DIVING DIVERSITY DESPITE ADVERSITY- KEY LARGO!

by Alison Boler, August 25th - September 2nd, 2006

It had been 25 years since I had ventured south of Miami to the long strip of coral islands and dots strung together like pearls on a necklace that make up the Florida Keys. On that first visit we had driven all the way down to Key West - ever a riproaring town - but had been less than overwhelmed by the Keys along the way. Of course we weren't divers then so the lack of large white sand beaches and the somewhat seedy appearance of the run down motels along the way contrasted sharply with the tourist pleasures to be found further north on the mainland. It was 120 slow miles (maybe average 30 - 40 mph) to Key West too and our overall conclusion was that it was all very nice but not worth the trip, thank you very much! Hence the gap of 25 years.

So, it was with some trepidation that I allocated a week of our precious summer holiday to diving in the Upper Keys. We were tempted by the wreck diving and by the good reports we'd read about the diving overall and reassured that the best diving was in Key Largo (only 10 miles from the mainland), so not such a long haul.

To get to the Florida Keys, you head south on the Florida Turnpike, about 60 miles from Miami. The turnpike ends at US1/The Overseas Highway which is the Main Street of the Keys. It is delineated by mile markers starting at 1 at Key West. You get on at about MM110 and Key Largo is at about MM100. There is diving throughout the Keys, but it is true to say that the best is centred around Key Largo - certainly easily accessible from there.

There are over 200 islets on the chain of Keys and they are protected to seaward by a long coral reef which has seen off many ships over the centuries. It is estimated that between 1500 and 1820, USD12 billion of treasure was transported from the New World to Spain. Of this, 5% was lost with 2% never being recovered. This means that about USD240,000,000 worth of treasure is sitting on the seabed. No wonder the Keys remain one of the oldest and most popular diving destinations in the world! It is amazing to hear that by 1856 Key West was the richest per capita town in the USA - entirely due to wreck salvage.

The difference in 25 years was apparent from the first minute of hitting the Overseas Highway. What used to be solely the preserve of fishermen and dirty weekenders has now become a fairly plush holiday resort of choice for middle America. I imagine that in the current world political climate it must be very attractive to have your own string of Caribbean Islands which are very much part of the US of A. Anyway, for whatever reason, money has arrived here. Instead of the clapboard mom and pop motels, the bait shops and tacky tourist shops selling shells that used to line the highway, there are now strip malls, villas, condominium developments and some plush hotels. All low rise. All look very nice! Marinas have been built into the inlets so that many of the homes and condos are built around their own marina with boat docking.

One thing hadn't changed. I remembered a lot of dive shops. There are still a lot of dive shops and dive equipment shops. A higher concentration than I've seen - even in Sharm el Sheikh!

We were booked into Port Largo Villas, a small condo development in Key Largo. There were 4 two storey blocks of 4 apartments clustered around a marina and a swimming pool. We were very pleased with our condominium and with PL Villas in total, would highly recommend them and will certainly return. They are quite low key - privately owned - and don't go looking for a lot of resort services (there aren't any). However, the apartment was very large - 2 huge bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms with the requisite double sinks, fierce showers and full tubs, a full kitchen with washer, dryer, dishwasher etc, very large lounge/diner with another sleeper sofa and a huge balcony that wrapped around three sides of the apartment. All of the apartments look out over the marina/pool and it's a very pleasant view. A perfect home from home.

I'd done some research before leaving home and decided to dive with Divers City USA who were about 9 miles south of us in Tavernier. The reason I'd chosen them was that they got very good recommendations from the online bulletin boards, they took small parties (not a cattle boat), they clearly dived the wrecks regularly, and I was intrigued by the fact that although they are not a BSAC school, the two owners (Bob and Barbara) are BSAC Advanced Instructors. Not very common in this neck of the woods (although there is a BSAC school up the road).

The basic charge for a 2 tank day is around USD 75 but you can book a 6 dive (3 day) package for USD 195 which is a good deal - this includes tanks and weights. So, that is what we did. Unfortunately Mother Nature intervened and spoilt this plan, but we'll get to that!

