Key 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~~~~~~~

Ratfish wrote:
> 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

"Mike" wrote

> 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

"Lee Bell" <leebell@ix.remove.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:jBgtd.7784$Va5.766@newsread3.news.atl.earthli nk.net...
> "Mike" wrote
>
> > 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?

Perhaps he means "fire" coral? (which is also not red)

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.



"Mike" <mmelnikov@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1102355527.048945.55650@c13g2000cwb.googlegro ups.com...
> 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
>

"Lee Bell" <leebell@ix.remove.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:jBgtd.7784$Va5.766@newsread3.news.atl.earthli nk.net...
> "Mike" wrote
>
> > 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.

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.




On Sat, 04 Dec 2004 09:50:09 -0500, Ratfish <Ratfish45@yahoo.com>
wrote:

~|>
~|>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~~~~~~~

"Ramone Cila" wrote

> 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).

Lee Bell wrote:

> "Ramone Cila" wrote
>
>
>>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).
>
>


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.

--
jer email reply - I am not a 'ten'