resort diving

Scuba Diving Marathon Florida

French Angelfish - Marathon, Florida Keys — French Angelfish – Marathon, Florida Keys

This is the one hundred and thirty-fifth in a series of reviews of the best dive resort locations around the world. In this post, the focus is on Marathon, Florida. In addition to this series on dive resort locations, the best worldwide liveaboard diving locations and services are reviewed in their own series. To check them out, or others in this series, click on Liveaboards/Resorts on the menu at the top and choose a title from the list.

Have you been diving in Marathon before? If so, I’d love to know about your experience. What dive shop or liveaboard did you use? Which dive spots are the best and what are the conditions there regarding the visibility, current, water temperature, sealife attractions, etc.? Please post your response in the comments section at the bottom and we’ll all learn something we can use.

Scuba Diving Marathon Florida

Background – Located in the middle of the Florida Keys just southwest of Islamorada and northeast of the Lower Keys is the city of Marathon. Incorporated as a city in 1999 it includes Knight’s Key, Boot Key, Key Vaca, Fat Deer Key, Long Point Key, Crawl Key, and Grassy Key with a population around 10,000 and a total area of 9.6 square miles (25 km2). These flat islands have a foundation of limestone derived from coral reefs. The livelihood of Marathon comes from sport fishing and tourism surrounding waterfront activities. Damaged severely by recent hurricanes, an economic resurgence is underway lead by the development and redevelopment of properties by the Hyatt, Ramada, and Hampton Inn hotel groups. For more demographic and historical information check Wikipedia-Marathon, Florida.

Undersea World – Game fishing, especially popular in the shallow waters on the northwest side of the islands, attracts sportsmen targeting the likes of tarpon, bonefish, snook, redfish, and permit in large numbers. On the Atlantic side, scuba divers come for the large volume of fish and marine life primarily on shallow patch reefs, spur and groove formations (like fingers of coral heads perpendicular to shore with valleys in between), sandy areas, and grassy beds. Many of the sites are no deeper than 30 feet (9 meters) and suitable for snorkelers as well as scuba divers. In the shallows there are lots of shrimps, crabs, lobster, conchs, and a cornucopia of reef tropicals like schools of snapper, grunts, porkfish, and goatfish, surgeonfish, parrotfish, hogfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, and more spectacular attractions including schools of barracuda and jacks, turtles, stingrays, nurse and Caribbean reef sharks, and dolphins. In addition, there are remnants of historical wrecks from the 18^th century Spanish Treasure Fleet and more modern scuttled ships sunk to create artificial reefs that are further from shore and deep enough to challenge more advanced and technical divers, as well. Many of the sites are Special Protected Areas (SPAs) where no fishing or collecting is allowed enabling the ecosystem to control and develop the reefs.

Seasons and Conditions – Diving is good year-round in Marathon. Average daily air temperature highs hit 91°F (33°C) in August and 75°F (24°C) in the coolest month, January. In the summer, water temperatures are in the range of 84-87°F (29-30.5°C) and in winter 70-75°F (21-24°C). Some divers will need a 3-5 mm wetsuit when the water is at its coolest. The Gulf Stream provides south to north current, usually mild but occasionally strong, making for comfortable drift diving on some of the sites. From May to October, it rains more and hurricanes are a consideration. Visibility ranges from 40-100 feet (12-30 meters) with the best from August to October. There are conditions suitable for all levels of diver with a number of shallow sites. More than 50 dive shops operate in Marathon offering a complete range of training, equipment rental, guiding and boat tours.

None of the major liveaboard yachts travel to Marathon. However, there are quite a few that cruise the nearby Bahamas and other Caribbean dive sites.

Bahamas Master, Bahamas Liveaboard Diving – Check the Price

MV Avalon I, Jardines de la Reina, Cuba Liveaboard Diving – Check the Price

Cayman Aggressor V, Cayman Islands Liveaboard Diving – Check the Price

For reviews of diving in eastern Florida, the Bahamas, and other Caribbean locations, please check out these posts:

Selected Marathon Key Dive Sites

Sombrero Reef: 35 feet (10 meters) maximum depth, a tall lighthouse marks the area, spur and groove reef formations are prevalent, the reef includes sandy areas with seagrass, a variety of hard corals like lettuce, brain, and finger corals, sea fans, boulders, small arches, ledges, and crevices, macro attractions to find are lobster, octopus, and crabs, look for schools of sweepers, yellowtails, snappers and grunts, barracuda, stingrays, groupers, and nurse sharks, suitable for snorkelers and all levels of diver

Coffin’s Patch: 15-30 feet (5-9 meters), group of 6 patch reefs located 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) offshore in an SPA (Special Protected Area), the name came from an incident of an early 1900s ship carrying coffins for rail workers killed in a hurricane that sunk on the reef resulting in many coffins floating around and sinking there, as well, the site also includes remnants of the Ignacio, a Spanish Galleon sunk in 1733, and an area called the Stake, where a steel pipe remnant of the old lighthouse breaks the surface, lots of hard corals including elkhorn, pillar, brain and fire coral, rich marine life like grunts, snappers, stingrays, grouper, nurse sharks, lobster and other macro critters, not far from the Thunderbolt wreck, suitable for snorkelers and all levels of diver

Delta Shoal: 10-25 feet (3-8 meters), less than a mile from Sombrero Key, many Spanish galleons wrecked on the shoal over the years including the Ivory Wreck, a slave trading ship, most of the ivory tusks, manacles, leg irons, brass bowls and other artifacts have been recovered but you might find some cutlery or cannon balls, lots of corals and sponges, many ledges, nooks, and crannies provide good habitat for macro critters like lobsters and crabs and a variety of reef tropicals, suitable for snorkelers and all levels of diver