The Diving:

Key Largo is the location of the John Pennekamp Marine Park which was founded in the 1960s and covers over 100 square miles of protected reef. There are numerous reef dive sites and now quite a few wreck dives mostly on wrecks that have been deliberately sunk to provide interest to divers and to become a man made reef.

Some of the wrecks are:

The Benwood: The BENWOOD was a 285' long freighter accidently rammed while running without lights during WWII, then torpedoed by a German submarine as it attempted to ground itself for later salvage. Her hull now lies in a barren section of the reef-line in less than 50 feet of water.

The City of Washington: (20-35') Just offshore of the Elbow reef lies the remains of the ship "City of Washington". This wreck is known for exceptionally clear waters and an abundant and friendly fish population. The scattered wreckage provides an excellent backdrop for underwater photography.

USCG Cutters Bibb and Duane: the Coast Guard Cutters DUANE and BIBB were sunk in 1987 as "artificial reefs." These 329' long military ships were prepared especially for divers, with clear, open hatchways and many open rooms to explore.

The Spiegel Grove: This 510-foot Navy transport ship was sunk in June 2002 as the latest addition to the Key Largo area's impressive shipwreck portfolio.

We arrived in Key Largo on Friday evening, decided to have the weekend to chill out and then start diving on Monday. This was a good plan but we had not been paying enough attention to arrival of another visitor to the Keys: Ernesto..... Tropical Storm Ernesto... maybe Hurricane Ernesto!!!

Our party consisted of myself and Bob(referred to henceforth as BobB to save confusion), both BSAC First Class Divers and Instructors, and our daughters, Lucy (16) an SSI Master Diver with nearly 100 dives and Daisy (14) and SSI Advanced Open Water diver with about 90 dives. We'd already been diving in Florida on this holiday and had quite a few dives down over the summer.

When I rang Barbara at DC on Sunday to confirm our arrangements, she was very surprised to speak to me as all tourists had been evacuated the previous day due to the expected arrival of Ernesto on Tuesday afternoon/evening! The problem is that in Key West at any time there will be thousands of tourists. The authorities have to be sure that they can get these thousands back up the narrow 120 mile road to safety on the mainland before any storm is likely to hit and over and above that in enough time to allow the residents to prepare, batten down the hatches and possibly leave themselves. So, they start early because it isn't something you can do in a hurry!

It was compulsory for hotel guests to leave - the hotels all closed. Condominiums were not compelled to do so. We talked it over. It wasn't at all certain that Ernesto was going to become a hurricane. If it did, the projected track covered the whole of Florida, so if we left the condo, where would we go? Local residents were very reassuring and clearly felt that the storm was nothing much to worry about. As we were only 10 miles from the mainland, 20 from the hurricane shelter (not an attractive proposition to be honest) we decided to wait it out and take a decision on Tuesday morning when things would be much clearer.

So.... getting back to Barbara she said that although they would have to get the boat secured on Tuesday and the storm would preclude diving for the rest of the week, they could take us out on Monday. Great. It was going to be a more expensive day but it was our only chance to dive, so we weren't going to miss it.

We arrived at 830 on Monday morning to find that apart from Bob and Barbara, we were the only divers except for Vincent a photographer diver friend of theirs visiting from California. They used to have a big retail shop but now there are too many discount diving superstores in this part of the world so they just have a small repair/spares store. It's right on a private dock and their super boat, Diversity is moored right behind the kitting up area.

The Diversity is a 30 ft Island Hopper custom built for diving They are rated for 16 scuba divers but prefer to limit that number to 10 for more comfort and enjoyment. In addition to standard features it has a whole range of special diving amenities and safety equipment. There's drinks and fruit, a fresh water shower, swim platform good ladder and rinse tanks.

You set your gear up on their big set up table on the dock and they then put it on board for you. We were travelling with two enormous and boat unfriendly dive bags (4 full sets of kit do not equate to travelling light!) and they kindly loaned us two mesh bags to use on the boat for our ancilliary stuff.

The boat is very spacious and there's plenty of kit up area.

