Key West Ops to Avoid?

[Capt Davy J]

When we go down to the keys we go to Key West to party. And drive back up to Looe Key to dive. As AdivingBel pointed out, the west end of the reef is really unique. My wife hates the smell of diesel so their catamaran with outboards is a plus.

 

[Wookie]

They'll mix margs for us after the dive?! I'm in!!

---------- Post added May 14th, 2015 at 08:29 AM ----------



Totally agree - the reviews seem to be from one group and don't seem very legit to me. A group that all decided to post because they were angry, sounds like!

If you do decide to go with Finz (Looe Key is awesome, I'm not keen on their big boats, but the reef is spectacular) they also have a full service bar and restaurant at Hurricane Hole Marina. Ask for a Key Lime Margarita, they put Key Lime liquor in it for a special keys twist.

 

[Jlpskydive]

Another big thumbs up for Finz. Great guys and man is that boat fast. The last time we went out it was just the wife, dive guide, capt and myself. The ocean looked like a lake and we got to where we were going in a hurry.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

If you do decide to go with Finz (Looe Key is awesome, I'm not keen on their big boats, but the reef is spectacular) they also have a full service bar and restaurant at Hurricane Hole Marina. Ask for a Key Lime Margarita, they put Key Lime liquor in it for a special keys twist.

What was nice on the pontoon boat was my wife and girls did snorkeling and my son and I dove - from a family perspective it was exactly what we needed (we are a 6 pack by ourselves). Everyone had a blast...

If I was on a diving vacation only - then I would not hesitate to use a different Op.

 

[Oldbear]

...Ask for a Key Lime Margarita, they put Key Lime liquor in it for a special keys twist.

Ooooooo ...

Key Lime anything is always a bit hit with me.

The first time I went to Florida as a young impressionable teenager in 1976 I had my first Key Lime pie and I have been addicted for life. :d

 

[Poseidon51]

I dove in Lowe Key but that was years ago but some great diving there.

 

[deeper thoughts]

I am friendly with all of the dive operators here, now. If you don't care about the Vandy, I'd give Finz a try. I haven't seen a bad review on TA, although if you say it's there, I believe you. I don't put much stock in the folks who post on TA, it seems like a place to air sour grapes.

Anyway, Finz will take you anywhere you want to go, not like most of the others who will at least go to teh Vandy first. I will tell you, for reef diving, you want to go west past the ship channel. Sand Key is a little worn out by the thousands of cruise ship snorklers on it every day, but Western Dry Rocks is decent, and drift diving at Satan Shoal/Marquesas Rock is excellent.

Problem with the ship channel is that when the cruise ships come in at 7 am, they stir up the mud and blast it on the reef down current. It is usually cleared out by Western Sambo, but not always. Western Sambo has some very unique coral formations. But it's sometimes a silt-out.

With that said, I do dive with Lost Reef also. But they are not likely to take you west on any given day.

Edit: Looked up Finz bad TA reviews. As I said, someone airing their sour grapes. %0 excellent reviews, 1 good, 1 not so good, and the 3 terrible all from the same party. Not impressed. With the party from Ft. Myers, that is. So many come down here with grandiose plans to dive, then they stay out until 2 AM and miss the boat. I understand why Robert doesn't offer refunds for them missing the boat.

I always wondered about KW diving conditions. You and Reefman explain it perfectly thnx

 

[Wookie]

I always wondered about KW diving conditions. You and Reefman explain it perfectly thnx

I happen to like Key West diving, the fish are incredible, both the looking fish as well as the eating fish. But, I'm not paying big bucks to come ere on vacation and see silty reefs. I am happy diving a sand patch, I happen to like jawfish and garden eels, and turtle grass beds hold myriads of groovy little pike blennys and little buggers you just won't see anywhere else.

If I'm paying, I'm headed west, where the clear water is. And I don't mind doing that, or I take my small boat. My bride is a great diver chaser on the small boat.

 

[EL Pistoffo]

I happen to like Key West diving, the fish are incredible, both the looking fish as well as the eating fish. But, I'm not paying big bucks to come ere on vacation and see silty reefs. I am happy diving a sand patch, I happen to like jawfish and garden eels, and turtle grass beds hold myriads of groovy little pike blennys and little buggers you just won't see anywhere else.

If I'm paying, I'm headed west, where the clear water is. And I don't mind doing that, or I take my small boat. My bride is a great diver chaser on the small boat.

We've been really interested in an M/V Spree trip out to the Tortugas. I see it happening in our future.

 

[billinwilliamston]

Hi all,

I've read a lot about dive ops in Key West, and it seems like a mixed bag of reviews. I'm looking for some insights on dive ops to "avoid" (it seems like there are quite a few...) and those that are fantastic.

My dive buddy and I are giving Florida diving another go (posted about my previous poor experiences diving Key Largo and Riviera Beach) so we really want our trip at the end of the summer to be wonderful make Florida our go-to spot! (That would be so much easier than trying to find good deals to Curacao and Roatan every year...!)

We aren't fans of cattle boating (who is?) and love a good, fun dive crew. I know most ops in Florida only provide a guide upon request and for extra, so also interested on if this is recommended or not necessary. We aren't huge wreck people - we are very much into coral, fish and reef creature identification. We are obviously looking for safety as well. We aren't too picky or hard to please, as long as the crew has a good feel for currents / conditions, has a mind for safety, and helps divers have a great trip.

Any favorites? I've read good things about Finz and Lost Reef, but also some bad reviews on TripAdvisor and it isn't clear if they are real or fake...

Also, if any of you are big lovers of Key West diving, what are your favorite dive sites and places to grab a beer after a dive?!

Thanks for the opinions, all!!

I'm late into the game, but...
Last first, there are 150 places to grab a beer within walking distance of the Historic Seaport ops (Captain's Corner, Lost Reef and South Point), so the question is quite wide open. My personal favorites are the tower bar at Turtle Kraals because of the view and Pepe's on Caroline because of the inexpensive Yuengling drafts. Also try the happy hour at Alonzo's and the Commodore. 1/2 price appetizers and drinks. Can't give a recommendation for many places off island.

Also, TA is to be taken with a huge grain of salt. I am personally aware of a very bad review that one of the shops here in town got because of they have a 4 divers to a guide policy. The particular poster and his wife repeatedly tried to talk their way around the policy with a couple of different employees. The TA poster got upset because no one at the shop was buying their repeated attempts to weasel around paying for a second guide and claimed that they weren't being listened to. In another case, one of the shops told the customer that the seas were 4-6 ft that day and they could cancel if they wanted. The customer decided not to cancel and then trashed the shop on TA because they went out in "dangerous" conditions. We all learned what various wave heights mean in our OW classes yet somehow it was the dive shops fault that the poster got sea sick and decided against diving when they saw a 6 ft wave up close and personal.

Anyway have fun!