Thunderbolt Wreck: 120 feet (37 meters), originally the USS Randolph, a 189-foot (58-meter) cable layer later used in research and surveying, scuttled to become an artificial reef in 1986, lots of encrusting colorful sponges and brain, star, and fire coral, sea whips, and hydroids, easy penetration opportunities, notable features are a cable handling reel, rudder, and propellers, home to flaming scallops, big groupers, schools of jacks, barracuda, and cobia, nurse sharks, and tarpon, suitable for experienced level and technical divers (check the video below)

Things to Do in Marathon Key (aside from scuba diving)

There is a range of historical, cultural, and outdoor attractions suitable for the whole family. Here are some sites and activities to look into: Eco Tours, Fishing Charters, Boat Rental, Crane Point Museum Nature Center and Historic Site, Curry Hammock State Park, Dolphin Research Center, Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters, Seven Mile Bridge, Kiteboarding, Kayaking, Sailing, Florida Keys Turtle Hospital, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area, Keys Cable (Adventure Park), Marathon Air Museum, Bicycle Rental, Helicopter Tours, Overseas Aero Tours (Bi-Plane), Catamaran Cruises, Camping, Florida Keys Children’s Museum, No Name Pub, Keys Fisheries (Restaurant), Wooden Spoon, Sunset Grill and Raw Bar, Hideaway Cafe, Herbie’s, Tom’s Harbor House, Overseas Bar and Grill, The Island Tiki Bar and Grill, Lazy Days South, Burdines, Castaway, The Sunset Grill, The Stuffed Pig, and Marathon Bagel Shop. Wikivoyage-Marathon has a few more ideas with details.

This video gives you a brief taste.

Marathon Key Transportation, Hotels, & Diving Services

The airport in Miami is the nearest and most convenient long-distance option. Shuttle and taxi service from the airport is expensive for the 2-hour drive (depending on traffic). Keys Shuttle is available at the airport and can take you anywhere in the Keys. There is a local airport with a 5000-foot runway. However, there is no scheduled air service.
A car rental would be simplest and provide the most convenient transportation to Marathon upon arrival at the airport. Take the Florida Turnpike south to US Route 1 that runs directly into and through Marathon. Once there, the highway continues to be the primary route connecting destinations on the islands.
Taxi service is available from numerous agencies in Marathon.
If the above options don’t interest you, check with your hotel for suggestions.

For additional details on transportation and tourist matters, go to Wikivoyage-Marathon.

Hotels and Diving – In Marathon Key there are dozens of lodging options from $70 to $963 per night. There are a number of dive shops in operation, some located within or associated with hotels, offer a full range of services that include equipment rental, diving certification classes, dive guides and boat tours. The website linked below has the details and can arrange a booking for the lodging. You can easily find the location on the map provided on their site. The rates are guaranteed to be the lowest and it is free to cancel or change dates.

Marathon Key Lodging

Photography in Marathon Key

With the colorful coral reefs, a variety of reef tropicals, macro critters, sharks, rays, dolphins, and scenic shoreside targets, as well, there are many excellent photo opportunities. For information and reviews of dive cameras, click here:

Scuba Diving Trip Insurance

A cushion for emergencies provides peace of mind when on vacation. I recommend this diving insurance as they have worldwide coverage and give scuba divers a quality insurance and medical assistance service.

Feedback and Comments

I hope you found this post on Marathon scuba diving interesting and useful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section. I’d love to know of any experience you have. If there is no comments section directly below, click here: >>comments<<

Scuba Diving in Islamorada Florida

5:22 am by Joe Leave a Comment

Mixed Grunts - Islamorada, Florida — Mixed Grunts – Islamorada, Florida

This is the one hundred and thirty-fourth in a series of reviews of the best dive resort locations around the world. In this post, the focus is on Islamorada, Florida. In addition to this series on dive resort locations, the best worldwide liveaboard diving locations and services are reviewed in their own series. To check them out, or others in this series, click on Liveaboards/Resorts on the menu at the top and choose a title from the list.

Have you been diving in Islamorada before? If so, I’d love to know about your experience. What dive shop or liveaboard did you use? Which dive spots are the best and what are the conditions there regarding the visibility, current, water temperature, sealife attractions, etc.? Please post your response in the comments section at the bottom and we’ll all learn something we can use.

Scuba Diving in Islamorada Florida

Background – Situated in the Florida Keys just southwest of Key Largo and northeast of the group of keys including Marathon is the incorporated village of Islamorada. Prior to the incorporation in 1997, Islamorada, which means purple island, referred to Upper Matacumbe Key. Today the village refers to 5 keys, Tea Table Key, Upper and Lower Matecumbe Keys, Windley Key, and Plantation Key. Islamorada occupies 7.2 square miles (19 km2), has a population of 6,700, and is around an hour and a half drive from Miami. The islands are flat and have a foundation of limestone generated from coral reefs. Known as the “Sport Fishing Capital of the World” to many, it was the long-time home of the baseball hall of famer Ted Williams who became a sporting goods representative for Sears in the 50s and instituted and hosted a number of big fishing tournaments. Tourism involving fishing, scuba diving, and water sports drive the economy in a much more low key environment than Key West or even nearby Key Largo. For more demographic and historical information check Wikipedia-Islamorada.

