Tag: Dive Report

This Week’s Dive Report Conditions this week were spectacular, with light winds and great viz. It wasn’t too hot, so the surface intervals were pleasant. And, as always, we had that magical Florida Keys turquoise blue water to admire. It was a beautiful way to officially end the summer season. This weekend was extra special because we planted boulder corals back to the reef for the first time ever. These are native to shallow tropical waters in places like Florida. In fact, the Florida Keys are known for their huge boulder corals, and the majority of them are succumbing to disease. It’s frightening...

This Week’s Dive Report Conditions this past week were a little mixed. The first part of the week we had a great dive on the wreck of the Duane while conditions remained nice. The Duane is known for its strong currents. Luckily, on our dive day, we hit it perfectly and were blessed with zero current. Frequent Keys divers know how rare this is for the Duane. Speaking of wrecks, remember that most of the wrecks in the Keys were intentionally sunk to create artificial reefs. It works! That’s why, when diving the wrecks, tread carefully. There are living corals and tons of marine life that call...

This Week’s Dive Report Once again, dive conditions this past week were “Keys-tastic!” I can’t stress enough that this is why so many people visit often and even move here. Our waters are unlike anywhere else in the world. The flat-calm seas and clear visibility were perfect for our visit to the coral nursery. We harvested some corals to replant on our reefs. This is very needed, as our reefs have degraded tremendously over the years.  Our corals have suffered because of everything from anchor damage to water quality, from warming seas to coral diseases. Unfortunately, it seems like our...

This Week’s Dive Report This week’s conditions were nice — as the last few weeks have been — right up to when Fred rolled by. We took out a group of divers to Davis Reef. Davis Reef is a Sanctuary Preservation Area (SPA) and has a welcoming statue of Buddha that you can rub for good luck. There are also many resident nurse sharks that we visit on our Shark Awareness Dives every week. We are lucky to have sharks and other predators in our oceans, because it means that our marine ecosystems are healthy. We need every level of the food chain in order to maintain a healthy, functioning reef. You...

This Week’s Dive Report Conditions continued to be amazing this week. This was just in time for mini-season! Mini-season is always crowded, so it is important to watch where you drive your boats. As divers, always check before surfacing as there is way more traffic on the water during those two days than normal. When you’re in the water, be sure to still be mindful of the rules and the reef. Don’t take more than the limit, make sure every lobster you take is over the size requirement and watch your buoyancy! We enjoyed taking out numerous lobster hunters for safe, successful dives. We drifted...

This Week’s Dive Report Once again, conditions were amazing! This is the stuff summer Keys dreams are made of! The great viz remained, and the seas were flat and calm. It was a perfect way to ease through the week. We had two big dive shops with us: Scooba Shack and H2O Divers. We took them to the wreck of the Bibb and on a drift dive along Conch Wall. When conditions are as ideal as they have been, these dives are particularly amazing because there is so much to see. Details of wrecks come into view, even deep underwater. Drift dives are also fun because you get to see so much of the reef. ...

This Week’s Dive Report Usually, the warmer months bring flat seas (when there aren’t hurricanes) and endless visibility. This is actually what Florida Keys diving is famous for. Instead, this summer has been an interesting one in the Keys. We continue to have wind blusters and small storms. Tropical Storm Elsa didn’t hit close to home, thank goddess, but did stir up our infamous visibility. Instead of that crystal clear turquoise water we love to see, it was more of a milky blue, with unsettled sediment in the water column. This made diving conditions “average.” Not to worry, the ocean always...

This Week’s Dive Report During the week, we had a light chop with about 60 feet of visibility. It was beautiful out on the water. Conditions remained great all week until the wind kicked in on Saturday and Sunday. As you know, in the Keys, we live and die by the wind, so this made things a little rougher after that.  We had a lot of classes going on this week and were fortunate enough to certify five local EMT’s from Key Largo — thanks for your service! On their training dives, we encountered a large goliath grouper, which is always a fun treat. These curious giants have been described...