diving the Keys?

[MrMrEZG]

My wife and I are considering a trip there this summer. we've never been. where should we stay? who should we dive with? what other activities are there?
We like diving wrecks?


just wanting your opinions, I understand that is what they are.

 

[CajunDiva]

Hi There! I see you are from South Louisiana...so are we! We have been diving in Key Largo since 2004 and absolutely love it there. This summer we are putting together the first annual "Cajun Invasion" at Rainbow Reef Dive Center in Key Largo. Looks like it might be the perfect trip for you

 

[iluvtheocean]

I think question 1 to answer is what kind of diving do you want to do in the keys... shallow reefs or wreck diving and how deep? Although Rainbow additionally gives you the option of them dropping a guide w/o extra cost (just have to ask for it)

as to out of the water activities -- too much to list -- what are you interested in? depending on where in the keys you go -- you have the option of dropping all the way down to key west and up to miami for more diving and nightlife

 

[n2ogto]

My wife and I have been working on this:Florida Keys Diving & Snorkeling - Monroe County Florida Keys Official Tourism Website
Lots of awesome wreck to dive!

 

[Dwhite213]

My wife and I have been working on this:Florida Keys Diving & Snorkeling - Monroe County Florida Keys Official Tourism Website
Lots of awesome wreck to dive!

Really nice site. I was delaying looking for places to go for my upcoming trip, but now it should be easy.

 

[sportxlh]

I like Conch Repubic Divers but have also dove Silent World and Quienscence and had good experience. Conch's big boat is really big and stable which is nice for winter and spring diving. They are also located a little further south than other Key Largo area shops and hit some shallow reefs and a the deeper Conch Wall reef that other boats don't get to quite as often.

This is a decent place to stay: Key Largo Hotels | Ocean Pointe Suites at Key Largo | Tavernier Florida Keys Oceanfront Resorts

This thread has some good information: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/florida-diving/435116-help-florida-keys.html#post6502886

This thread has information on non-diving stuff to do: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/florida-diving/429631-suggestions-non-diving-family-keys.html

There are many casual bars, taverns, restaurants in the Keys, so you won't be bored in the evening. One of my favorite places in Mile Marker 88 since you can sit outside and watch the sun set over the bay while eating dinner or enjoying a beverage.

 

[Busdiver]

I head down to the Keys a few times a year. On my last trip I discovered Sail Fish Scuba. Great little shop that runs a four pack, puts a dive instructor in the water with you and gives you a dvd full of photos of your dive for free. What is nice about Sail Fish is that they are the complete opposite of the large cattle boats that go to the same spots that every other big cattle boat heads out to. The other boat I like to dive with is the HMS Minnow. This is a little 6 pack that likes to go out earlier than the cattle boats. Both charters will allow you to customize where you want to go to. If you want to double dip the spiegel then just ask. If you want to dive on a reef where there are no other boats then ask. Both companies are extremely accommodating. Sail Fish also has excellent rental gear if you need it.

There is pretty good food in the Keys. I love cuban coffee so I make sure I spend some time at Denny's Latin Cafe @ mm 100. If you like ice cream Mr. C's is the place to stop--2 locations.

Hope that helps,

Bus

 

[scubaguy655]

Just so you know Busdiver - Jeff has sold the Minnow and according to the Minnow website, the boat no longer leaves earlier than other dive ops. I have not been down since it was sold so do not know the new owner.

Sail Fish sounds interesting but seems a bit pricey to me.

 

[Busdiver]

When did Jeff sell? I spoke with him a few weeks ago. Then again, he couldn't take us out because he was doing something else which led us to finding Sail Fish.

Sail Fish is about $15-$20 more than others but it is only 4 divers max in the water. I will pay a little bit more for the ability to customize my trip and the guarantee that there will be only a couple people in the water with me. The other nice part about my trip with Sail Fish was we adjusted for the weather. We ended up doing a real nice drift off of Elbow and there was not a single boat out there.

---------- Post added February 24th, 2013 at 11:25 PM ----------

Just rechecking my emails with the Minnow in January and they are from Capt. John Garvey and not Jeff. Shame. I really liked diving with Jeff. The last two times I have tried to dive the minnow we could not get on due to the new owner was off island training.

 

[lrterry]

I like Conch Repubic Divers but have also dove Silent World and Quienscence and had good experience. Conch's big boat is really big and stable which is nice for winter and spring diving. They are also located a little further south than other Key Largo area shops and hit some shallow reefs and a the deeper Conch Wall reef that other boats don't get to quite as often.

This is a decent place to stay: Key Largo Hotels | Ocean Pointe Suites at Key Largo | Tavernier Florida Keys Oceanfront Resorts

This thread has some good information: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/florida-diving/435116-help-florida-keys.html#post6502886

This thread has information on non-diving stuff to do: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/florida-diving/429631-suggestions-non-diving-family-keys.html

There are many casual bars, taverns, restaurants in the Keys, so you won't be bored in the evening. One of my favorite places in Mile Marker 88 since you can sit outside and watch the sun set over the bay while eating dinner or enjoying a beverage.

Hard to get a bad op in the Keys because those just do not last, to many good ones. My fav. is Conch Republic. We got our AOW with them also.