Bob and Barbara are very friendly people and clearly know what they are doing. We felt very secure diving with them. We had some wry chuckles together over the joys of the BSAC Instructor examinations. They really like BSAC divers and lament the fact that they don't see too many of them anymore, hence dropping their school status. They have had many years diving in the cold waters of the north east and north west states before coming to Florida. They offer instruction with many agencies, NAUI, PADI, TDI & SDI, including the SDI Scubility Programme and have conducted many Discover Scuba experiences and full certification courses for a multitude of disabilities, quadraplegic, paraplegic, amputees, site and hearing impaired. Not your average holiday dive masters. We would certainly recommend them and would definitely dive with them again on a future visit.

They teach a full range of technical diving courses including Advanced Trimix.

Bob gave a full briefing and we were off to dive the Duane. The wind had already picked up a bit and the sea was definitely swelly with a chop of a couple of feet, but the air temperature was warm (90F) and it was sunny. We were glad our gear was already set up and sat back to enjoy the trip. It took about 30 minutes steam to get to the site which is buoyed. The boat is a fast and comfortable ride.

The Duane is not a particularly easy dive. It's nearly 40m to the sand and 33m to the deck and the current can absolutely roar there. It was chosen because the Spiegel Grove was too far for this particular day and the Duane is the best of the rest, given that it was to be our only wreck dive in the Keys. We were confident that Lucy who is as tall as me, sporty and probably stronger and fitter (if not as wily!) would be fine, but we reserved judgement on Daisy who is a very slight girl. If it was a good day in terms of current, she would be fine, otherwise it would only be the one dive for her.

There are three buoys on the Duane. One on the bow, one on the stern and one on the stack. Bob briefed that with the current doing its normal thing, he would drop us in on the bow and pick us up on the stern.

The wreck lies upright on a sandy bottom one mile south of Molasses Reef. She was a 327-foot long Treasury Class Cutter, one of seven such vessels, and was named for William J. Duane, Secretary of the Treasury under Andrew Jackson. She had various assignments before being sent to the Atlantic in 1941, where she eventually served with the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Her service included an impressive wartime and peacetime record. On April 17, 1943, she and her sister ship, the Spencer, sank the German U-Boat U-77. She participated in four rescues at sea, picking up a total of 346 survivors. In 1980 she was an escort vessel for thousands of Cuban refugees coming to the United States. Her last assignments included Search and Rescue work and Drug Enforcement.

On a clear day, the outline of Duane’s intact hull can be seen from above. The mast and crow’s nest, protruding high above the hull, can be seen at 60 feet. At 70 feet, just forward of amidships, is the navigating bridge. The superstructure deck is at 90 feet and the main deck lies at l00 feet. The hull structure, completely intact with the original rudders, screws, railings, ladders and ports makes an impressive display.

The currents around the ship are often extremely fierce and it is mandatory to carry a delayed smb in case you get blown off the shot lines. Don't underestimate this - read on!

The current didn't seem to be too bad from the surface but we used a negative entry and were on the buoy immediately. BobB, Lucy and the photographer disappeared down very quickly. The current was very strong - over 1 knot, for sure. Unfortunately, Daisy had a problem with her regulator free flowing and it quickly became apparent that this was not going to be a dive for her. We held on tight to the buoy while I signalled the boat for pick up, they came right back for her and we got her on board. I turned back down the shotline.

In terms of visibility, it wasn't a good day either. It was pretty green and the wreck was not in view. I had to haul myself down the line all the way - it was a real struggle and I was very glad that we had turned Daisy back at the surface - she would have really struggled to get down even without the equipment problems. I was equally glad that I hadn't taken the camera with me too - I needed both hands! The wreck came into view at about 20 metres. It was big - as billed - and there was a lot of coral already on it and very large schools of fish all around it. No sign of the others though, but then I couldn't see the entire ship - the viz was not better than fair. There was plenty of light though, no need for a torch.

I stopped at the deck level and started to work my way back towards the stern. The current was less here - perhaps 3/4 knot and I found that by "hiding" just below the deck or behind the superstructure, it was possible to pause a bit to admire the features. The hatches are all blown to make it available to sports divers. I could see gas escaping from some of the infrastructure so I guessed that the others were not far ahead and had been visiting inside. I crossed through one of the control rooms and met BobB and Lucy on the other side. We explored the length of the ship together and reached the stern line after about 20 minutes. They had both been to the sand so at this point it was definitely time to ascend.

