabe · Jan 28, 2003

I did the Spiegel twice last November, once with Kelly's and once with Horizon Divers. Actually Horizon was better, the ride was shorter, etc. etc.

The dive is definately worth doing - the ship is HUGE. We didn't have too much trouble with current: we certainly knew it was there when we were descending the mooring line, but just hang on & get down to the wreck, and then keep your eyes open. They have flags attached to the wreck to help you keep an eye on the current.

I did have a couple people try to scare me about the currents, but they were being real crepe-hangers. Of course you need to pay attention (as always) but it was OK: just use your skills.

We found an octopus hiding in a hole on the deck about mid-ship toward the top. Tell him hello for us if you see him.

DennisW · Jan 29, 2003

I thought I had posted a trip report last October, but I can't find it. In any case, what everyone else said. It's a great dive. Enjoy.

Jackie-O · Jan 29, 2003

Thank you to everyone who wrote. I can't wait for March. I looked at some photos taken by some of you. It looks HUGE. I welcome the remarks on the current and the flags. I will take some photos and post them on this board. Our local dive shop operator ( also a friend) is going with us. We will be diving as a three-some.

raviepoo · Jan 29, 2003

The thing that really stays with me from my one (first of many I hope) Speigel Grove dive was the fact that when our boat pulled up at 9:00 AM all of the mooring balls were occupied and two other boats were waiting in line ahead of us. It was kind of like Laguardia Airport on a windy day - long delay on the tarmac before take off.

Because the dive shop owner had a good relationship with one of the shops already tied off to a mooring ball we were allowed to tie off to another shop's boat. The two other boats waited their turn though.

Robbo · Jan 31, 2003

I made two dives on the Spiegal Grove in October. One day was very calm and the other was a bit of a struggle. If the current is a little much on the line down you can avoid it by going over the edge of the ship.

Also, dont forget to dive the USCG Cutter Duane. The Duane was sunk about 15 years ago and while not nearly the size of the Grove, it has tremendous life on it. And a couple of cool swim throughs.

Have a great trip!!

Spiegel Grove

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