Undersea World – Islamorada is known for its high volumes of game fish like bonefish, tarpon, permit, snook, and redfish which have made it a major sport fishing destination. Scuba divers likewise come for huge populations of marine life on the east side of the islands. There are shallow reefs starting right offshore with massive schools of goatfish and French grunts congregating around coral heads and ledges. Many of the reefs are spur and groove reefs (fingers perpendicular to shore with valleys in between) but there are patch reefs, walls, caverns, and crevices, and a number of historic and scuttled wrecks providing habitat for a broad range of marine life. Highlights include French and queen angelfish, lobster, crabs, nudibranchs, cowries, big schools of jacks, barracuda, snapper, and surgeonfish, humongous groupers, spadefish, parrotfish, porgies, hogfish, southern stingrays, eagle rays, nurse and Caribbean reef sharks, turtles, dolphins, and even an occasional sawfish or bull shark. Close to shore attractive reefs can be in depths as shallow as 10 feet (3 meters) suitable for snorkeling and extreme beginners. There are also sites as deep as 120 feet (38 meters) that can be a challenge for experienced and technical level divers, as well.

Seasons and Conditions – Diving is good year-round in Key Largo. Average daily air temperature highs hit 90°F (32°C) in July and August and 75°F (24°C) in the coolest months, December through February. In the summer, water temperatures are in the range of 84-87°F (29-30.5°C) and in winter 70-75°F (21-24°C). Some divers will need a 3-5 mm wetsuit when the water is at its coolest. The Gulf Stream provides south to north current, usually mild but occasionally strong, making for comfortable drift diving on some of the sites. From May to October, it rains more and hurricanes are a consideration. Visibility ranges from 40-100 feet (12-30 meters) with the best from August to October. There are conditions suitable for all levels of diver with a number of shallow sites. More than 15 dive shops operate in Islamorada offering a complete range of training, equipment rental, guiding and boat tours.

None of the major liveaboard yachts travel to Islamorada. However, there are quite a few that cruise the nearby Bahamas and other Caribbean dive sites.

Bahamas Master, Bahamas Liveaboard Diving – Check the Price

MV Avalon I, Jardines de la Reina, Cuba Liveaboard Diving – Check the Price

Cayman Aggressor V, Cayman Islands Liveaboard Diving – Check the Price

For reviews of diving in eastern Florida, the Bahamas, and other Caribbean locations, please check out these posts:

Selected Islamorada Dive Sites

Alligator Reef: 20-70 feet (6-21 meters), the USS Alligator, an 86-foot (26-meter) pirate chasing schooner sunk in 1825, has deteriorated with only two piles of ballast stones remaining, forms the base of a rich coral reef of hard and soft corals, sponges, and gorgonians, rich in other marine life including massive schools of grunts, snappers, and goatfish, lone barracudas, nurse sharks, and macro critters in the nooks and crannies like spiny lobster, suitable for all levels of diver (check the top video)

The Eagle Wreck: 80-110 feet (24-34 meters), 287-foot (87-meter) ship scuttled in 1985 to become an artificial reef, rests on her starboard side, well encrusted with colorful corals and sponges, lots of schooling fish like silversides, amberjacks, and grunts, along with groupers, cobia, nurse sharks, and macro critters in the nooks and crannies, suitable for experienced and technical level divers (check the video below)

Davis Reef: 20-60 feet (6-18 meters), has a statue of Buddha, lots of big schools of small fish that attract big schools of grunts and schoolmaster snappers, other attractions include moray eels, parrotfish, angelfish, turtles, and lobsters, suitable for all levels of diver

Conch Wall: 20-110 feet (6-34 meters), steep slope with lots of gorgonians, barrel sponges, pillar coral, and thousands of conchs, a strong current is possible bringing nutrients and pelagics, suitable for experienced level divers

Alexander Barge: 80-105 feet (24-32 meters), barge scuttled to become an artificial reef in 1984, in 1985 the old Whale Harbor Bridge was added, richly encrusted with hard and soft corals, and other invertebrates, lobsters and lots of fish including jacks, grunts, snappers, porgies, hogfish, barracudas, grouper, suitable for all levels of diver

Crocker Wall: 20-50 feet (6-15 meters), a wall that slopes down for 30 feet (9 meters) and continues along the reef for more than 450 feet (137 meters), highlights include schools of grunts and yellowtails, and groupers, suitable for all levels of diver

Hen and Chickens Reef: 15-22 feet (5-7 meters), a group of patch reefs that resemble a hen and her chicks, lots of star and brain coral, sea fans, and ledges providing habitat for rich marine life, suitable for snorkelers and all levels of diver

Things to Do in Islamorada (aside from scuba diving)

For such a relatively low key destination, the historical, cultural, and outdoor activity range is broad. Here are some sites and activities to look into: Indian Key State Historic Site, Founders Park, Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park, Library Beach Park, Cheeca Lodge and Spa, Lobster Crawl Bar and Grill, Habanos Oceanfront Restaurant, Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail, Old Road Gallery, Lobster Trap Art Gallery, Florida Keys History and Discovery Center, History of Diving Museum, Robbie’s Marina – Tarpon Feeding, Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park, Islamorada County Park, Beer Tasting at a Local Brewery, Eco-Adventure and Snorkel Cruise, Kayak or Paddleboard Eco Tour, A Pirates Choice Deep Sea Fishing Charters, Bud and Mary’s, Holiday Isle, Theater of the Sea, TripAdvisor’s Top Rated Restaurants – Twisted Shrimp, Bayside Gourmet, Midway Cafe & Coffee Bar, Mangrove Mike’s Cafe, Overseas Kitchen. Wikivoyage-Islamorada has more ideas with details.

This video gives you a brief taste.

