I'd bet a lot that your knowledge of our geography is better than my
knowledge of yours.  No forgiveness required.

It sounds like good plan to me.  In the Keys, it's easier to find trips out
to colorful reefs and fish than anyplace else in Florida.  There's more dive
shops per mile there than anyplace I know of and every one of them runs
trips to the reefs.  Most run trips to wrecks as well.  Bear in mind that
most of our wrecks are actually artificial reefs, cleaned of dangerous
chemicals, etc. and sunk as a diving/fishing attraction.  The wrecks have a
history, but it dosn't usually include an accidental sinking.

Most of the dive operators in South Florida run two, two tank dive trips a
day, one around 8:00 AM, and another just after noon.  Rental equipment,
from observation only, is usually in good condition.  The most common tanks,
by far, are standard 80 cubic foot tanks.  That's 80 cubic feet of gas when
expended to 1 amosphere.  Since the metric system measures tank by actual
volume, I haven't a clue how to convert that to a UK friendly number.  A
clamp connections are standard.  DIN connections are usually available on
request.  If you need one, be sure to ask in advance.  You may wish to
obtain a DIN to A clamp adapter and avoid the question.

There is some diving from Miami, mostly wrecks, including some shallow ones.
As you head south from there, you'll come to Biscayne National Park first.
It's close enough to Miami for a day trip.  It offers some nice shallow reef
diving as well as a few artifcial reefs.  It's largely overlooked and,
therefore, less impacted by high volume dive operations.  You might check to
see if any of the local shops, or the park itself, have a trip that meets
your schedule.

Key Largo, where you'll find Pennekamp State Park and Key Largo Marine
Sanctuary, is about an hour from Miami.  This is the northern end of the
Keys chain of islands.  Most of the more famous dive sites are in the Key
Largo area including the Christ statute.  There are dive shops everywhere,
including the park.  One of the better known in this group is Quiesence.
They tend to run smaller boats with more customer input into the kinds of
dives they do.  Several of us have also used Silent World.  Ownership and
management changed recently.  It may or may not be as good as it was.  We
liked them for dives on the Spiegle Grove.  We didn't much care for their
choice of shallow reefs.  I've used American Divers and Spencer Slate's
Atlantic Dive Center as well.  I'd use either for area wrecks, but both,
like Silent World, get a bit lazy (and cheap) on their reef dives, visiting
the same old, heavily impacted sites time after time.  It's not bad, but
it's not the best the Keys have to offer.

Islamorada is a bit further down the island chain.  One of my favorite dive
shops was located there, but has since closed.  The island is just too close
to the much better known Key Largo, to support many large dive operators.
The small ones do well.  The most recommended shop in this area is Conch
Republic Divers.  I've not used them, I tow my own boat to Islamorada, but I
have stopped in to visit them.  If their trips are as good as their
attitude, they're a good choice.  In my personal opinion, Islamorada reef
diving is better than Key Largo reef diving thanks to lower diver impact.
If you get to Islmorada, or even if you stop in Key Largo, drive to Robbies,
at mile marker 77.5 and pay the couple of bucks to go out on the dock and
feed the tarpon,  It's one of those must do things in the Keys.  Try it,
you'll like it.

Heading south, Marathon is probably the next well known area.  I don't know
much about the dive operators there, but like Islmorada, the diving is
better than the more popular areas close to Miami.

Before you get to Key West, you'll come to Cudjoe Key and Big Pine Key.
You'll know you're there by the Key Deer sanctuary signs all over the place.
A friend of ours, Rachel Chaimson, runs dive trips to a couple of local
wrecks and to Looe Key.  Looe Key is arguably, the most beautiful of the
well known reef sites and Rachel is our kind of people.  She runs both
recreational and tech dives.  If you contact here, make sure you share your
experience level.  The tech dive charters she runs are for very experienced
divers only.  Rachel runs a 6 pack boat out of a Marina on Cudjoe Key.  Her
email address is rachel@wreckreationcharters.com.

Just south of Cudjoe Key is Big Pine Key.  I don't recommend any of the dive
operators, or accomodations there.  The one time i stayed and dove there,
both the motel, the shop and the dive boat were less than expected.  Things
may be different now.  What I do recommend is that you stop and ask
directions to the No Name Pub.  You won't find it on your own.  It's the
kind of place that could only survive in the Keys.  It's worth the trip for
lunch or a couple of beers.  Buy the T Shirt.

In my personal opinion, the diving in Key West is the least reliable in the
Keys.  It can be good, but there are way to many places that are almost
always good before you get that far down.  Key West is known for it's
history, its drinking establishments and Mallory Docks.  If you get there,
visit the Mel Fisher Museum, take a ride on the Conch Train (good way to
learn about the island) and make sure to be at Mallory Docks an hour or so
before sunset.  It's a street show not to be missed.  Another of those must
do things.  If the Conch Train still gives out drink tickets to Sloppy Joes,
by all means have a free/reduced price drink there . . . then leave.  It's
worth a visit and look, but that's about it.  There are better bars all up
and down Duval Street.  The steak sandwich at Pepe's is the best lunch on
the island.  Dinner at Pepes is also good, but the place has been
discovered.  It gets crowded when the tourists are in town.  Kelly's is also
very good.

Well, that's about all I can think of to say except, have a good time.

Lee

Bill Seddon <bill@removeseddonendo.com> pounded away at his keyboard
resulting in:

I've been to a lot of places in both the Caribbean and Pacific, and I
think that Looe Key is just as nice as anywhere.  You dive from the
Lower Keys.  I stayed in Key West when I went.

Trip report available here
http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/Trips/LowerFloridaKeys.htm

Dan Bracuk
If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure.