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Scuba Forum / Scuba Locations / January 2005Key Largo Recommendations?
Has anyone had positive/negative experiences with any operators in Key Largo and feel comfortable making a recommendation? Any "must dive" sites? ~~~Fortes Fortuna Juvat~~~ ~~~~~Veritas Vincit~~~~~~~ > Has anyone had positive/negative experiences with any operators in Key > Largo and feel comfortable making a recommendation? > Any "must dive" sites? > > ~~~Fortes Fortuna Juvat~~~ > ~~~~~Veritas Vincit~~~~~~~ Quiescence Diving Services. 6-pack boats. Very experienced operators. Been diving with them since the late 70's. Web site: www.keylargodiving.com Arrakis Yes, I've been to Key Largo last X-Mas. Very nice experience with Kelly's diving shop - you can find them on the web. But don't stay there, the hotel is horrible. I've stayed in Best Western over there, about 10 min drive from Kelly's shop but much nicer rooms for the same price. We had two story room with master bedroom on the second floor and place to sleep for two people on first floor with full kithen for about $109/day. Kelly charges the same money for shed. All sites are very good, lots of fish and reefs are in good shape. Bring your gloves and 3MM suite, there are red corrals that sting you. Let me know if you need more info. If I search hard I can find Kelly's shop phone and hotel phone number as well, but I'm sure you can find them on INternet > All sites are very good, lots of fish and reefs are in good shape. Are we talking about the same Key Largo? This is the one in Florida, right? Key Largo is so impacted by the millions of diving, fishing and snorkeling visitors that it was one of the main references that led to the creation of the designation of the entire Keys chain as a sanctuary. > Bring your gloves and 3MM suite, there are red corrals that sting you. I've never been stung by a coral I didn't touch. You do know that it's illegal to touch the corals in the Keys, right? Bring your gloves my all means, but not so you can touch coral without getting stung. I've never been stung by a red coral, even one I did touch. Fire coral will sting you, but it's not red. There are hydroids around that will sting you, but, to the best of my knowledge, none that are red and will sting you. Do you know what kind of coral you believe stung you? Lee _________________________________ The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant: It's just that they know so much that isn't so. Ronald Reagan > > All sites are very good, lots of fish and reefs are in good shape. > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > but, to the best of my knowledge, none that are red and will sting you. Do > you know what kind of coral you believe stung you? Perhaps he means "fire" coral? (which is also not red) >> I've never been stung by a red coral, even one I did touch. Fire coral > > will sting you, but it's not red. > Perhaps he means "fire" coral? (which is also not red) Typing in your sleep again dear? 8^) When you coming back to visit? Lee > >> I've never been stung by a red coral, even one I did touch. Fire coral > > > will sting you, but it's not red. > > > Perhaps he means "fire" coral? (which is also not red) > > Typing in your sleep again dear? 8^) When you coming back to visit? Typing in an isomniatic haze, just as I am again here. Not sure, but I think I've got a friend's interest piqued. Problem is she doesn't dive and doesn't like me to go diving when we are on a trip together. Maybe I can convince her she'd have a good time hanging out on the boat. I won't have any trouble convincing her that we'll have a meal or two with some great people. Keep yer fingers crossed for me. Of course, if I can't start getting some sleep here and there and in a row, I'll be spending a vacation or two at the psych ward, but that's another issue. :^) > > All sites are very good, lots of fish and reefs are in good shape. > > Are we talking about the same Key Largo? This is the one in Florida, right? > Key Largo is so impacted by the millions of diving, fishing and snorkeling > visitors that it was one of the main references that led to the creation of > the designation of the entire Keys chain as a sanctuary. Actually that was the catalyst for the state park, the key largo national marine sanctuary was developed because the state didn't have jurisdiction outside of 3 miles and the florida keys national marine sanctuary was developed because of the number of ships grounding on reefs in the late 1980's. If memeory serves well there was 3 or 4 big honkers that ran aground in a 20 or 30 days period. That got everyone yelling and screaming. A friend of mine, Bill Harrigan...now retired from NOAA, was instrumental in the development