trip report (sorta)

[SMOKEY]

my wife and i went to key west the week between xmas and new years.
i did research on this board for a dive op.
after finding one i called and made reservations.
upon arriving in key west i met the boat with my gear in hand.
she had about 8 snorklers and 12 divers.
this does not include the 2 intructors with 2 students each.
going out to sand key the wind was up and the swells were 2-3 ft.
upon tying up to the moring line we were given our briefing.
we were told that we were sitting in 15 ft of water and no one was to go deeper than 40 ft and come back to the boat in one hr or 500 psi, which ever comes up first.
after entering the water i saw that the vis was less than 8 ft.
i told my buddy i was aborting the dive and the dm put him with another diver.
upon getting back aboard i appologized to the 2 dms for all of the trouble.
they told me that there was no problem that they were not going in because the conditions were so very poor for a decent dive.
this is the first dive op i've ever gone with that did not put a dm in the water with their customers.
is this normal????
because i didn't dive the rest of the week i was able to spend more time with my wife doing all the things that key west has to offer on the surface.
we had a great time and will return someday when diving conditions are better.

 

[DandyDon]

Some operators put a DM in the water with the group; some don't; some do it only on advanced dives, and charge extra for it. If this is something you want, you need to confirm that in advance, and expect to pay more.

I've dived up and down The Keys a few times, from Big Pine to Key Largo, but never heard enough about Key West diving to get me to go on down there. I know some enjoy it, but I think the better dives are up the Overseas Hiway.

don

 

[TCooperWFI]

Smokey,
What was the specific location?
I want to make sure I avoid it between Christmas and New Years!

 

[SMOKEY]

tcooperwfi
we were in key west and the dive site was the sand key light tower
imho i believe the reason the vis was so poor was because the wind had been blowing hard for several days, the waves were running 2-3 ft and we were in shallow water.
i assume that during summer months with no wind that area aught to have good vis allowing good diving.
i know there are many brother divers out there will dive in 48 degree water with less than 5ft vis.
however i am an old man and choose to dive in a more tropical enviroment.

 

[TCooperWFI]

Smokey,
I understand, I have hit the Keys a few times and it's not quite the Carib; but I've always had a good time.

 

[Reel Crazy14]

sorry about the bad vis....that blows....8 feet?! I never knew it could be that bad. Heres a website that i loaded some pics from sand key and the surrounded area.

http://www.geocities.com/dthurman41/keywest.html

 

[DiverDave76]

That really stinks! If you are planning a dive trip in the keys, it is usually best to stay back up toward Key Largo and Islamorada. Down around the Key West area the islands are all very small and as the tide goes out it brings the silt out of the bay. Key Largo is a very long island therefore it leaves the ocean water somewhat protected from the silt of the outgoing tide. John Pennikamp is a beautiful area to dive with lots of reef structure and really good vis also some terrific wrecks!

Dave