We started back up the stern shot line, hand over hand till we reached 6m where we hung for 5 minutes. By this time the current had really picked up - BobB estimated it was probably about 3 knots. We hung there like pennant flags - totally at right angles to the shot, hanging on for grim death! We wished that we'd arranged with the boat to follow our buoy so that we could detach but as this hadn't been the arrangement, felt that it would probably be better to stick it out. Frankly, if the stop had been any longer, we'd have just done this anyway. At least we could admire the huge school of barracuda hanging in the water in front of us, over the wreck. How do they just hang there into the current like that not seeming to even twitch their fins???? It's one of life's great mysteries - at least to me!

Recovery was neatly done and we were soon back on board.

The Duane is a great wreck, plenty to see and worth several dives. I don't know if the current is always as fierce as it was the day we were there or whether the dive boats out there just ignore the concept of slack water, but do be prepared if you go. Lucy thoroughly enjoyed it, thought the line flying was great and wasn't phased but it isn't your average holiday dive by a long chalk in terms of depth, current or viz. Check with the divestore when you get there as to whether the conditions are likely to suit your experience. Just because it's in a warm water location, do not underestimate the nature of the dive, especially as most stores in the Keys do not put a Dive Master in the water with you.

Back on board Bob changed over the tanks while we enjoyed a snack and a cold drink. We had planned about a 90 minute surface interval but the swell was getting worse and people were beginning to look a bit green. Well, actually, I was beginning to look green - a look I haven't actually seen on myself for about 15 years! Actually, I later put it down to unknowingly swallowing a fair bit of seawater while I was sorting Daisy out at the start of the Duane dive.




So, after an hour, it was decided that as the second dive was shallow (8 - 12 metres) on Molasses Reef, we should go in sooner rather than later. Divers City don't often dive Molasses anymore because it is usually crowded with dive boats due to its huge popularity. However, because all the other tourists had fled, there was only one boat there that day - something of a record!

Rather than a single site, Molasses is an extensive reef complex with diving depths from about 10 feet to more than 70. At depths ranging from 10-40 feet, Molasses Reef features high profile spur and groove coral formations. At 40-60 feet down, seaward sand chutes separate a gently sloping hard flat bottom adorned by hard and soft corals, along with a variety of sponges. The "drop-off" begins in the 50-60 foot range, and extends downward at various angles to the 70-100 foot range. As I mentioned, it's the most dived site in the Park and is heavily protected by Park Officers, hence the excellent state of its coral and sponges.

There are very large schools of fish of all types present on the reef which is very colourful. We saw turtles, large grouper, eels, goat fish - all the usual coral reef inhabitants. Because of the nature of the reef, you could have a lot of dives here and not get bored. The current was a pleasant 1/2 knot but in the shallower waters there was considerable surge caused by the swell. Visibility was good. We all thoroughly enjoyed our dive and stayed there for about 60 minutes.

The run back to the dive store took about 35 minutes and we used the rinse tanks there to wash the gear when we got back. Bob and Barbara very kindly offered to store our kit for us overnight to let it dry so that we could pack it away ready for our flight home at the end of the week.

So, would definitely recommend the diving in the Keys. There is something there for everyone - beginner to advanced. If Ernesto had not intervened we would have thoroughly enjoyed the remaining days diving, although we would have adjusted the plans so that Daisy could do both dives. The Bibb enjoys the same conditions and even more so, than the Duane and we wouldn't therefore have taken her to that. It'll keep for another few years.

Non Diving Activities:

Well, we can speak with some authority here, having sampled rather more of them, than we would normally do!

The Florida Keys have a definite "Caribbean" feel to them. Scenery is tropical mangrove, blue blue seas, small white beaches and pastel coloured houses. It's very pretty. The beaches are all manmade as far as I could tell and they are not spectacular up at this end - they may be better further south, but I can't say for sure. They're all right. The hotels have private beaches for their guests but there are public beaches to choose from. Some come equipped with beach beds, umbrellas and other facilities, some are just plain sand. The water is extremely warm - 30C - and lovely for swimming in. I saw people snorkelling but I don't believe it could have been any good from the shore.

Snorkelling tours are available from many sources including the John Pennecamp Marine Park but all of them require you to be taken by boat to a reef as the nearest decent reef is about 3m offshore. The Park also runs other nature tours exploring the mangroves.

