Being a resident of Central Florida, I travel to Key Largo every chance I get. Since 1972, I have visited more than fifty times. This article will share the knowledge I gained from lucky discoveries, mistakes, and the changing landscape of a better dive site in the United States. Recommendations are strictly my opinions.
1. Travel “If you are driving down, get off at I-95 and reach Sunny State Park as soon as possible.” Two roads are one mile from each other at Fort Pierce. Parkway is a toll road, but I-95 in southern Florida is insane ... incredibly intense transportation and road rules right out of the wild, the Wild West. If you are flying, consider Ft. Lauderdale as an alternative to Miami International. This is a longer engine, but you will have a rented car and closer to Key Largo, before the MIA passenger even gets the bags. When you get to Florida, you leave Parkway and head south on US 1. There are two options. US 1 runs to Key West and is the most direct route. However, if it is somewhere closer to dinner, turn left along the Card Sound road. It distracts you a little, but you have to stay at Alabama Jacks. Fresh fishing sandwiches and cold cold beers are a great way to get a deck out of the Republic of Conch.
2. Housing -If you are looking for luxury, stay at the Marriott Key Largo. This is a five star resort on the bay (Mile Marker 103). Another luxury option is to rent a house. In one of the apartments there are 7 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms and a billiard room. Many of them are on canals that lead directly to the Atlantic Ocean and have facilities that compete with any resort. A great area to search for rentals is the community of Port Largo. A more moderately priced option is the Florida Bay Club (MM 103 - just south of the Marriott). It offers a weekly rental condominium with a limited boat. There are two and three bedrooms. The decor is dated, but most rooms offer a beautiful view of the Florida Gulf and its beautiful sunsets. The Florida Bay Club is located on Adams Cut, about 15 minutes by boat to the Atlantic Ocean.
If you are looking for something cheap, do not exclude rental housing. A number of homes are available at very reasonable weekly rates. Another economic choice is a lot of private motels on the shores of Bay USA 1. For example, The Bay Cove Motel has a cottage on the shores of the bay, which sleeps 6 with two bathrooms. The decor is primitive, but there is a white sand beach and a beautiful view of the Florida Gulf. If you bring a boat, I highly recommend Marina del Mar (about MM 100). Room rates are reasonable and the Atlantic Ocean is 5 minutes from the hotel. They also have lockers for your equipment right on the boat. Refillable water is included in the docking charge. If you really want to save money, you can camp in the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park (MM 102). Bring a lot of spray. Mosquitoes come out exactly at dusk, and you will need to fully cover up or in your tent.
3. Food “My friends are diving, and I don't have a good dinner at Keys.” I’m sure Marriott offers a great opportunity to dress and practice using the right silver. But if you want food in the Konchskaya Republic to taste Hobo (MM 101), the kitchen of Mrs. Mac (MM 99) and the Islamorada fish house (MM 81). Atmosphere - 100% Florida Keys. My son thinks that the purulent mom's main cake Mack is the best he has ever eaten, and we ate a lot of lime cake. But I'm part of her peanut butter cake.
4. Scuba diving - There are many charter boats available for scuba diving. Make sure you get to Christ of the Abyss. The statue of Christ is 30 feet from the water and has a good coral growth. LaTely people are forced to leave cremated remains at the base. Other great places for snorkeling are the Greek cliffs, the shores of mosquitoes and a dozen smaller reefs. You will see fan coral, colorful small coral formations and thousands of brightly colored fish.
5. Diving - The main attraction in Key Largo is diving in SCUBA. They are many dive sites, and prices for charter boats are very consistent. You can go shopping, but you will not find much difference in prices. My favorite shipping company is Ocean Divers, which is about MM 100. They have two boats, and you will find that everyone has a different route that will give you more options. USS Spiegel Grove, USCG Duane and French Reef are my “Must Do” dives. Here is some additional information on all three.
