Dive Report for Upper Key's 10/22 - 10/25

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Life-Is-Good-Diver

Contributor
Messages
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Location
Space Coast, Florida
# of dives
200 - 499
Just thought i would share our 4 day trip down to the Key's this past weekend !!!

We stayed out of Ocean Point Suite's, and booked there internet special 3 day's for the price of 2, and were very happy with the stay.

We brought our own boat down, so it was VERY EASY to navigate from Ocean point out to all the dive site's, as Ocean Point is on the ocean side, and they have there own launch ramp and marina!!

As for the diving, i could write for the day's out our trip, as it was awsome!!

We arrived Friday day/eve, and set out for a 3 tank dive, going into the night, At Molasses Reef, Friday eve 2' sea's, vis well over 60', as we were only 25' deep, but what formations at the bottom!! This was my first time diving this site at night, and i must say, it's definatley one of my fav!!

Sat we set out, did the Duane, had strong current's, but great vis, sea's all day were in the 2' range, on the Duane we bottomed out on bottom time, went shallow, then went back in the afternoon doing a afternoon dive on French reef, and Molasses again into the night till 10 pm !!! Awsome dive's, great vis, just strong current's on the wreck. Beautiful dive's, had a great time, we did over 12 dives in 4 day's- 3 night's, and theres to much to put in here what we saw, but i'll add some Favorites in the end :wink:

Sunday was another picture perfect day, sea's droped to about 1', water temp all weekend was 83, and we went to the back end were Molasses drop's down past 90', pulled up on the back part of Molasses reef, in 55'-60' water, droped down and rode the Molasses reef wall down to 100'., let the current take us, and top to bottom vis off the boat !!! After seeing the back part of the reef, which is more flat, fewer fish, but still beautifull dive, we started our accend, shot the lift bag up, did our saftey stop, and had our boat waiting right there when we came up :wink:

We then shot over to the Benwood wreck, had a great dive, there were about 5 boats diving it, vis was over 65' range, tons of fish, and had another wonderfull dive !!

We dove the Benwood as well that night, and headed back in about 9 pm. PS, if your going to dive at night, put a strobe light at the bottom of the reef, you wouldnt belive how far away you could be from the boat, and still see the strobe!!

Monday we headed out to Molasses for a 3 tank dive, sea's were flat!!! I shot over 250 pictures Monday , vis was sooooooooo clear!!! I have to say, that reef is definately my fav, the formations are unbelivable !!! There are so many swim through's, with mountians of reef's all around you, as you swim through school's of fish so thick somtimes it's hard to see!!

As what we did we see, well after 4 days of diving it would be hard to tell all, but we saw a giant turrtle one night dive, plenty of lobster around, as we had a full course meal one afternoon before heading out for night dives, mmmmmmm, :wink:
We saw a Giant eel, Ton's of fish on the reef's, as our first dive we were down one hour and 45 min alone on one dive diving Molasses, there was just so much to see!!

The Reef's had plenty of fish to see on them, the water temps are still 83, sea's as always i dive in that area were 2' or less, till you get out to the wrecks, it's 2'-3'.
The moon was close to full, the air at night was warm, just beautifull diving all weekend, couldn't ask for a better time !!! We would come up at night, and just sit there and talk for hours about what we saw under the moonlite clear skies, unbelivable!! After 3 hurricane's and dealing with sea's and the vis still week in the WP area, for the next few month's my minds made up, were going south, enjoying the 100" + vis, warm water's, and ton's of fish on just about anything you could dive between Key Largo and ISLAMORADA.

So you might want to try heading south alittle more for now, as ive been diving WP and Jupiter since the storm's, and i have to say, if you can, head south, it dosn't get any better then diving on just a few of the site's i mentioned, as we dove a few more i didn't even mention !!! I did talk to my friend tonight who dove WP area this weekend, and said vis was in the 40' range still, i didn't ask about the sea's, but water temps from what he said were still in the lower 80's, and he did mention that the reef's are slowley starting to show life on them again.


Hope this help's if your thinking about packing your gear for the winter, and giving up, i know after not diving for 6 week's while all the storm's past, i'll be heading south through the next few month's to make up for it!!!

Thank's for looking
 
The duane has got to be one of my favorite dives. Beats the Spiegel Grove any day. My AOW night dive was on Davis Reef, just around the corner from Molassas, and I'd have to agree that it's simply amazing.

Glad you had such a great time.
 
ReefGuy:
The duane has got to be one of my favorite dives. Beats the Spiegel Grove any day. My AOW night dive was on Davis Reef, just around the corner from Molassas, and I'd have to agree that it's simply amazing.

Glad you had such a great time.


Yes, i love the Duana, i probley dove the 4 wrecks over 30 times in the past year, and see somthing differnt everytime. We were supposed to head down in Sept to dive some of them on doubles, but now going in Nov, I have to say, that is the best way to dive these monster wrecks, you can only see 1/4 of it on a single tank, and never have enough time to drop inside to look around. Im looking foward to the trip, this past weekend was with another couple, and the wife, so i kept it shallow alot, but in Nov, i'll be heading down with other's who will be geared up to really dive these wrecks, ive been practing with a scooter so this time i'll be set up and ready to REALLY see these wrecks, and looking foward to exploring alot of the insides as well, i can't wait, it will be an awsome trip !! Well hit all 4 wrecks probley, as were setting up our profile no and going over the deco obligation's that well have as well some other issue's, but im counting the day's!!
 
Great report...!!!!
I was down also, we got out to some of the Ghost Fleet wrecks out of KW
and the vis. was 80' plus on those wrecks as well.
Glad you had a great time.

Mike M.
 
dagodiver:
Great report...!!!!
I was down also, we got out to some of the Ghost Fleet wrecks out of KW
and the vis. was 80' plus on those wrecks as well.
Glad you had a great time.

Mike M.


Sounds great Mike, i'll be heading back down end of Nov- beg of Dec to do a few "tech" dives on the 4 wrecks as well, looking foward to those even more!!

how was the current and seas in KW? I know we had 2' most of the weekend subsiding to 1' late Sunday, and Monday, thanks!!
 
FLTEKDIVER:
Sounds great Mike, i'll be heading back down end of Nov- beg of Dec to do a few "tech" dives on the 4 wrecks as well, looking foward to those even more!!

how was the current and seas in KW? I know we had 2' most of the weekend subsiding to 1' late Sunday, and Monday, thanks!!


Seas on Sat. were 2 with a solid 1kt current. Sunday was 3' seas and <1 current.
Bottom temp on the deep wreck was 60 burrrrrr....!!!!
Have a great time.

Mike.
 
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