and integration of all three. I only know the sequencing because of that. He was also invaluable to the group who worked to get Duanne/Bibb sunk as well as the Speigel Grove...though he retired before the Speigel Grove debacle came to fruition (Frink, Slate, Clark, Capulo et al.) By the way, there are patches of reef in the Pennekamp preserve area, not the state park area, that are almost pristine. Parts of Pickles and the Elbow in particular are beautiful. Dive ops don't take people to the areas that are still virtually perfect. hence, some people are unaware that the Keys is not all dirt and fish. > By the way, there are patches of reef in the Pennekamp preserve area, not > the state park area, that are almost pristine. Parts of Pickles and the > Elbow in particular are beautiful. Dive ops don't take people to the areas > that are still virtually perfect. hence, some people are unaware that the > Keys is not all dirt and fish. Normally, I'd not say anything, but I'm pretty sure Pickles is outside of Pennekamp and I think the Elbow is too. Regardless, you are correct. I've often told those who believe the Keys have nothing to offer, including the upper Keys, that their observation is flawed by not having had the chance to see the best the Keys have to offer. As you note, the most pristine sites are not where most diver operators go. Note the order of that last sentence and the fact that I believe a cause and effect relationship is involved. Lee PS: It is OK with me if you keep the names of the reefs the operators don't visit to yourself or, if you must, share them only with natives (like me, for instance). >>By the way, there are patches of reef in the Pennekamp preserve area, not >>the state park area, that are almost pristine. Parts of Pickles and the [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > visit to yourself or, if you must, share them only with natives (like me, > for instance). I'm with Lee on this one. If one wants some place to be overrun with sheer numbers, talk about it. And I'm keeping my mouth shut.  Signaturejer email reply - I am not a 'ten' > Normally, I'd not say anything, but I'm pretty sure Pickles is outside of > Pennekamp and I think the Elbow is too. You are absolutely correct, I meant to say the Key Largo preserve area, not the state park area. My bad. Not to worry. I was picking nits only because your previous post indicated you were one of the 5 or 6 people in the world that knew there was a difference. Lee SignatureThe trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant: It's just that they know so much that isn't so. >> Normally, I'd not say anything, but I'm pretty sure Pickles is outside of >> Pennekamp and I think the Elbow is too. > > You are absolutely correct, I meant to say the Key Largo preserve area, > not > the state park area. My bad. > Not to worry. I was picking nits only because your previous post indicated > you were one of the 5 or 6 people in the world that knew there was a > difference. Oh...I didn't mean to imply that, particularly in light of the fact that at the minimum, every single European will know more than me about almost everything....including dive sites in Key Largo. >> Not to worry. I was picking nits only because your previous post >> indicated >> you were one of the 5 or 6 people in the world that knew there was a >> difference. > Oh...I didn't mean to imply that, particularly in light of the fact that > at > the minimum, every single European will know more than me about almost > everything....including dive sites in Key Largo. 8^) Not your implication, my conclusion. Lee Abyss of the Seas, statue of JC that's where I was stung by coral. Corals are over the statue and if you try to float next to it, to take a picture for example, the wawes will push very close to it. As to diving conditions, they are not as good as Cuzamel or Red Sea but beat New Jersey hands down. I'd say something between Cuzamel and Dominican Rebublic. > Abyss of the Seas, statue of JC that's where I was stung by coral. > Corals are over the statue and if you try to float next to it, to take > a picture for example, the wawes will push very close to it. As to > diving conditions, they are not as good as Cuzamel or Red Sea but beat > New Jersey hands down. > I'd say something between Cuzamel and Dominican Rebublic. You mean Cozumel and Dominican Republic? >> I'd say something between Cuzamel and Dominican Rebublic. > > You mean Cozumel and Dominican Republic? Rebublic is how it sounds when you post underwater. Scuba Do (www.scuba-do.com) has a great operation. Hands down my favorite. Great people, very good boat. And so on. I use them as much as possible. Kelly's and BW are the two places I stay regularly. Kelly's (www.aqua-nuts) is