On the fly trip

[Slym]

So this coming March I will be doing my Intro to tech, dpv, cavern, and cave 1 course over a 2 week span around peacock spring. Funny enough though, a friend of mine that I graduated a ships diver course (navy) will be in south florida around the same time. He and I have agree'd to meet up and do some diving likely in the Keys.

Our plan so far is 2-3 days of diving likely 2-3 dives a day. My friend is OW certified (however our navy certs. don't count civilian side), and I am AOW certified. With our time span we want to hit the best wrecks/reefs we can. Obviously Spiegel Grove is top of the list. Where else would you guys suggest? I am a very outgoing diver that has no problem slipping into a 20 minute deco, he has not done that, so an itinerary more conservitive would be ideal.

Cheers!

 

[seeker242]

My friend is OW certified

FYI, He may encounter some trouble trying to do wrecks like the Spiegel, without having an AOW card. I would make sure to discuss with the operator before booking.

 

[In2theabyss]

Like seeker242 mentioned, He will need AOW for the Spiegel for sure....I think the Helo pad is roughly 95' and that is one of the highest points aside from the bridge which is slightly less depth. If you have the time he should take the AOW/Nitrox at one of the local shops...then the SG would probably be on one of the dives anyway

 

[loosenit2]

PADI Certification for Navy Divers

1. Contact your NDSTC Dive Instructor.
2. Apply for the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver voucher through Navy or Marine Corps COOL.
3. Register and complete the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver online assessments.
4. Print a copy of the eRecord (which verifies completion of the PADI online program) and return this to your Navy instructor.
5. Your instructor will have you complete some administrative documents.

 

[Billy Northrup]

Horizon Divers does pretty much daily double dips on the SG, if you have a buddy and the certs you can go into deco. Sometimes the Duane and the Bibb conditions permitting. They can set you up with rental gear as well. Additionally I like to visit the Eagle with Conch Republic down the road.

Your buddy is going to need to get his AOW / Nitrox cert however he needs too. That should be a breeze in the keys.

Sounds like a blast for you guys, enjoy

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

I just did the SG today with Rainbow Reef. I had a great time and we lucked out on the conditions.

While the waves were rocking the boat a good bit, there was no current...so it was a relatively easy dive.

As the posters said above...your friend will need an AOW cert and in the case of RR...they wanted you to have a dive computer for that particular dive.

Good luck with your trip planning. I’m just leaving town at the moment...enjoying 82* for a few more minutes until I head back to the freezing temperatures back home.

 

[sportxlh]

As you may have already surmised, the main wrecks in Key Largo are the Spiegel Grove, the Duane, the Eagle, and the Bibb. Some operators will allow you dive them with OW cert if you have a log book with enough deep dives. Most want you to have an AOW. None that I know of will allow deco diving without it being a Tec trip and you'll need the Deco procedures cert and Advanced Nitrox from TDI or the equivalent from PADI or NAUI or other agency. Not that many places rent deco (40 ci) bottles with the right mix either. You'll need to call shops ahead of time to check they have the equipment

 

[Slym]

Killer stuff guys, and special thanks to loosenit2. Up here in Ontario we use to get signed on with ACUC as an advanced OW diver after our course for something small like $80. I don't think they do that anymore.

Echoing what a lot of people have mention it is difficult to find good OW wrecks, found one dive op that will take ow divers with a guide as long as he dove recently enough. We will likely go with them. They are called Sail Fish Scuba, in Key largo.

P.S. anybody know how the water levels are looking for Peacock? That is where my cave 1 and intro to tech will be and if the water levels are too high we are moving it to mexico (akumal area)

 

[Slym]

So the two dive ops I've narrowed down are rainbow reef and quintecence. I really like quintecence. Anybody dove with them? Good ops?

 

[sportxlh]

Quiescence is a six pack operator. The staff is great. They are flexible on the sites they visit. Only real negative is that they have smaller boats which are bouncy in rough marine conditions