Islamorada Transportation, Hotels, & Diving Services

The airport in Miami is the nearest and most convenient long-distance option. Shuttle and taxi service from the airport is expensive for the 1.5-hour drive (depending on traffic). Keys Shuttle is available at the airport and can take you anywhere in the Keys.
A car rental would be simplest and provide the most convenient transportation to Islamodora upon arrival at the airport. Take the Florida Turnpike south to US Route 1 that runs directly into and through Islamorada. Once there, the highway continues to be the primary route connecting destinations on the island.
Taxi service is available from numerous agencies in Islamorada.
If the above options don’t interest you, check with your hotel for suggestions.

For fuller details on transportation and tourist matters, go to Wikitravel-Islamorada.

Hotels and Diving – In Islamorada there are numerous lodging options from $111 to $729 per night. A couple of dozen dive shops in operation, some located within or associated with hotels, offer a full range of services that include equipment rental, diving certification classes, dive guides and boat tours. The website linked below has the details and can arrange a booking for the lodging. You can easily find the location on the map provided on their site. The rates are guaranteed to be the lowest and it is free to cancel or change dates.

Islamorada Lodging

Photography in Islamorada

Scuba Diving Trip Insurance

Feedback and Comments

I hope you found this post on Islamorada scuba diving interesting and useful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section. I’d love to know of any experience you have. If there is no comments section directly below, click here: >>comments<<

Scuba Diving on Key West Florida

8:11 am by Joe Leave a Comment

Goliath Grouper and Cayman Salvage Master Wreck - Key West, Florida — Goliath Grouper and Cayman Salvage Master Wreck – Key West, Florida

This is the one hundred and thirty-third in a series of reviews of the best dive resort locations around the world. In this post, the focus is on Key West, Florida. In addition to this series on dive resort locations, the best worldwide liveaboard diving locations and services are reviewed in their own series. To check them out, or others in this series, click on Liveaboards/Resorts on the menu at the top and choose a title from the list.

Have you been diving in Key West before? If so, I’d love to know about your experience. What dive shop or liveaboard did you use? Which dive spots are the best and what are the conditions there regarding the visibility, current, water temperature, sealife attractions, etc.? Please post your response in the comments section at the bottom and we’ll all learn something we can use.

Scuba Diving on Key West Florida

Background – Situated at the end of US Route 1 is the southernmost city in the US, Key West. The county seat of Monroe County, the city includes Key West and the islands of Sigsbee Park, Fleming Key, and Sunset Key. Only 106 miles (171 kilometers) from Havana, it is actually closer to Cuba than it is to Miami. The total area of the city is 5.6 square miles (14.5 km2) with a population of 25,000. First visited by Ponce de Leon in 1521, Key West has an unusually rich culture and history from that time through the colonial adventurers, to writers of the 20^th century who made their mark there like Hemingway and Tennesee Williams, to the modern-era treasure hunter, Mel Fisher, to the present day as a nautical tourism and party destination.

Undersea World – Situated at the end of the chain of keys, Key West is on the divide between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic. The third-largest barrier reef in the world is 5 miles offshore to the east. Under the influence of the Gulf Stream a supply of nutrients baths the local sites that display an undersea terrain of spur and groove formations, walls, ledges, and caverns, and a nice variety of hard and soft corals, gorgonians, sea fans, and sponges, and other encrusting invertebrates. Marine life attractions include schools of barracuda, jacks, snappers, grunts, the occasional bull shark, nurse and Caribbean reef sharks, turtles, dolphins, southern stingrays, and eagle rays. Macro critters to look for are nudibranchs, lobster, crabs, and moray eels to go along with colorful reef tropicals like butterflyfish, angelfish, spadefish, porkfish, sergeant majors, surgeonfish, yellowtails, and many others. All this said the sites around Key West are not as rich in marine life as those further north on Key Largo. What sets Key West apart (aside from the nightlife) is the wrecks.

Seasons and Conditions – Diving is good all year in Key West. Average daily air temperature highs hit 89°F (32°C) in July and August and 74°F (23°C) in the coolest month of January. In the summer, water temperatures are in the range of 84-87°F (29-30.5°C) and in winter 70-75°F (21-24°C). Some divers will need a 3-5 mm wetsuit when the water is at its coolest. Current is weak to non-existent on some sites but can be very strong at times on others. From June to October, it rains more (11-14 rainy days/month) and hurricanes are a consideration. Visibility ranges from 40-100 feet (12-30 meters) with the best from August to October. There are conditions suitable for all levels of diver with a number of shallow sites. More than 40 dive shops operate on Key West offering a complete range of training, equipment rental, guiding and boat tours.

None of the major liveaboard yachts travel to Key West. However, there are quite a few that cruise the nearby Bahamas and other Caribbean dive sites.

Bahamas Master, Bahamas Liveaboard Diving – Check the Price

MV Avalon I, Jardines de la Reina, Cuba Liveaboard Diving – Check the Price

Cayman Aggressor V, Cayman Islands Liveaboard Diving – Check the Price

For reviews of diving in eastern Florida, the Bahamas, and other Caribbean locations, please check out these posts:

Selected Key West Dive Sites

USNS Vandenberg: 90-140 feet (27-43 meters), 520-foot (158-meter) military troop transport scuttled to become an artificial reef in 2008, many areas to penetrate and explore, the crow’s nest, dish antenna, weather-balloon hanger and 20-foot (6-meter) smokestack are all there, home to a variety of marine life with the occasional turtle, shark, or dolphin, suitable for experienced and technical divers (check the video below)

Joe’s Tug: 65 feet (20 meters), 75-foot (23-meter) steel-hulled shrimp boat that sank at the pier in Key West in 1986, raised, cleaned, and resunk by accident under tow to become an artificial reef, Hurricane George tore her in half in 1998, bow and stern are 30 feet (9 meters) apart, resting upright on the seabed surrounded by hard and soft corals and sponges, moray eels and a variety of reef tropicals, suitable for all levels of diver (check the video below)