There are a variety of watersports available from the commercial beaches.

There are three dolphin experience locations in the Upper Keys which many people have enthused about. We didn't go as we have been lucky enough to encounter dolphins in the wild. The format is pretty similar at all of them - you get a learning programme of varying lengths and then a face to face with the dolphins. It costs about USD130 each.

The Florida Keys are prime fishing country and many people go there for the sport fishing. The waters of Key Largo are teeming with some of the world's most sought after gamefish, making it a mecca for sportfishermen from around the globe. More than 10 percent of the IGFA saltwater line class and fly fishing world records have been set in the Florida Keys - no other destination even comes close. If this is your idea of vacation heaven, great, but you don't have to be in search of a six-hour fight with a feisty marlin or a world record to appreciate what Key Largo offers fishermen. You can hire a guide to take you into the tranquil reaches of the backcountry for redfish, snook and trout and there are plenty of charter boats and rental boats to take you out to fish for mahi mahi, wahoo, king mackerel, grouper, and many other fish.

Key West has a variety of more "touristy" sightseeing opportunities including shipwreck museums, trips to the Dry Tortugas, Hemingway sites, the tour train etc. It also has a lively nightlife that encompasses laid back Jimmy Buffett style bars through out and out drag queen heaven!

The Middle and Upper Keys are much more laid back. There are plenty of bars and restaurants but mostly they are geared for families or for divers and fishermen who have been out at sea all day and are looking to sink into the sunset with a few cold beverages of choice.

The restaurant scene is absolutely excellent. Seafood is king as you would expect and you can dine out on it at a different place every day of the week paying from a pittance all the way up. We enjoyed some excellent meals sitting beside one of the docks and gorging on fresh oysters, clams, shrimp, grouper, tuna steaks and the speciality of the Keys, conch fritters.

If seafood isn't your thing, there are also plenty of other restaurants: Mexican, Chinese, Indian, Steakhouse.

The vast majority of restaurants aren't fancy and some of the best look like falling down shacks from the outside, in keeping with the whole Keys vibe. But we didn't have a bad meal all week.

The Storm:

In the end we were very lucky and just got about 30 hours of very heavy rain and generally squally winds. I think if we didn't know that it was an official Tropical Storm, we would just have thought we were having two bad days. It wasn't frightening for a single minute and we were encouraged to see our neighbours enjoying the jacuzzi until the rain started. We had prepared by ensuring we had a supply of food and drinking water, filled the baths with water, got candles and torches (knew those diving ones would come in handy!!) and worked out various plans.

All shops and facilities closed from about lunchtime on Tuesday and opened again on Thursday morning. Restaurants were still open on Tuesday night and a few were open on Wednesday night. People down there get these storms several times a year and know what they're doing.

The rest of the time we spent enjoying the beach, the pool and absolutely chilling out - it is such a relaxing place. We loved it and will definitely plan to go back, maybe even go down as far as Key West for one of the weeks!

Summary:

If your idea of heaven is good diving, good food, cold drinks and easy living then the Florida Keys should be be added to your list. It really is the sort of place that has you easing back into a more lazy style of living, sitting on the dock with your feet up, watching the sunset with a jug of margaritas and some coconut shrimp - that's a typical night out in Key Largo. Sounds good, doesn't it?

The diving is not necessarily as easy as West Palm Beach but there is much more variety to the sites on offer. High season is the winter from December through April - the weather is always hot but that is the drier season. In the summer/autumn you can expect sharp showers at times and of course, the odd tropical storm or worse. Value for money is extremely good.

Links:

Please look at two previous reports on Florida for more general Florida/USA information and links.

Diving West Palm Beach 2004 - My report contains lots of good links for Florida in general
Diving West Palm Beach 2006 - more links from an earlier part of the holiday which ended in Key Largo.

Diver City USA

Port Largo Villas

John Pennecamp Park

Recommended Restaurants:

We ate at all of these and can thoroughly recommend them all for both value, quality of food and great atmosphere.

The Fish House

Ballyhoos Seafood Grill

Calypso's Restaurant, MM99, Tel: 305-451-0600.

The Pilot House