somewhat austere but I like it. I'll probably be there in the next few days for about half of the BW price. They have a good staff. I like the location/setting. YMMV. And, they're adjacent to Hobo's. Kelly's dive op would be good for a novice diver. Ditto Ocean Divers. But so are most, if not all, ops there. Sites: Of course the world famous fiasco, Spiegel Grove, is coming along. The Duane is OK. So's the Eagle. (Most ops want to see an "Advanced" rating or logged "deep" experience for those and the Bibb.) Benwood and Washington wreck are great dives. And novice to boot. French Reef also has some good stuff. > Yes, I've been to Key Largo last X-Mas. Very nice experience with > Kelly's diving shop - you can find them on the web. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > If I search hard I can find Kelly's shop phone and hotel phone number > as well, but I'm sure you can find them on INternet Thank you all for the recommendations, and reminders. Apparently one can stand in the middle of Key Largo, chuck a stone and hit a dive operation. Or so it seems with an Internet search and map quest. I made a list and have been ruling out operators. Your recommendations help. And the history lesson was a bonus. ~|> ~|>Has anyone had positive/negative experiences with any operators in Key ~|>Largo and feel comfortable making a recommendation? ~|>Any "must dive" sites? ~|> ~|> ~|> ~~~Fortes Fortuna Juvat~~~ ~|> ~~~~~Veritas Vincit~~~~~~~ ~~~Fortes Fortuna Juvat~~~ ~~~~~Veritas Vincit~~~~~~~ > Thank you all for the recommendations, and reminders. Apparently one > can stand in the middle of Key Largo, chuck a stone and hit a dive > operation. Actually, one can stand in the middle of Key Largo and get hit by a dive operation :^) I dived with both Kelly's on the Bay and Horizon Divers. Both are good. Benwood is a nice wreck with lots of marine life. Molasses Reef is good too. For advanced divers, the Duane wreck is amazing. Clint Free Spirit Gallery http://www.FreeSpiritGallery.ca Exquisite Eskimo Inuit Art & Northwest Indian Art > Has anyone had positive/negative experiences with any operators in Key > Largo and feel comfortable making a recommendation? > Any "must dive" sites? > > ~~~Fortes Fortuna Juvat~~~ > ~~~~~Veritas Vincit~~~~~~~ >I dived with both Kelly's on the Bay and Horizon Divers. Both are good. >Benwood is a nice wreck with lots of marine life. Molasses Reef is good >too. For advanced divers, the Duane wreck is amazing. My guilty pleasure is Davis Reef on a night dive. It's a little reef surrounded by sand, no way to get lost can be very relaxing! Seems like every trip I've had to the Keys the last few years, at least one time on that trip I will see someone who is "in over their head" so to speak on the same boat, who will have some kind of a problem on the Duane. I don't consider the Duane to be a particularly difficult site on a good day. But you mix a n00b and some rough seas and current strong enough to want to pull your mask off your face and you may have a problem. I've seen it range from simple "mask full of eyes" panic where a guy started bolting for the surface for no well-defined reason other than conditions were not so good and he got scared. I've also seen out-of-air and drowning incidents (rescuscitated). The sister ship to the Duane is the Bibb. She is parked on the sand within spitting distance, but deeper and laying on her side. Due to possible orientation issues and depth and other also I think, not a place for a n00b. Lots of operators are very picky about who they will take there. I prefer this wreck, I know it's the same boat but it just looks different sideways, and it's less crowded. Ditto for Spiegel Grove. Lying on her side but deck into the current it's likely to slam you into the ship if much current. SignatureVincent Fox Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332 Internet: vf5@mail.gatech.edu > Has anyone had positive/negative experiences with any operators in Key > Largo and feel comfortable making a recommendation? > Any "must dive" sites? I can make this very easy for ya: http://www.marriottkeylargo.com/ Stay there, and dive with "It's a Dive" right there onsite. Great Experience, and one of the nicest resorts I've ever been to. Best Regards, -- Todd H. http://www.toddh.net/ t@toddh.net (Todd H.) pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :Stay there, and dive with "It's a Dive" right there onsite. Great :Experience, and one of the nicest resorts I've ever been to. What other resorts have you been to and what makes this one nicer? Dan Bracuk Is it my imagination, or do Buffalo Wings taste like chicken? The Best of rec.scuba http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/RecScuba/ > t@toddh.net (Todd