Cayman Salvage Master: 92 feet (28 meters), 187-foot (57-meter) steel-hulled buoy tender that sunk at dock in the late 70s, was refloated with a plan to sink it in 300 feet (91 meters) of water, it broke loose while being towed and settled at the current depth in 1986, resting upright in the sand, superstructure was removed prior to scuttling, lots of marine life, currents can get strong, suitable for experienced level divers

Northwind Wreck: 40 feet (12 meters), 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometers) southwest of the Marquesas, Mel Fisher’s Treasure Salvors company tugboat sunk in an accident in 1975, 3 died including 2 Fishers, left as a memorial, portholes and prop wash have been removed, suitable for all levels of diver

Sambo Reefs: 25-40 feet (8-12 meters), 4 miles south of Boca Chica Channel, divided into Western, Eastern, and Middle Sambo Reefs, parts are a preserved sanctuary, lots of branching coral, rich marine life including reef tropicals, lobster, and shellfish, suitable for snorkeling and all levels of diver (check the video above)

Ten-Fathom Bar: 25-130 feet (8-40 meters), steep drop off, rich corals and sponges including huge barrel sponges in the shallows giving way to black coral going deeper, lots of fish, spiny lobster, porcupine puffers, possible passing manta rays, southern stingrays in the sand at the base of the wall, at Fennel Ridge on this site is a well-encrusted telegraph cable providing habitat for a big congregation of marine life, strong current is possible, suitable for experienced level divers

Marquesas Reef Line: 10-70 feet (3-21 meters) maximum depth, Marquesas Keys are an uninhabited island group 30 miles west of Key West, part of the Key West National Wildlife Refuge, includes mangroves and shallow reefs, large coral formations, caverns, nooks, and crannies, the islands are situated around Mooney Harbor, a central lagoon, lots of marine life, highlights are snappers and groupers, suitable for snorkelers and all levels of diver

Things to Do in Key West (aside from scuba diving)

For such a tiny location, the historical, cultural, and outdoor activity range is broad. Here are some sites and activities to look into: parasailing, jet skiing, boat rentals, sailing, speedboat and dinner cruises, dolphin tours, glass-bottom boat tours, Astro City, Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center, Ghosts and Legends of Key West Walking Tour, Conch Tour Train, Fishing, the Ernest Hemingway House, the Harry S Truman Little White House, Fort Zachary Taylor, Key West Pub Crawl, Bike Tour, Numerous Festivals, Shopping, Camping, a full range of bars and restaurants. Wikitravel-Key West has details.

This video gives you a nice taste.

Key West Transportation, Hotels, & Diving Services

Air – Located southwest of downtown Key West, Key West International Airport (EYW) has flights connecting to numerous Florida airports, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Newark. It is also possible to fly into Miami International or Fort Lauderdale International Airports, rent a car and drive down US Highway 1 for the 3.5-5 hour journey. Keys Shuttle is also available from those two airports and can take you anywhere in the Keys.
Bus – Greyhound and private coaches are available for trips from Miami to Key West. Public buses operated by Key West Transit have numerous daily trips to destinations in the other keys and around Key West.
Sea – High-speed 3.5 hour ferries on Key West Express are available from Ft. Myers Beach and Marco Island to Key West Bight Ferry Terminal. Private boaters have numerous marinas to choose from. Half a million passengers arrive on cruise ships annually at the 3 terminals available for docking.
Taxis and rideshare services around Key West are numerous and reasonably priced.
Car rental is available from Enterprise and Alamo at their Truman Avenue locations that are a shuttle bus ride away from the airport in Key West. Beware, there is not a lot of parking available in Key West.

For fuller details on transportation and tourist matters, go to Wikivoyage-Key West.

Hotels and Diving – In Key West there are more than 150 lodging options from $47 to $760 per night. More than 40 dive shops in operation, some located within or associated with hotels, offer a full range of services that include equipment rental, diving certification classes, dive guides, and boat tours. The website linked below has the details and can arrange a booking for the lodging. You can easily find the location on the map provided on their site. The rates are guaranteed to be the lowest and it is free to cancel or change dates.

Key West Lodging

Photography in Key West

Scuba Diving Trip Insurance

Feedback and Comments

I hope you found this post on Key West scuba diving interesting and useful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section. I’d love to know of any experience you have. If there is no comments section directly below, click here: >>comments<<

Best Scuba Diving Key Largo Florida

10:09 am by Joe Leave a Comment

USCG Duane Wreck – Key Largo (Photo Courtesy of TripAdvisor)

This is the one hundred and thirty-second in a series of reviews of the best dive resort locations around the world. In this post, the focus is on Key Largo, Florida. In addition to this series on dive resort locations, the best worldwide liveaboard diving locations and services are reviewed in their own series. To check them out, or others in this series, click on Liveaboards/Resorts on the menu at the top and choose a title from the list.

Have you been diving in Key Largo before? If so, I’d love to know about your experience. What dive shop or liveaboard did you use? Which dive spots are the best and what are the conditions there regarding the visibility, current, water temperature, sealife attractions, etc.? Please post your response in the comments section at the bottom and we’ll all learn something we can use.

Best Scuba Diving Key Largo

Background – Situated between Everglades National Park on the mainland to the northwest and John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park to the east, Key Largo is the northernmost and largest Florida Key at 33 miles (53 kilometers) in length. Connected to the mainland by US Highway 1 and Card Sound Bridge in the north, it is about an hour’s drive from Miami (depending on traffic). The three unincorporated municipalities of North Key Largo, Key Largo, and Tavernier at the south end, have a population of 14,000. With a limestone foundation resulting from fossilized remnants of a coral reef, this flat island has a warm tropical savanna climate. It has an average of 8 hours a day of sunshine throughout the year which has helped make tourism the major economic driver.

