oooh, the Keys

[cjames]

Wow, the reefs there were in really bad shape. If that is caused by pollution or abuse, the reef should be a poster child for environmentalists.

 

[TxWingnut]

I dove in Key West last week. We dove a couple of wrecks and several shallow reefs. So, first of all, call me a noob for not paying attention to what the water temperature was...NOOB...ok, now that we have that out of the way....CRAP IT WAS COLD. I mean its warm compared to California or NE, but I had the expectation that it would be Cozumel warm (aka no thermal protection needed). So that was easily fixed with a 3+ mil. The real thing that struck me was how much damage the hurricanes had done to the reef. The whole time down there, I saw very little live staghorn or branching coral. A lot of the encrusting corals also show signs of necrosis.

Is this the case throughout all of the keys? Are there better spots to dive?

I dove Key West last tuesday and cold is an understatement, I had to dig the boys out with a fork. I felt like a chick for the rest of the day. Besides the water was not clear and the tide was pretty strong. Dive Key Largo if given the chance.

Bruce

 

[--tom--]

I just got back from the Keys. There are a couple of things that I learned there.

First, if you are flying into Fort Lauderdale or Miami and renting a car, get directions to the turnpike, pay the few $’s. The time savings is incredible (unless of course you like stop and go traffic). Judging by the number of tickets I saw being written it is apparent that the Florida Highway Patrol like their jobs. The speed limits in the Keys are typically between 45 and 55 mph; plan your travel time accordingly.

Key Largo had the best coral reefs. Try to dive Molasses and French Reef, both are very nice. Key Largo also has awesome wrecks to dive. I dove the Eagle and the Duane. I could have dove either several times and wish I had the time to do so. I didn’t dive the Spiegel Grove, but judging by its size, it’s also worth several visits. They are at about 80-130 FSW, most of the diving at about 100’.

For cold water divers, (my haunt is Monterey 51˚-55˚F) the water was warm (73˚-77˚F). I dove with a 2mm shorty, booties and a rash guard and was very comfortable. (The DM was diving a 5 mm full suit with hood and was shivering after the dive—WWW).

The custom on the boat was full gear up and walk to the back of the boat WITH THE FINS ON???!!! I didn’t participate; I put my fins on at the gate.

For low vis divers, it took me two dives to remember that my circle of vision is more than 15 feet, stop and look at the panorama. There is a lot to see.

This is an outsider’s observation, the members of this board can give much better local information, but I’ll help as best as I can if you need anything else.

 

[Puck]

Thanks Tom, especially for the temp and vis report. I also forget to look around when I get in some clear water. If you don't mind providing information on the dive op you used: type of boat, number of divers, general opinions or observations, I am sure that the board would appreciate it -- I know I would.

 

[goofygirl]

For every diver that moves to FLorida you have to force TWO non-diving New Yorkers to move out. It is a little program I put together to help make FLorida a better place.

Eric

Umm, we're New Yorkers, but we're divers, are we allowed to come? Do we need to get some kind of pass or is our C-card sufficent identification to be allowed entry into the state?