Help reading bouy forecast for Key Largo

Me and a friend are supposed to be headed to Key Largo next week weather permitting. We are flexible, so we don't want to drive down 12 hours if weather looks iffy. Trying to figure out which part of the Molasses Reef bouy forecast to look at. Also wondering if the mention of the Gulf Stream being closer to shore is likely to cause bad currents on our dives. If so we might postpone. I know it's too early to make a decision and we'll probably wait until Saturday or Sunday before deciding to call the trip. Any help would be appreciated.

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/data/​Forecasts/FZUS52.KKEY.html

On the same page as the buoy data info is a link for the marine forecast. Usually
these marine forecasts will include two or three different nearby areas so be sure you
are looking at the area you are interested in. Further north on the east coast for example,
Jupiter to Deerfield Beach will have one forecast and Deerfield Beach to Ocean Reef will have
another forecast. It will be on the same page but further down. I have heard in the keys that
winds out of the SE are the winds to be concerned with if they are of any intensity. I usually
don't worry about the 5-10 kt wind forecast. Anything above 5-10 kts I then start looking at the
direction of the wind. Currents and the gulf stream I'm not sure of but there are members on the
board here that may be able to comment on that.

Go to windfinder.com, click on North America, United States, Florida, Key Largo and then wind report. It will tell you everything you want to know.

Thanks for the tips. I am looking at the marine forecast for the Molasses Reef station, but trying to figure out which section would apply. We'll be diving out of marina at MM100 with Rainbow Reef probably just shallow reefs but maybe do the Speigle Grove. I’m guessing the section might be one of these two areas “Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to Halfmoon Shoal” OR “FROM HAWK CHANNEL FROM OCEAN REEF TO CRAIG KEY OUT TO THE REEF-HAWK CHANNEL FROM CRAIG KEY TO WEST END OF SEVEN MILE BRIDGE OUT TO THE REEF-HAWK CHANNEL FROM WEST END OF SEVEN MILE BRIDGE TO HALFMOON SHOAL OUT TO THE REEF”.

For some reason my link to the bouy forecast in original post doesn't work. Here it is again.
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/data/Forecasts/FZUS52.KKEY.html

Deeper thoughts answered my question in another thread



Originally Posted by pamawi
What section of the Molasses Reef Marine Forecast did this come from. There are several and I'm trying to figure ouot which one applies when you go out from MM100 to the shallow sites. I started a thread with this question but haven't gotten any responses yet. Saw your post so figured you might know. Thanks, Pam
GMZ042-043-044-220230-
HAWK CHANNEL FROM OCEAN REEF TO CRAIG KEY OUT TO THE REEF-
HAWK CHANNEL FROM CRAIG KEY TO WEST END OF SEVEN MILE BRIDGE OUT TO
THE REEF-
HAWK CHANNEL FROM WEST END OF SEVEN MILE BRIDGE TO HALFMOON SHOAL
OUT TO THE REEF-
430 PM EDT THU JUL 21 20

Hey Pam, haven't seen you since Vortoberfest when you gave us all the great info on Cypress Springs (it was awesome!).
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions and please stop by and say hi while you are in Key Largo!

Hey Elena, I did miss Springfest but hope to make it to Vortoberfest this year. Would love to see ya'll while we are down there. Can you PM me your contact info?