Undersea World – The dive sites are on the east side of the island and under the protective umbrella of the John Pennekamp State Park and a National Marine Sanctuary. There are extensive coral reefs with an undersea topography of spur and groove formations, ledges, walls, and several scuttled wrecks serving as artificial reefs, along with some much older historic remains. Hard and soft corals with a lot of gorgonians, sea fans, and sponges highlight the encrusting life which is only getting better with time and the increased attitude of environmental protectionism. Marine life attractions include huge Goliath groupers, big schools of barracuda and jacks, dolphins, turtles, nurse and Caribbean reef sharks and an occasional hammerhead, resident southern stingrays, and seasonal eagle rays coming in the late spring through fall. In the nooks and crannies, you can often spot flamingo tongue cowries, nudibranchs, moray eels, lobster, crabs, and other attractive macro critters. Sites are rich in reef tropicals like snappers, grunts, spadefish, Queen and French angelfish, pufferfish, yellowtails, porkfish, sergeant majors, parrotfish, and many others. Close to shore and in the State Park attractive reefs can be in depths as shallow as 20 feet (6 meters) suitable for snorkeling and extreme beginners. There are also sites as deep as 130 feet (40 meters) that provide a challenge for more advanced divers.

Seasons and Conditions – Diving is good year-round in Key Largo. Average daily air temperature highs hit 90°F (32°C) in August and 75°F (24°C) in the coolest month, January. In the summer, water temperatures are in the range of 84-87°F (29-30.5°C) and in winter 70-75°F (21-24°C). Some divers will need a 3-5 mm wetsuit when the water is at its coolest. The Gulf Stream provides south to north current, usually not strong, making for comfortable drift diving on some of the sites. From June to September it rains more and hurricanes are a consideration. Visibility ranges from 40-100 feet (12-30 meters) with the best from August to October. There are conditions suitable for all levels of diver with a number of shallow sites. More than 30 dive shops operate on Key Largo offering a complete range of training, equipment rental, guiding and boat tours.

None of the major liveaboard yachts travel to Key Largo. However, there are quite a few that cruise the nearby Bahamas and other Caribbean dive sites.

Bahamas Master, Bahamas Liveaboard Diving – Check the Price

MV Avalon I, Jardines de la Reina, Cuba Liveaboard Diving – Check the Price

Cayman Aggressor V, Cayman Islands Liveaboard Diving – Check the Price

For reviews of diving in eastern Florida, the Bahamas, and other Caribbean locations, please check out these posts:

Selected Key Largo Dive Sites

The Elbow: 10-35 feet (3-10 meters), spur and groove formation (like fingers of coral perpendicular to shore with valleys in between), rich marine life with schools of grunts and snappers, angelfish, and remnants of the City of Washington wreck, suitable for all levels of diver

French Reef: 25-100 feet (8-30 meters), many little caves, canyons, ledges, swim-throughs, and overhangs providing habitat for morays, glassy sweepers, big groupers, snappers, yellowtails, grunts, porkfish, damselfish, and individual permits and snook, shallow areas have big elkhorn coral, with brain and star coral from 30-40 feet (9-12 meters), suitable for all levels of diver depending on depth

Molasses Reef: 15-50 feet (5-15 meters), spur and groove formation with attractive reef tropicals and macro critters along with more spectacular nurse and Caribbean reef sharks, southern stingrays, eagle rays, barracuda, pelagics, and turtles, suitable for all levels of diver

Christ of the Deep Statue: 10-25 feet (3-8 meters), 9-foot (3-meter) bronze duplicate of the Christ of the Abyss statue set in 50 feet (15 meters) of water off Genoa, Italy, donated by Egdi Cressi, the Italian diving equipment manufacturer, near the statue are coral formations with snappers, grunts, Bermuda chub, and barracuda frequenting the area, suitable for snorkelers and all levels of diver

Benwood Wreck: 25-50 feet (8-15 meters), English cargo ship sunk by accident in 1942, broken stern is in 25 feet (8 meters) and the more intact bow is in 45 feet (14 meters), well encrusted, lots of nooks and crannies for moray eels, lobster, shrimp, crabs, and other macro critters, lots of reef tropicals, suitable for all levels of diver

Spiegel Grove Wreck: 60-130 feet (18-40 meters), 510-foot (155-meter) ship scuttled in 2002, originally laying to rest on her starboard side, Hurricane Dennis set her upright in 2005, prepared for penetration, a variety of swim-throughs are possible, twin propellers and anti-aircraft guns are in place, barracuda, jacks, silversides, and a lot of other marine life can be spotted there, suitable for experienced level and technical divers (check the second video below for the Spiegel Grove)

The Bibb and Duane Wrecks: 60-130 feet (18-40 meters), two 327-foot (100-meter) US Coast Guard cutters scuttled to become artificial reefs in 1987, the Duane rests upright in 120 feet (37 meters) and the Bibb on her starboard side in 130 feet (40 meters), both encrusted in corals and sponges, interesting penetration is possible, rich marine life includes turtles, moray eels, schools of grunts, snapper, and barracuda, Goliath groupers, pelagics, and game fish, bull sharks have been spotted nearby, suitable for experienced level and technical divers (check the video above for the Duane)

Things to Do in Key Largo (aside from scuba diving)

When not diving or snorkeling in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, there are many cultural and entertainment options to go along with other fascinating outdoor activities. Here are some of them: nearby Everglades National Park for kayaking, an airboat tour, or park expedition, dolphin watching at Dolphin Cove, Kona Kai Resort, Gallery, and Botanical Park, Key Largo Art Gallery, Our Place in Paradise Art Gallery, Harry Harris Park and Beach, Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center, fishing charters, restaurants featuring fish, conch, seafood, and desserts like key lime pie, and Key Largo chocolates, Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park, nightlife, music, souvenir shopping, water skiing, parasailing.

