Florida Keys Best-Of Dive Tour

[Dan]

You work with one of those Chinese slave driver company, eh?

As a visitor flying to Fort Lauderdale & driving a rental car to the Keys, I highly recommend you to get the SunPass & to use the Turn Pikes (toll roads) as much as you can. It worths the extra money you pay for the toll fees. Otherwise you'll waste an hour extra drive time through US 1 with tons of traffic lights & busy same-old business road scenery & getting tired & stressed up by the time you reach your destination.

 

[PhatD1ver]

You work with one of those Chinese slave driver company, eh?

As a visitor flying to Fort Lauderdale & driving a rental car to the Keys, I highly recommend you to get the SunPass & to use the Turn Pikes (toll roads) as much as you can. It worths the extra money you pay for the toll fees. Otherwise you'll waste an hour extra drive time through US 1 with tons of traffic lights & busy same-old business road scenery & getting tired & stressed up by the time you reach your destination.

that's good to know, thanks

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

Early October is a good time to go (except avoid columbus day). Totally off season and, usually, still warm and calm conditions unless a storm is around (very rare). As for an itinerary, the OP's is just fine.. Those really are the top sites, except add the Vandenberg in Key West.

However, not so many "big animals" in the keys. The best Florida diving for that is in Jupiter and West Palm. October is a little late for the goliath grouper huge aggregation, but there should still be plenty around. Also, the typical reef sharks. Turtles might be present but not in the concentrations of summer. If you can, two days in Jupiter or West Palm might be good for big animals, with the rest of the time in the Keys (2 nites in Key Largo/Islamorada for Pennekamp sites/Spiegel and 2 in Key West for Looe Key/Busch/Vandemberg)..

 

[sportxlh]

Sept and Oct are usually nice diving months in the Keys. Also nice is the fact that snow birds haven't arrived and the kids are back in school so family vacationers are gone. Hotel prices are usually reasonable that time of year.

Guy is right about the big animal encounters, Jupiter and WPB are the best places along with Castor wreck in Boynton Beach. You might see one nor two GGs on a Keys wreck but even in non-aggregation season, many Jupiter sites will still have half a dozen or a dozen goliaths. During aggregation times, sites will have 20, 30, 40 or more of these beasts. Jupiter is also reliable for sharks.
Enjoy your trip

 

[TropicRat]

Start by parking your rental at Looe Key and ask around for operators taking special trips to areas in the Key West market on the way south.

 

[beepbird]

I'm agreeing with most of the comments. I've flown in on the red eye to Ft Lauderdale at 5 am and been able to be on a 8 am boat in Key Largo. It takes coordination and determination and all your gear ready to go. Try for the smaller operators if you can, they tend to be less militant than the cattle boats. Plus the cattle boats don't really care what the conditions are, it's on the schedule and that's where they are going.

The shallow reef dives were fun and had a lot more color and life. I saw bigger stuff stuff on the wrecks but it was pretty sparse on other life. I liked the Duane better than the Spiegel Grove If you do an afternoon dive and then head down to Looe Key, you will probably miss the sunset over the 7 Mile Bridge. I loved Looe Key. Check with the operator as I think they only go out on the Adolphus Busch once a week.

Check the tides the days you are there. You might be able to maximize the dives at BHB and get on a boat at the West Palm Beach Marina for deeper dives all on the same day. Or do back to back dives at BHB 12 hrs apart! That was a real eye opener!

There is shore diving as well n Ft Lauderdale. The Florida folks are a friendly bunch, reach out to them on scuba board Florida section and you may find a dive buddy.

Happy Bubbles!
Lindy