Any good sites from Ft. Lauderdale down to the Keys?

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Comment by David Lott on October 14, 2009 at 2:18pm

just got back from diving jupiter and would highly recomend it there were tons of life with the giliath grouper were still spawning so we saw packs of 20 to 30 together. lots of turtles and rays with some sharks on the side. i did a beach dive in fort pierce and it was great and the depth was only 10 to 13 ft so our down times were 1hour and 20 min for the first dive then hour and 10 min for the second so you get alot of down time plus to boot the guy i dove with was bug hunting and it got me wanting to bug hunt. water temps were 85 degrees at 90 ft so it was pleasant to dive.

Comment by George K. Hodges on October 2, 2009 at 6:16pm

It's a little North and out of your way but West Palm Beach has some good diving.

Comment by Kathy Rowe on October 1, 2009 at 2:44pm

I just went to Key Largo in September and dove with Amoray's Dive Resort. I thought they were great! I was newly certified and it was my first experience in the ocean. I met some great people who had lots of experience who were great to dive with. The diving was perfect for me--mostly 20 to 40 feet deep--tons of fish! They have package deals for diving and their hotel. I also found great places to eat there. I'll be glad to give you any more info that you need. We dove many different spots including a wreck, saw the famous statue Christ of the Abyss, barracudas, groupers, grunts, jacks, nurse sharks, angelfish, parrotfish, an Eagle ray, lobster, jawfish, too many to name!

Comment by David Lott on September 22, 2009 at 8:03pm

im fixing to go to cocoa in oct and been lurking around about doing a dive or two while im down there and what ive found out so far jupiter is suppose to be some great diving in the area i know that the goliath grouper are spawning now but is over around the first of oct. i dont know but something about seeing a 5 to 8 ft fish that weigh around 150 to 800 lbs turns me on. but there are a few shops in jupiter and they say the reefs and wrecks are hard to beat in the area.

Comment by Russ Sexton on September 17, 2009 at 11:09am

innerspace dive shop has a great little trip out to looe reef , a national underwater park, great place, tarpoon, cow fish, eels, barracuda, giant grouper, nurse sharks, etc
Captn Hooks on Maratheon was a great dive operator , lot of 30 foot dives with great light and reefs
Middle keys dive center on plantation key took us to the Conch wall, they also do the wrecks. we could see the coral from the boat 80 feet below, reminded me of Bonaire.
Key west was hit an miss. lots of hurricane damage, anchored far from the reef, many shop will cancel the dive and not call. we used the shop at Mallory square , these guys are salty ! be sure to tell them you don't mind the adventure of the boat ride and need a bit of salt to make your trip complete !

Comment by John Harkins on August 20, 2009 at 4:55pm

I have two favorite dive shops in Key West. The first is Dive Key West Inc. run by Bob Holston and Cece. They have been in business there for almost 40 years and run a good operation. Another good dive shop is called Subtropic. I don’t know the owners personally, but they run a good boat. I don’t like the reefs in KW as much as those farther up the keys, but I think nine foot stake is one of the best in the KW area. There are three wreck dives you should check out. My favorite dive sites were the “Cayman Salvager” and “Joe’s Tug”. They have a new wreck site, the second largest artificial reef ever sunk, called the “Vandenberg”. I think she lies in about 140’ but is a very impressive wreck and dive. Even though it is new I have heard it does have some big fish visiting on a regular basis, so I have been told.
I would also highly recommend the following activities:
Get a “Cheeseburger in Paradise” from Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville café (especially if you are a parrot head). Go see the Mel Fisher Treasure museum and go to a sunset at Mallory Square at least one afternoon.

Comment by Wes Collins on August 20, 2009 at 7:39am

May want to talk to Maria on this one....