Here are a couple of videos to give you a glimpse.

Key Largo Transportation, Hotels, & Diving Services

The airport in Miami is the nearest and most convenient long-distance option. Shuttle and taxi service from the airport is expensive for the one hour plus drive. Keys Shuttle is available at the airport and can take you anywhere in the Keys.
A car rental would be simplest and provide the most convenient transportation to Key Largo upon arrival at the airport. Take the Florida Turnpike south to US Route 1 that runs directly into and through Key Largo. Once there, the highway continues to be the primary route connecting destinations on the island.
Taxi service is available on Key Largo.
If the above options don’t interest you, check with your hotel for suggestions.

For fuller details on transportation and tourist matters, go to Wikitravel – Key Largo.

Hotels and Diving – In Key Largo there are more than two dozen lodging options from $84 to $312 per night. Several dozen dive shops in operation offer a full range of services that include equipment rental, diving certification classes, dive guides, and boat tours. The website linked below has the details and can arrange a booking for the lodging. You can easily find the location on the map provided on their site. The rates are guaranteed to be the lowest and it is free to cancel or change dates.

Key Largo Lodging

Photography in Key Largo

Scuba Diving Trip Insurance

Feedback and Comments

I hope you found this post on Key Largo scuba diving interesting and useful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section. I’d love to know of any experience you have. If there is no comments section directly below, click here: >>comments<<

Scuba Diving in Loreto Mexico

3:53 am by Joe Leave a Comment

Sea Lions - Loreto, Sea of Cortez, Mexico — Sea Lions – Loreto, Sea of Cortez, Mexico

This is the one hundred and thirty-first in a series of reviews of the best dive resort locations around the world. In this post, the focus is on Loreto, Mexico. In addition to this series on dive resort locations, the best worldwide liveaboard diving locations and services are reviewed in their own series. To check them out, or others in this series, click on Liveaboards/Resorts on the menu at the top and choose a title from the list.

Have you been diving in Loreto before? If so, I’d love to know about your experience. What dive shop or liveaboard did you use? Which dive spots are the best and what are the conditions there regarding the visibility, current, water temperature, sealife attractions, etc.? Please post your response in the comments section at the bottom and we’ll all learn something we can use.

Scuba Diving in Loreto Mexico

Background – Situated on the east coast of Baja California 350 kilometers (210 miles) north of La Paz is Loreto. With a history dating to Spanish colonial settlement in 1697, today Loreto’s economy is based on tourism especially for sport fishing of dorado, yellowtail, and other seasonal sports fish. The city itself is flat and the Sierra de la Giganta Mountains are to the west. To the east is the Loreto Bay National Park created in 1996 which takes in 2,065 square kilometers (797 square miles) including 5 large nearby uninhabited islands and numerous smaller ones. Wikipedia-Bahía de Loreto National Park is a good source for more details about the park and Wikipedia-Loreto, Baja California Sur has more historical, cultural, and demographic information.

Undersea World – The marine park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has exceptionally rich marine life, with diving mostly around the 5 major islands. Carmen, Coronado, and Danzete are closest to town and most visited taking 15 minutes to an hour to reach depending on surface conditions. Monserrate and Santa Catalina are considerably further away requiring special arrangements for the journey. Volcanic in origin, the surrounding topography includes rocky areas, lava formations, finger reefs, steep walls, and seamounts. The reefs are rich in hard and soft corals and sea fans, with some areas covered in extensive black coral forests. Powerful current is possible on some sites making them more suitable for advanced divers but there are many sites that are shallow and appropriate for beginners.

The park is home to over 800 species of fish and a good variety of invertebrates and other fascinating macro critters. Especially notable is the volume of megafauna species including hammerhead and whale sharks, sea lions, great pods of bottlenose dolphins, Humboldt squid, and the possibility in winter of 9 different whales including humpback, blue, grey, minke, finback sei, sperm, pilot, and killer whales (orcas). Other highlights include lobster, comb jellies, scorpionfish, stingrays, king angelfish, pufferfish, barberfish, Pacific Creoles, leopard groupers, green and zebra morays, golden wrasse, fine-scale triggerfish, honeycomb tobies, turtles, big schools of jacks, surgeonfish, and pelagics like wahoo, tuna, yellowtails and dorado, as well as schooling tropicals like yellow and blue chromis, and sergeant majors.

For my review of the diving in Cabo San Lucas and La Paz, a couple or other great Baja destinations, please check these posts:

Seasons and Conditions – Diving is good all year in Loreto.

Average daily air temperature highs reach 36°C (97°F) in August and dip to 24°C (75°F) in January.
Water temperature can get to lows of 19°C (66°F) in January and potential highs of 29°C (84°F) in July meaning that a 5-7mm wetsuit with hood and gloves may be needed when the water is at the coldest.
The climate is very dry with a rainier season from July through October when it rains 1-2 days a month.
Visibility runs from 9 to 30 meters (30 to 100 feet) with the plankton bloom in the winter moving it toward the bottom of the range. Most of the year visibility is 15 meters (50 feet) or better.
There are times and locations where the current can be strong. In the winter months, winds are up and increased surface chop is possible.

Loreto has sites and conditions suitable for all levels of diver. Several dive shops in town offer the full range of diving coursework, equipment rental, guiding, and boat cruises.

