Vacationing in August

[rob.mwpropane]

Hey all,

I'll try to make this somewhat short. I'm freshly certified last year OW, Nitrox, and then went on to AOW. My wife is freshly OW and we're heading to Florida in August. We have family we'll be staying with for most of the time in Orlando / Melborne area, but I'd like to take her (an me of course) down to see some dive sites in the Keys somewhere. I need her to see pretty fish / coral / shallow reefs so she falls in love with diving like I have. Currently, she's not really a fan of the dark, cold quarries we have up here!

My plan would be to do 2-3 trips. I've done a good bit of searching on here and I've read quite a few reviews, so I'm not so worried about the different shops. They all look the same + or -. I was thinking Rainbow Reef just because I know my wife would feel more comfortable with a guide and they throw that in for free.

My real question is where does everyone stay? I found a few abnb but is there somewhere that's the "go to" spot? I'm thinking I'll only need 1 or 2 nights, which when on vacation really just ends up being a place to lay my head for 8 hours and store my bag. I understand it's a necessity, but what a drag when that could of been money spent for more diving.

Just figured I'd throw it out there, thanks.

 

[PatW]

I would recommend Key Largo. You can dive shallow reefs with abundant fish and decent corals. In August, it should be pretty calm, no current, and warm. The vis is not great about 60’. The marl on the bottom gives the water a milky cast. Most of the dives are 30’ or less. The Benwood is a good dive and you might be able to get 60’ there.

I have always dive with Quiescence. They run 6 paks. It is a pretty long haul to the reefs. They do 2 dive trips, morning and afternoon. I have never done both. My wife and I reserved spots. One day, we were the only customers and they took us out. They dive spots that many boats don’t go to. One nice spot is Brody’s. It is a small patch reef in 30’ in the turtle grass. As I descended, I wondered what I had gotten into. It looked like nondescript rubble. But as I got closer, I saw that it was just covered with life. We could have easily done 2 dives on the reef and not seen all it had to offer. It is not customary to have a divemaster in the water but you might be able to hire one. But the captains give detailed briefings and the dives are easy.

While you are in Melbourne, you might go down to West Palm and dive the Blue Heron Bridge. It is only diveble at high tide. It maxes out at 20’. The vis can be low. You might call Pura Vida Divers for tide times and vis info. You can rent tanks from them and they are close to the bridge. The dive is one of the best muck dives in the world. There are batfish, flying gugnards, sea horses, blennies, scorpionfish, all sorts of macro stuff.

You can also dive Jupiter. It is deep at 80’ and drift dives. They put a dive master in the water, at least most boats do. In August, you have a good chance of seeing Goliath grouper. Just check the water temp with the shop before going. We went down once and figured it is August and it will be eighty plus degrees. Well water was coming in from the depths and it was 70 degrees and I was in a skin.

 

[sportxlh]

If you'e settled on Rainbow Reef, then check out their package dive/hotel deals. The Marriott Courtyard and Key West Inn are right next to the shop. The Courtyard is nicer and that's where I'd take my wife. When I'm traveling by myself or with un-picky dive buddies, I'll stay at the Key West Inn since it is quite a bit cheaper (but it's pretty rag-tag) Rainbows package deals can save quite a bit of coin.

 

[Johnoly]

... I need her to see pretty fish / coral / shallow reefs so she falls in love with diving like I have.....

Key Largo is a great dive site for lots of color and fish. Just an FYI it's 4 hours from Orlando to Key Largo on a weekday. If you need a back up plan BLue Heron Bridge & West Palm is 2.15hrs from Orlando. I do a 'Down in the am, back for dinner' every other weekend to go diving. It will save you on hotel and is an easy day trip from Orlando.

 

[HavanaDaydreamin]

If money is an issue, consider hotels in Homestead or Florida City. They can be considerably cheaper. It's a 30-minute drive to Key Largo but there's no traffic that early in the morning to meet the first boat. And it's a beautiful view on the way.

 

[T.C.]

My plan would be to do 2-3 trips. I've done a good bit of searching on here and I've read quite a few reviews, so I'm not so worried about the different shops. They all look the same + or -. I was thinking Rainbow Reef just because I know my wife would feel more comfortable with a guide and they throw that in for free.

Sounds like a great trip! Just remember, it is about 4.5-5 hours (depending on traffic) down to the Keys from Orlando. US 1 in Key Largo can get backed up at the start of the weekend, and backed up again at the end.

Rainbow is one of the larger operations in the area, and they run a large boat. You will be with 25-30 other divers, so the quality of divermastering might not be the best- it certainly won't be individually unless you pay.

