Spiegel Grove, Here we come...

[chappy]

Hi All,
Starting to get really excited. My girlfriend and I will be diving the SG next Thursday with Paradise Charters. After that, heading up to Miami to catch one of the Blackbeard boats for 4 more days in Bimini. Question: How's the weather down in Florida these days. I've heard it's not been diver friendly the last month or so.

Thanks,
Chappy

 

[scubadiverjunkie]

Good Luck - the weather has been the same for the last 3 weeks and it hasn't been a call for much change. I will pray that since you don't live here that you come down to flat seas and 75' viz !!! I hope you get the RIGHTEOUS CONDITIONS !!!

 

[Munin]

http://ndbc.noaa.gov/data/Forecasts/FZUS52.KEYW.html will tell you what the weather looks like a few days in advance. You want "ocean reef to 20nm west of dry tortugas."

 

[scubaranger]

i wish you the best i had to cancel my dive last weekend due to the wind and I'm going on a cruise on sat. so i'll be diving on sun. at nassua bahamas so for you, me and all of us i hope the weather gets better.

 

[chappy]

Great! 7' seas... I hope this weather pattern changes by next weekend. If not, looks like we will be diving a reef. Not to mention the crossing from Miami to Bimini.

Thanks for the updates.

Chappy

 

[GrierHPharmD]

Let's just say that you might want to avoid a big, greasy breakfast...unless you want to photograph fish from the surface!

 

[MikeJacobs]

We've found NOAA to be at about 50% locally - totally unreliable for shore and local boat diving.

I'm excluding no-brainer days when the wind's been at 20-30 and a 3-year old would know, but we've had great dives when they said conditions would be bad and bad dives when they predicted conditions would be good. I don't even WANT to know what they say anymore.

 

[Scuba65]

Chappy i was down the keys a few weeks ago..we couldn't do the SG due to rough sea and very high currents. the boat captain that tooks us out said that it's been really windy and rough since Feb. does that tell you something? Good luck hope for you sake it gets better. We did the Duane and it was so rough and strong currents that i got swept out like 2 miles from where the boat was..it was almost a search & rescue day.

 

[chappy]

Thanks for the info Scuba65. Too bad you didn't get a chance to dive the SG. Have you dove it before? Looks like the high pressure system tormented the Keys is starting to subside a bit... I guess I'll just keep my fingers crossed.

Chappy

 

[KeyLargoBrent]

have finally improved! We ventured out today for the first time this week... it was well worth the effort. We made two dives on Molasses Reef. We spent the majority of the first dive close to the boat, in the company of two 4-5' black-tip reef sharks and a large southern stingray! The usual tropicals and a sleeping nurse shark were also in attendance.

Our second dive featured large barracuda and permit, a good sized green moray eel, a big school of horse-eyed jacks, loads of tropical fishes, and a foraging juvenile hawksbill sea turtle.

Seas were 2-3 feet... a welcome reprieve from recent 4-6's. Water temperatures are still hovering in the high seventies. All things considered... it's good to be back!