Located in a marine reserve, Spiegel Grove is a landing ship 510, which was deliberately flooded in 2002. He sits upright in 134 feet of water with a dive on the deck, as shallow as 50 feet. This is not a one-day website. I almost 50 times fell on the Coffin, and she continues to amaze me. Charter usually takes you to a short tour to give you an idea of the bay (where the landing was kept) and around the superstructure to the bridge. You will also see two huge slewing cranes that load and unload the landing craft. Coral grows in abundance, and there are quite a few very large groups that have settled. Make sure and discuss with the charter what parts of the ship you will see. Different trips see different sections.
Also in the Marine Reserve, the French reef is a great alternative to the reef Molasses, which is often crowded. This is a small site, but in my opinion, this is a better dive than Molasses. Since Looe Reef (near Key West) has deteriorated so much, I believe that French is one of the most impressive reef zones in Keys. Leagues, tunnels and caves; big enough to swim in abundance. Here are some of my favorite places on the reef. For the possibility of an invisible hidden sea life, try the Hourglass Cave (50 feet from the coast of F1) or the Christmas Tree Cave (50 feet above buoy F3). F5 buoy marks the sandy beach with coral ridges, and F6 has a floating coral head. Along the F7 is a projection near the old anchor. The white sand cave, the largest cave in the area, is located near the center of the reef. Depth ranges from 15 to 100 feet. If you have your own boat, this is a great reef to bring your snorkelers and divers. This is really something for everyone.
In close proximity to the USCG Duane Marine Sanctuary, a 327-foot coast guard cutter sunk in 1987 in 120 feet of water. It sits upright, and the crows nest reaches 60 feet below the surface. Coral growth is abundant, and thousands of fish are in residence. Other frequent visitors include bull sharks and dozens of barracudas. This is a deer dive, and the surface current can sometimes be perfidious. It is listed in most dive books as an advanced dive. On the day when the current is broken, and the state of the sea is from 3 to 5, this is certainly true. However, on calmer days, a diver with moderate experience is not difficult. One way to find out what it will look like: check the NOAA buoys site (www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=mlrf1) for two things. First you want to determine the state of the sea on the Molasses reef, as it is about 2 miles from Douane. Secondly, on the same site determine the location of the Gulf Stream. When it is located a few nautical miles from the Molasses, the current on Duen gives mooring buoys and makes dives almost unusable. Since Duane is outside the Marine Sanctuary, you can fight the fisherman for the buoy dock. After these potential weaknesses, Duane is the best dive in the area. If you are really lucky, you will see a resident of the Goliath Grouper. It's about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle, but really shy.
6. Things to avoid - Fast food ... come on Keys surrounded by water! You will not find fresh fish anywhere. If you are not interested in catching yourself, avoid the lobster season. This is a complete bedlam, and they are thousands of people in rented boats who have no idea what they are doing. Someone gets killed about every year. Specific dates vary from year to year, so Google to get exact dates. Bad weather can certainly destroy your trip. So check out the NOAA website I specified in the paragraph on Duane. Charter boats will come out in any weather, but they will not return if you get seasickness. Make sure you know where you're going.
7. Day trips - You are in the perfect place to relax. Why go anywhere? When the weather outside is scary, you can try some of these suggestions. A very cool thing to do on a windy day is to visit Dolphins Plus (about MM 100). They have several dive programs, and I highly recommend them. If you have never been and do not believe me, this is really not necessary, you can travel two hours to Key West. In addition to t-shirts and liquor, your options are limited. The Mel Fisher Treasure Museum is interesting and worth the time. In the Mallory Pier at sunset the carnival atmosphere prevails. However, if the cruise ship is in port, it can be very crowded. If you really dive into deep-sea fishing, then Islamorada is the place to go. And if you have never seen the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico at the same time, the seven-mile bridge is a worthy place. On the north side of the bridge there is a park with a large store across the road.
Hope you found some useful ideas in this article. If you are a SCUBA diver or snorkel enthusiast or are simply interested in the largest coral reef in North America, visit Key Largo. You might like a place like me. If you have any questions, send me an email. I will be happy to answer.