H.) pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: > :Stay there, and dive with "It's a Dive" right there onsite. Great > :Experience, and one of the nicest resorts I've ever been to. > > What other resorts have you been to and what makes this one nicer? I've been on 3 Caribbean cruises with Princess, Carnival and Norwegian on western, eastern and southen itineraries, spent a week on St Thomas at Bolongo Bay, recently been to Thailand at the Patong Resort (god knows what that's like now). Out of all of those, from a diving perspective, I enjoyed my week in the Keys including 5 days at this Mariott the most. The Marriott is very clean, very spacious, great dining options, onsite dive shop that does a great job. I'm sure there are other nice places in the keys, but I'd recommend the Marriott there in a heartbeat. Take or leave the advice, after all it's usenet. :-) Best Regards, -- Todd H. http://www.toddh.net/ in message news:e9a3t0dteqlrs08u6e9fiju5a0p4kqpmnv@4ax.com... > t@toddh.net (Todd H.) pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: > :Stay there, and dive with "It's a Dive" right there onsite. Great > :Experience, and one of the nicest resorts I've ever been to. > > What other resorts have you been to and what makes this one nicer? I was at the Marriot recently. It's the only nice resort I've visited in the Keys. Normally I go for time shares, bed and breakfasts, or stay aboard the boat. I see the inside of enough motels traveling for work. Everything at the Marriot looks, but is not, brand new. It's in excellent shape. The location has a nice view of the Bay side and our room had a nice views of the water. There was complementary caramel corn/peanuts and bottled water that would have cost a small fortune at nice places I stay in other parts of the country. There's an in room coffee maker. The pool looked great as well and there's a salt water slip that gives the non diving visitor at least a glimpse of what lives in the nearby waters. The bar tenders are friendly as were the desk and gift shop staff. The gift shop actually had some bargains, something I'm not used to anywhere in the Keys or, for that matter, in any hotel located gift shops. It was a pleasant surprise. I've not been diving with It's a Dive, but I know people that took training there. They like the service they go. I enjoyed my one stay there. If I were looking for a motel type place to stay in Key Largo again, I would certainly consider this one. Lee I was just at the same Marriott back in August and I went out w/ It's A Dive. It's good novice diving but I was babysitting some novice divers, so I can't complain really. I've been diving for 10 years and this is the first place that changed my tanks after the first dive (I'm not a fan of *Princess Diving* but was impressed.) When I was there, their engine went out on the boat and scrubbed the diving for the day so it gave me a chance to hang out at the pool and check out the area. Since the engine went out, they gave us 10 free diving vouchers to dive anytime for free. Overall, not bad. I also went out with Scuba Do to dive the Spiegel Grove. I was extremely impressed with them. If you get a chance, use Scuba Do! (knowledgeable,professional,reasonable) ---- The Urban Terrorist Version 5.0 - can't wait to go back....~ > Has anyone had positive/negative experiences with any operators in Key > Largo and feel comfortable making a recommendation? > Any "must dive" sites? We had quite good luck with Blue Water Divers. Glenn and Brent were fun to dive with and quite knowledgeable. They can hook you up with discount rates at the nearby hotels. We stayed at the Holiday Inn and it was nice. Not a great view, but a nice pool and cheap rooms. http://www.bluewaterdiver.net/ The Spiegel Grove is an awesome dive. You should do it at least once. Other than that, there are plenty of shallower reefs and wrecks which are nice to see as well. SignatureTed Cabeen http://www.pobox.com/~secabeen ted@impulse.net Check Website or Keyserver for PGP/GPG Key BA0349D2 secabeen@pobox.com "I have taken all knowledge to be my province." -F. Bacon secabeen@cabeen.org "Human kind cannot bear very much reality."-T.S.Eliot secabeen@gmail.com >> Has anyone had positive/negative experiences with any operators in Key >> Largo and feel comfortable making a recommendation? [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > once. Other than that, there are plenty of shallower reefs and wrecks > which are nice to see as well. Our own Jim Wyatt, Florida Reef Divers, is only 30 miles from Key West. Nobody I know that has dove with Jim has had anything bad to say about the experience. The Spiegel Grove would be a pretty long boat ride from Key West. Lee |
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