Key Largo Dive Ops for AOW

[NYCDiveGuy]

Hello Board,

I am a complete newbie and I am heading to Key Largo for a long weekend in early November (2n-5th). I am newly certified IANTD diver, and I am hoping to do my first ocean dives in the keys.

Can anyone recommend a good dive op with small groups that give special attention to nervous newbies?

I'd also be very interested in taking my AOW cert if I can complete it in the time I will be in Key Largo.

I am very excited to get into the sport, but am still a bit nervous. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Eric

 

[deepstops]

Hello Board,
I am a complete newbie and I am heading to Key Largo for a long weekend in early November (2n-5th). I am newly certified IANTD diver, and I am hoping to do my first ocean dives in the keys.
Can anyone recommend a good dive op with small groups that give special attention to nervous newbies?
I'd also be very interested in taking my AOW cert if I can complete it in the time I will be in Key Largo.
I am very excited to get into the sport, but am still a bit nervous. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Eric

I find your post a bit of a paradox to answer. You're looking for special attention because by you're own admission, you're a newbie diver. Nothing wrong with that at all.
But rather than come down and enroll in the AOW class, I think you should just concentrate on doing lot's of dives and building your confidence and skills before you do the AOW. That's just my take on what you've posted.

 

[Divingguy]

First of all, welcome to the Best Board in the world.
However, if you just look back in the last 3 or 4 pages in the South Florida sub-forum, you will find multiple threads containing useful information about diving in the Key Largo area. There are several local dive ops who are active participants on this Board, like Blue Water Divers in KL, and Conch Republic divers in Tavernier down the road. Both are excellent, and there are others referred to in the threads. You really will have to call the dive ops, explain how many dives you have, and what you want. Most are very accomodating, you just need to work out the costs and details. You will LOVE ocean diving, it is awesome. Good luck to you.

 

[NYCDiveGuy]

thanks for the info. I've been told by many that an AOW is perfect for newbies to gain more confidance while diving with an instructor.
Thanks again.

 

[HilaryRN71]

Key Largo is a great place to get some more experience diving, esp. if you were certified in the cold dark waters up north. (Not that I don't like cold...just different.) You might get some current there if you go on any of the deeper sites, but there are some mid level reefs that are nice. I was down on two popular wrecks a couple of weekends ago and the current was pretty strong. It's actually fine once you get ON the wrecks and are shielded by the structure from the worst of the cross-current, but it's a strenous pull down the line, and hold on tight!!! I'm not all that familliar with Key Largo sites, but it seems to me that to do the AOW class, you'd most likely do one of the wrecks to get the depth you need for the deep dives. But maybe there are other sites with less current...maybe someone with more exp. with me will chime in.

It's normal to be nervous. The most scary divers are the ones that think they have it all figured out by dive 10. Over confidence breeds complacency, and then when challenges and difficulties arise...(AND THEY WILL) they are underprepared. Take your nervousness and channel that energy into being prepared. Taking AOW and then Rescue is definitely the right step. Continuing education is priceless.

And regarding shops, the ones recommended are great. I haven't dove with Brent but others that have rave highly, and he's a nice guy. Conch Republic is a great op.

And welcome to Scubaboard! We are about the most fun you can have on the surface and with your clothes on!

 

[KeyLargoBrent]

First of all, congratulations on recognizing and acting on your desire to become a diver!

As for whether or not you should gain experience before beginning AOW training, there are obviously two schools of thought. From what I gather, the advice you've received is sound, especially in light of the fact that you were certified in a quarry, and have not dived since, much less in the ocean. If you're going to be more comfortable diving with an instructor, you may as well learn something new, and get credit for it at the same time!

That being said, I also see the potential problem with divers being "advanced" certified after as few as nine dives (four during open water training, and five during advanced open water training). Nine dives is simply not much experience! Most divers and dive ops realize this, and place more weight on experience than they do on certification levels.

The most critical thing, to my way of thinking, is that we as divers recognize our own limitations, and dive within them. An uncomfortable diver is a potentially unsafe diver.

Dive safely, have fun, and never stop learning!

 

[BKP]

Hello Board,

I am a complete newbie and I am heading to Key Largo for a long weekend in early November (2n-5th). I am newly certified IANTD diver, and I am hoping to do my first ocean dives in the keys.

Can anyone recommend a good dive op with small groups that give special attention to nervous newbies?

I'd also be very interested in taking my AOW cert if I can complete it in the time I will be in Key Largo.

I am very excited to get into the sport, but am still a bit nervous. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Eric

Good luck on your first foray into salt, Eric... After quarries/lakes, it will leave you breathless (no pun intended)...

The Keys are a great place for this... relatively shallow reefs, at 30-45 feet (I'd stay away from the wrecks, just now, with the exception of the Benwood, and City of Washington). It will give you an opportunity to get used to navigation, a little current, and possibly a night dive, if you get the opportunity...

Why the race to AOW? Fact is, once you get to Key Largo, you're going to *want* to explore, and see all it has to offer, without getting caught up in excersize dives. It'll give you an opportunity to work on your buoyancy, trim, and weighting in salt, in a fabulously beautiful and benign environment...

You'll get *more* out of the AOW dives, later on, if you give yourself a chance to pinpoint the basics you've already learned first, until they're second nature......

But... that's just my $.02...

Enjoy!

 

[Mike C]

I just returned from a 3 day trip to Key Largo and dived with Blue Water. Great staff and boat. You may want to consider just doing a bunch of ocean dives with them, and hiring one of the staff as a guide. If you're planning to do more diving up north (I live in NJ), you may then want to do an AOW course at Dutch Springs next year. If you're interested in getting wet at Dutch next year, PM me. Kay Largo is a great place for ocean diving - I did my OW checkout dives there. Have a great time!

 

[HilaryRN71]

I have to agree with Brent's comment...9 dives does not an advanced diver make. It IS good experience, of course. SSI's version of Advanced Open Water diver is 4 specialtys/24 dives. I'm rusty on my criteria (Bad girl divecon) but I believe that is beyond the 5 open water check-outs...making it 29 dives for "advanced." (if I'm wrong...I'm sure I'll be corrected. ) In reality...probably not REALLY advanced, but the experience is definitely a plus. Between deep/drysuit, etc...it was great experience.

 

[KeyLargoBrent]

I'm not all that familliar with Key Largo sites, but it seems to me that to do the AOW class, you'd most likely do one of the wrecks to get the depth you need for the deep dives. But maybe there are other sites with less current...maybe someone with more exp. with me will chime in.

We sometimes swim out and drop over the forereef from the bow of the Benwood for the AOW deep dive. It's kind of eerie down there, 70-100' deep, with a fine sandy bottom, punctuated by ancient coral formations. There's also a memorial placque honoring "Pierre Morelli, Dive Instructor", whom I did not know.

It's a good place to have students solve problems underwater without having to "hide from the current" or "hang on for dear life"! Proper air management and good navigation skills are essential, as the drop-off is several hundred feet away from the wreck.