I would second Quiescence Diving, as PatW mentioned. I think they are set apart from the other operations, as they only run 6 pack boats, meaning that there won't be a crowd. But the prices are still the same, and the quality is still there. You'll get personal attention from the Captain, and he'll be more than willing to assist. You can also tailor your itinerary to what suits you, whereas with the larger shops, you're stuck if they want to go to Christ of the Abyss, for example (a very shallow site that is often overrun with snorklers, and because it's so popular, has lost much of the life). On the flip side, Brody's, as PatW mentioned, is a 'house reef' for Quiescence. They're the only shop that runs there, and you will see amazing stuff.

I have done both trips, and there isn't time for lunch, but the second trip is much less crowded, you may even have the boat to yourselves. Pack a lunch, and there's a great spot to enjoy lunch while the crew reloads the boat.
There isn't much that a DM can add in the Keys, in my opinion, as the sites are shallow, and if you ever feel lost, it's easy to ascend and check the position of the boat. The deeper sites are all on wrecks for the most part.

The option of West Palm Beach is a good one. Blue Heron Bridge is a great site. It may not seem like much, but there is so much macro life and the site is so shallow that your air lasts forever. Drop on over to the dedicated Bridge Trolls thread and say hello. They'll be happy to help you get to know that site.

My real question is where does everyone stay? I found a few abnb but is there somewhere that's the "go to" spot? I'm thinking I'll only need 1 or 2 nights, which when on vacation really just ends up being a place to lay my head for 8 hours and store my bag. I understand it's a necessity, but what a drag when that could of been money spent for more diving.

Unfortunately, nothing is cheap in the Keys, and that includes lodging. If you wish, you may be able to stay at the campgrounds in the State Park, otherwise the next cheapest option is Florida City and Homestead, as HavanaDaydreamin mentioned. Otherwise, you'll be paying for a hotel room. Rainbow does do some deals with the hotel they're docked at, IIRC.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Wow guys, really appreciate all the feedback. I'm just in the starting process of planning this trip, so I hope I'm ahead of the curve in doing my homework. I was able to read everybody's posts, just not able to respond until I got near a PC.

I looked at Blue Heron Bridge, that looks perfect. Especially since she's freshly cert. and it'a not deep. That and there's something about shore diving that just seems more adventurous to me. The way it would match up due to tides for the bridge it would be better to dive the Wednesday we go down. High tide would be right @ 11:30am.

Still plan to drive to the Keys, will definitely look into Quiescence. Neither of us like huge crowds, and a DM isn't necessarily needed. Had a buddy recommend Conch Republic, anyone else have experience with them? He said they were a lot of fun. I'm thinking make the long trek down, stay the night, dive the next day, probably stay the night, then go to Blue Heron which would cut the driving back in half (with a pit stop I mean).

Was thinking abnb, wife say's she would like to find a boat to stay on for the night. That would be pretty neat. Thank God I married a woman that doesn't need expensive (most of the time). Her only requests were AC, running water, and be clean. I will look into FL City and Homestead as ideas also.

 

[sportxlh]

Conch Republic is the shop I use the most, followed by Rainbow Reef and Quiescence. The all have good staffs, but my favorite group is Conch. All these shops are a little different and you won't really go wrong with any of them.

Rainbow has the guides but is super popular so boats are usually full: they also have the hotel deals which helps out on the wallet. They have big stable Newton dive boats which handle bad marine conditions well. They'll also change over your gear at the SI, so are a bit more user friendly for new divers.

Conch Republic also has a big Newton but it is seldom completely sold out. Conch goes to some out of the way places that other dive shops further north on US 1 don't hit very often. I really like the staff. There is less hand holding on thier boat compared to Rainbow.

Quescence runs six packs so you'll have more of a chance of naming the exact site you want to go to. There boats are small so are my least favorite dive boat since they are pretty awful in sporty marine conditions (but are fine when conditions are good). Great staff as well. Last time I was in the Keys, they bent over backwards to try and help me with a gear issue and i wasn't even diving with them (was with a club that uses Rainbow).... I was incredibly grateful for thier help and professionalism.

 

[T.C.]

That and there's something about shore diving that just seems more adventurous to me.

Yeah, diving at BHB can be...adventurous. The park does attract its fair share of odd characters, but the police do a good job of policing the place. There is always a presence. Don't let it deter you, though- it's not bad.

Remember to arrive an hour or hour and a half early to secure parking.

Had a buddy recommend Conch Republic,

I do know they also run a large boat on hat is very full- the same 20-30 diver experience.

Was thinking abnb, wife say's she would like to find a boat to stay on for the night. That would be pretty neat.

I am not aware of any boats available for staying on in the Keys, but I'm sure if you look, you could find one.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Yeah, diving at BHB can be...adventurous. The park does attract its fair share of odd characters, but the police do a good job of policing the place. There is always a presence. Don't let it deter you, though- it's not bad.

Good to know. Both of us lived in Baltimore City for quite a while, so I can't imagine it could be any worse.