There are a number of great premium service liveaboard yachts cruising the area near Loreto. Here is my review on Baja California liveaboards and links to several of the liveaboard vessels diving around or near Loreto:

Socorro Island, Sea of Cortez & Guadalupe Island Shark Diving

Quino el Guardian – Check the Price

MV Valentina – Check the Price

Rocio Del Mar – Check the Price

El Duque – Check the Price

Selected Loreto Dive Sites

Carmen Island

North Coast: undersea terrain consists of steep drop-offs, big boulders, canyons, tunnels, and caverns, highlights include the possibility of hordes of Mobula rays, schools of barracuda, big groupers, snappers, and pelagics, suitable for experienced level divers
Bahia Salina Wreck: 10 meters (35 feet), 37-meter (120-foot) wreck of a fishing boat, lots of marine life including reef tropicals, schools of fish, macro critters, possible whale sharks, suitable for all levels of diver

Danzante Island

Faro Norte: 30 meters (100 feet) maximum depth, on the northeast side, pristine conditions, stair-stepped walls, rocky slopes, boulders, canyons, crevices, sandy bottoms, hard and soft corals, octopus, morays, reef tropicals, turtles, suitable for all levels of diver
Southern Sea Mounts: deep seamounts and pinnacles, strong currents possible, rich in black corals and sea fans, macro critters including large numbers of nudibranchs, possible pelagics, eagle rays, and horn sharks, suitable for experienced level divers

Agustin C-54 Wreck: 24 meters (80 feet), located south of Puerto Escondido about 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles) offshore, commissioned as a US Navy minesweeper, scuttled in 2000 to become an artificial reef, on a sand bottom, richly encrusted, lots of black coral, rich marine life including schools of snapper, wrasses, moray eels, pufferfish, lots of penetration possibilities, suitable for experienced level divers, check out the video below titled “Diving in the Sea of Cortez”

Coronado Island

Las Tijeretas: 23 meters (75 feet), located on the southeast side, a small wall with huge rocks and column-like structures, lots of reef tropicals and macro life, pufferfish, playground for sea lions, suitable for all levels of diver
La Lobera: 30 meters (100 feet), on the southeast side, a wall with small caverns, cracks, and crevices, black coral and gorgonians cover the wall, moray eels, pargo, big groupers, sea lions in a nearby cove off the wall, current possible, suitable for experienced level divers
Piedra Blanca: 18 meters (60 feet) extending to great depths, on the north side, large boulders with a steep wall starting at 18 meters (60 feet), big fissures, cracks, and overhangs, black corals and purple gorgonians deeper, lots of macro critters in the nooks and crannies, highlights include triggerfish, sergeant majors, angelfish, bumphead parrotfish, seasonal pelagics like yellowtail and tuna, suitable for experienced level divers

Montserrate Island: more remote 5-7 hours journey from Loreto, a possibility of dolphins and whales, a number of pristine seamounts around Bajo Sandia o La Reinita and a sea lion colony at Las Galeras, suitable for all levels of diver

Things to Do in Loreto (aside from scuba diving)

Most tourists come for fishing, ocean activities, and beautiful mountain scenery in a more low key relaxing environment than you will find in Mexico’s most popular destinations like Cabo San Lucas or Cozumel. In Loreto, you can still find lots of cultural and historical places to go and great outdoor activities aside from diving. Here is a list to consider: Asadero Super Burro (restaurant), Misión San Francisco Javier de Viggé-Biaundó, Hike to Sierra de la Giganta, Orlando’s (restaurant), Pan Que Pan (breakfast), El Zopilote Brewery & Cocina, Misión Nuestra Señora de Loreto, Tacos del Rey (restaurant), Baja Books, Silver Desert (jewelry), Café Olé, Museo de las Misiones, Tacos & Beer César, Golf, Whale Watching, Fishing, Blanket Factory, Beaches, Kayaking, Mountain Biking.

Here are a couple of videos to give you a glimpse. The first shows a woman and her viewpoint from a nice hotel and the activities emanating from there. The second is about a couple and their dog who arrived by car and spent time touring on the streets of Loreto.

Loreto Transportation, Hotels, & Diving Services

Air – Loreto International Airport (LTO), located 15 minutes to the south of Loreto has direct flights from Los Angeles on Alaska Airlines 4-5 times per week and Westjet twice a week from Calgary. Aéreo Calafia connects domestically to Tijuana, La Paz, Guayanas, and Hermosillo. Taxis and shared vans are available at the airport for the trip to town.
Car – Highway 1 runs the length of Baja California from Tijuana to Cabo San Lucas passing through Loreto.
Bus – Greyhound operates from Tijuana south. Two other Mexican lines link major destination cities.
Walking is all that is needed around town. Catch a taxi when you want to go back to the airport.

For fuller details on transportation and tourist matters, go to Wikitravel – Loreto.

Hotels and Diving – In Loreto there are several dozen lodging options from $10 to $259 per night. Several dive shops in operation offer a full range of services that include equipment rental, diving certification classes, dive guides, and boat tours. The website linked below has the details and can arrange a booking for the lodging. You can easily find the location on the map provided on their site. The rates are guaranteed to be the lowest and it is free to cancel or change dates.

Loreto Lodging

Photography in Loreto

With the colorful coral reefs, a variety of reef tropicals, macro critters, sharks, rays, pelagics, sea lions, whales, and scenic shoreside targets, as well, there are many excellent photo opportunities. For information and reviews of dive cameras, click here:

Scuba Diving Trip Insurance

Feedback and Comments

I hope you found this post on Loreto scuba diving interesting and useful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section. I’d love to know of any experience you have. If there is no comments section directly below, click here: >>comments<<

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