Diving road trip in the Keys - March 2019

[In2theabyss]

Lots of fun things top side too, in the Keys. And GREAT food!! Keys Fisheries on Marathon is our all time favorite. And the drive from Key Largo to Key West is just beautiful.

The next most important part of a dive trip only behind the diving!! lol

 

[noj3333]

You are right, we will be visiting family near Orlando before going on this side diving trip. Would it be much better to consider Caribbeans or Bahamas for scuba diving?

If you're going to be in Florida anyways then I think it's worth it to enjoy the diving there. If you were making a trip to the USA just to dive, I'd suggest some Caribbean options that are better (cheaper, warmer, and better conditions, IMO).

I just did a 9 day trip to Florida specifically to dive... if Zika wasn't an issue with a pregnant wife at home I would have gone to the Caribbean without a doubt. Roatan and Cozumel have both been calling my name for some time now...

With the fact you're going to visit family... Poke around Blue Heron Bridge for a few hours (check the tide schedule to make sure it'll work with your schedule)...

Then head south... I've never dove around Ft. Lauderdale, but I understand the wreck diving is good there, and the reef diving is ok (hopefully others will comment)...

In Key Largo, the reef diving is ok at best, again, just my opinion. I'm not sure if it's the recent hurricane or my different experiences since I was there a few years ago, but it didn't look nearly as good when I went a month ago (compared to 3 years ago). With that the wreck diving in KL was really cool... I never thought I was a 'wreck person' until I dove the Spiegel Grove... but wow, that was cool... It's an awesome wreck...

Lastly, I'm sure I'll be back to dive Florida, but it'll be me 'escaping' for a few days when we go to Disney, or making a detour when i see family in Tampa...