Key West

[blacksambellamy]

Going to Key West again this year. My question is are there any good dives there? Any wreck dives? This is my 10th time there and im always busy partying and fishing so never got a chance to splash down.


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[tjmills]

IMHO....and I have said it before.....

Party in Key West
Dive in Key Largo

There is some decent diving about 45minutes North of KW but overall the diving off KW isn't great. Don't get me wrong however, as I still dive when I go there as I have the need to get wet and there is still some stuff to see but it isn't by any means awesome.

 

[Buoyant1]

Depends...(however I agree with TJ) There's the Cayman Salvage master (like 80+ feet) and Joe's Tug (60-65 feet) and if you're really good the Wilkes Barre (240 feet)

Those are the only wrecks I know of in KW.

The reefs are pretty beat in comparison to a few miles up the road, I've heard good things about the reefs off Marathon, and Islamorada. My most recent trip was to Key Largo, and the reefs there are awesome, since they are protected/no take zones!

AND there are a bunch of wrecks for all experience levels.

Like TJ, I'll still dive if I'm there, but would rather spend the time and money further up the Keys!

 

[oly5050user]

Going to Key West again this year. My question is are there any good dives there? Any wreck dives? This is my 10th time there and im always busy partying and fishing so never got a chance to splash down.

QUOTE]
visit Rachel "sea biscuit" she has a 24' privateer and goes to Abusch wreck and looe key..At mm 21

 

[Footslogger]

I agree with Joe's Tug as a good dive site. Hit it on a good day and you'll be in your glory. Saw and photographed the largest cuda and green moray in all my 30 years of diving. The cuda had a hook in its mouth and was dragging about 2 feet of monofilament line. I was swimming along the outside railing of the wreck and this moray (about as big around as a large pizza) shot out at me. After a bit of cat and mouse we figured out what its "personal space" needed to be and I just hovered there for about a half dozen pics.

'Slogger

 

[riguerin]

Here's a link to some lower keys dive site info.

There are a few wrecks that the Key West operators hit . The Cayman Slavager and Joe's Tug are probably 2 of the more popular within recreational depth limits. The reefs out of Key West are not that great.

Instead, for a reef dive I would also highly recceomend the previous suggestion of Looe Key Marine Sanctuary. It's by far the best reef in the lower keys ... one of the top reefs in the entire keys, IMHO. There are a few operators out of Big Pine or Ramrod key that do daily trips to Looe Key. You should also be able to combine this with a dive on the Adolphus Busch . We plan to hit these while we're down there in mid April.

 

[wreckchick]

We have good diving at Looe Key Marine Santuary and the Adolphus Busch. Both are easily accessible from a little further east than Key West, but not terribly so.

Feel free to ask any other questions!

Rachel

 

[blacksambellamy]

Thanks for all the info i think i will stay with the fishing and partying and save the diving for somewhere else.

BTW if your into pirates this is a cool stop in Kew West http://www.piratesoul.com/





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[aue-mike]

there are some good wreck dives out of KW, but the charter operators won't run there unless its a special charter.
Some good wrecks include the USS AMESBURY, USS STURTEVANT, LUCKENBACH, BOSILJKA, and GUNVOR. There are some other wrecks out by the Marquesas and New Ground Reef that would make a nice full-day trip. The ARBUTUS is a nice, easy dive, and one where you can get out of your gear, climb the mast, and jump back in over the wreck 15' above the water. Visibility is generally very good out west too.
All of these are nice easy dives in recreational depths.

 

[scubapolly]

The Busch and nearby Looe Key is fantastic diving ( Ops in Big Pine and Ramrod as already mentioned). A bit further north on Marathon Key is the RV Thunderbolt which is great, but I wasn't impressed by the reef, that most of the ops take you too for the second dive.

If you don't want to make the drive north, or don't have a car, there are some OK dives in KW, but nothing I'd go out of my way to dive. Rahter dive north, party south as already mentioned.

Polly