Snorkelling and diving in Key West?

[mikef]

My wife and I will be arriving in Key West by cruise ship this next Monday, we will be in port for two days and would like to do some dives and some snorkelling. Will be trying out my new camera. We have about 15 dives as experience down to 95 feet.

I have heard that Key West is the location of the only living reef in the USA. Is there good snorkelling off any beaches or do you have to take a tour out to get to it?

Any recommendations of good dive spots? Wrecks, reefs and such? Lost Reef Adventures was recommended as a good dive out fit.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Bob3]

Key West is the location of the only living reef in the USA.

Actually, all along the Keys & on up into South FL you'll find live coral reefs.
Probably the best you'll find close to Key West is up the road a bit about 30 miles, where you can get a boat for a short run out to Looe Key Reef. Very scenic with lots of critters.
If you want something more exotic, a trip (check out the seaplane) out to the Dry Tortugas will have you downright drooling.

There are some dive charters right in KW, but I'm not familiar with them.

 

[BILLB]

There are no actual living reefs in Key West. What passes for reefs are coral rumble and a few fish. But if you want an exciting dive, look for the Captain's Corner and they will take you to the Cayman Salvager and Joe' Tug. The Cayman is about 90 feet and Joe' Tug is 70 feet. Not much photo opportunity on the Cayman but if the Viz is nice, Joe' Tug is lying in a reef with sealife.

 

[CD_in_Chitown]

Definately one of my favorites down there.

 

[bubbleslan]

There is really no shore diving in Key West...the reefs lay several miles off shore. Heading to Key Largo would be my recommendation, but since you are on a cruise ship you probably won't have the time to waste driving up that far. I would recommend Southpoint Divers in Key West. Very, very friendly, and dependable group. Their morning trip goes to a wreck (either Joe's Tug or the Cayman) then a reef or you can take the afternoon trip which does two reef dives. I just got back last week from the Keys and dove with them, as well as several other operations throughout the Keys from Key Largo to Key West, and I was impressed with them. I will definitely book with them next time I go. The wreck dives are my favorite, but around the reefs there is plenty to see. I saw many varities of fish, moray eels, nurse sharks, baracuda, flamingo tongues, grouper (jewfish), which were HUGE by the way, just to name a few. For just snorkeling, I recommend Seabago Cataramans. I didn't snorkel this past trip, but went with them a couple years ago and they were great, so I am sure they still are. Have fun!

 

[Rick Christ]

BILLB once bubbled...
There are no actual living reefs in Key West. What passes for reefs are coral rumble and a few fish. But if you want an exciting dive, look for the Captain's Corner and they will take you to the Cayman Salvager and Joe' Tug. The Cayman is about 90 feet and Joe' Tug is 70 feet. Not much photo opportunity on the Cayman but if the Viz is nice, Joe' Tug is lying in a reef with sealife.

DON'T BE MISSED LED, ALL DIVING IN THE KEYS CAN BE GREAT AND CAN BE POOR. THE SAME AS ANYWHERE ELSE. ABOUT THE VISIBILITY, THE GULF STREAM RUNS WEST TO EAST ALONG THE KEYS. THE CLEAR TIDE WATER THAT COMES FROM THE SOUTH AND CENTRAL AMERS., GOES BY KEY WEST FIRST BEFORE IT GETS TO KEY LARGO. VIS WILL CHANGE WITH THE GULF STREAM AND THE TIDE. VIS MAY ALSO CHANGE WITH THE RAIN ON THE KEYS. THE REEF IS THE SAME ALL THE WAY ALONG THE KEYS, LARGO HAS GOOD AND BAD AREAS, THE SAME IN KEY WEST AND ALL POINTS IN-BETWEEN. YOU NEED TO FIND A DIVING OUTFIT THAT YOU LIKE, THE TYPE OF DIVING YOU LIKE TO DO, I WOULD RECOMMEND YOU TRY AS MANY SITES AND DIFFERENT COMPANIES AS YOU CAN, UP AND DOWN THE KEYS. I RECOMMEND YOU STAY WITH A SMALLER BOAT (NOT TO SMALL) INSTEAD OF THE BIGGER CATTLE BOATS. THE SMALLER BOATS CAN TAILOR TO YOUR STYLE OF DIVING. I DEAL WITH CONDITIONS ON BOTH ENDS OF THE KEYS, GOOD AND POOR. I HAVE BEEN ON THE BIBB & DUANE IN GREAT CONDITIONS AND SOME REAL POOR VIS. AND BIG CURRENT ALSO. THE SAME GOES FOR THE EAGLE, TBOLT, BUSCH, AND CAYMAN. SOME YEARS AGO BEFORE THE MOORING BALLS WERE INSTALLED ON THE WRECKS, WE HAD TO BOUNCE THE WRECKS TO GET MOORED. I CAME OFF THE BOAT TO HOOK INTO THE CAYMAN SALVOR IN KEY WEST AREA. WE COULD SEE THE WRECK FROM THE SURFACE IN 90+ FEET OF WATER, BUT WHEN I HIT THE WATER, FROM THE SURFACE I COULD SEE THE COMPLETE WRECK, ALL 185'. THAT’S 250+' OF VIS. OTHER TIMES I COULD NOT SEE THE WRECK 15' AWAY. THE POINT IS NO ONE PART OF THE KEYS IS BETTER THEN THE OTHER, THERE ARE SOME DIFFERENT THINGS ABOUT ALL THE AREAS. HAVE FUN AND GO LOOK & TRY AS MUCH A YOU CAN.

 

[JoeyFla]

I got a dive boat behind the Hyatt Hotel... which was a Plontoon type of boat.... which worked great...sorry I don't remember the name of the operation... took us to the Lighthouse reef. It's located northwest end of the island.... where the boats go out of to the Dry Tortugas. It'd be a bit of a walk from where the cruise ship docks.

 

[dogmael]

i learnt to dive in KW with Captain's Corner. This is back in 1990 but they were very nice back then and easy to find right on thge top of Duval St.

The interesting thing about diving with them is that their boat (The Sea Eagle) features as the Good-Guy boat in the bond movie that was filmed there "A View To A Kill" (?i think it was that one) and they are the same operation that taught Dalton to dive for the movie......

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