Conditions in the Keys?

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Kansas Beachbum

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Messages
16
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Location
Kansas
# of dives
100 - 199
Evening everyone. Thinking about heading back to Key West in May. Last couple times we went diving in the Keys conditions were bad, like 10' vis bad. Last time was probably 3 years ago in Key West. Time before that was a year earlier in Marathon. I love the Keys and have been there a couple times since just to party, but not to dive. I remember a lot of good days diving down there before these past two experiences. Anyone who goes there regularly, did we just catch a couple of really bad weeks, or has something fundamentally changed with the currents or something?
 
Yep.....
 
Yep which one? We caught a couple of bad weeks, or something has changed and it's like this all the time now?
 
You just never know when planning a trip. I don't have enough experience to know when you have the best chance of good weather, but I have lost diving days on all of my Keys trips because of weather. Its a crapshoot as far as I am concerned. When its good, its great.
 
KB: you just caught some bad days...... I've had one dive in the keys with less than 5 feet of visibility: all the others have been fantastic: with 40 feet of vis on the low side and 100 feet on the upper end. Key Largo/upper keys seems to have better vis than Key West in my experience (which is very limited in the lower keys) and as reported by other divers that dive in the keys often.

Here's a silly little video I posted a while ago: you can see that the vis is pretty good especially on the shallower dive sites (the camera is not a very good one either) scuba diving with conch republic in tavernier florida near key largo - YouTube
 
There's a NOAA weather station on the Molasses Reef tower off of Key Largo. I will post a link later. It gives current conditions on the reef. There may be something similar for Key West or Marathon as well.

The better diving is usually in the summer when mostly locals and Floridians are diving -- assuming there are no hurricanes!!! Beach Bumming is better in winter. Go to Fantasy Fest in Key West in October sometime. The diving could be good then as well if you can tear yourself away!!

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=mlrf1
 
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Thanks Sport...was thinking about revising plan and spending couple days diving in Largo, with Conch Republic or Ocean Divers, then heading down to KW for the weekend. Your post helps me a bunch with that decision. Hoping in mid-May conditions will be good...but as always, you just never know till you get there.

Yeah Jim...Have been to KW many times, but never during Fantasy Fest (was there during Hemingway Days once, which was fun, and saw the bed races another time). What I've told friends about KW is that it's a party looking for a reason to happen!

Thanks for the responses guys, appreciate it!
 
Hey Kansas Beachbum,

If you haven't already found the link to our REAL-TIME Dive Calendar, just note that not only does it show our scheduled dives, but also the past dives shown (Dive Logs) also contains DIVE CONDITIONS for dives listed.
Might help you get an idea of what the seas are doing on the reef and wrecks.

One other site you might find interesting. You can search a few dive shops here in the Keys to see their REAL-TIME Dive Schedules as well.
Most notably Horizon Divers and Key Largo Dive Center.
 
Unfortunately, the OP lives in Kansas. Knowing what's happening on the reef right now doesn't help with trip planning unless you are driving and don't have to schedule vacation time or buy tickets. Those of you from south Fla can check the weather and just do something else if its bad.

The diving in the Keys can be excellent, but it can be expensive on a per dive basis because of travel and lodging expense. So its frustrating to spend a bundle and have poor diving.
 
Just booked plane tickets...be there in May. Decided to dive couple days in Largo, then head down to KW for the weekend. Been a couple years since I've been in the Keys, longer than that since I've dove there...can't wait!
 
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https://xf2.scubaboard.com/community/forums/cave-diving.45/

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