One day free in Miami

[gedmondson]

Hi gang. I have one day free during a conference in Miami early May. I have been diving in the Puget Sound and am all about the animals. I am AOW. Help me decide who to book/where to go!

Gary

 

[deepstops]

Do some wreck diving in 80' or deeper and you're very likely to see Goliath Grouper right there in Miami. The best operator in Miami is RJ Diving on South Miami Beach at 3rd Street and Alton Road.

 

[Glock Diver]

Personally I'd shoot down to Key Largo if you have the whole day free. It's a short drive, and the diving is phenomenal! Lot's to see, and you have dozens of dive operators to choose from.

 

[SFLDiver3445]

Yep, that's pretty solid advice so far:

If diving Miami, then give RJ a call:

RJ Diving Ventures - The Best Wreck and Reef Diving in Miami


If diving in the Upper Keys, then here's two quality operators:

CONCH REPUBLIC DIVERS VOTED #1 DIVE SHOP IN FLORIDA KEYS..2006 & 2007

Dive with Silent World voted #1 dive shop in Florida

 

[Jupiter31]

All good suggestions - RJ is an excellent operator and if you have not done the wrecks in Miami, you should give it a try. Look at his web site to see where he´s going the day you want to dive. Its posted.

If you had more time I´d suggest heading north to dive w some of the operators in Palm Beach county, but if you only have a day, Miami or Key Largo are great. From Miami KL is about an hour.

 

[gedmondson]

Jupiter31 -I will be at the mercy of public transit. Is it possible to take a bus down to Key Largo?

 

[hlsooner]

Will add another vote for RJ Diving here in Miami. You will see plenty of life, and only have a short drive to/from the boat.

 

[Jupiter31]

Jupiter31 -I will be at the mercy of public transit. Is it possible to take a bus down to Key Largo?

I did not see your post until today - yes, bus transportation does exist - or at least it did in the past. You need to google to find out the current options - I know a bus leaves from the Homestead area and goes to the the Keys as many of the hotel workers live north and need transportation to jobs in the Keys - but Homestead is not close to Miami (like 30 miles ?) so this may be a poor option for you.

Overall, the state of bus transportation in FL is not great; if you can swing a car rental, its a much better idea. Check off airport rental agencies.

 

[deepstops]

Is it possible to take a bus down to Key Largo?

Not a bus but there is an option called the Keys Shuttle which runs this schedule you see on their home page. The best they could do for you is an afternoon dive.
keys shuttle
Personally, I'd just go diving with RJ rather than trying to hoof it the Keys and back while being at the mercy of any form of public transportation.
Be sure to post what day you're diving and you'll probably meet some folks from the board.

 

[Capt Gary]

The JGT bus service runs from Florida City to Marathon. It is a hail system with no specific bus stops. The bus will stop where it is safe to pick up and drop off passengers that flag the bus down. The cost is $1.50.

Here's the URL link that contains the North/South bound schedule http://www.co.monroe.fl.us/pages/csd/Bus/JGT.htm. Note...Link loads real slow, it is in the Keys after all.

Although with all the stops along the way it could take you and hour and a half to get to a location in the upper keys. Would take a very patient person not carrying that much dive gear to make the journey and that ain't for me.

Good Diving,