Diving Miami

[CaribQween]

We're going to be getting to Miami a day prior to embarkation. We have never done any diving in Miami and really haven't seen much on it. Can anyone tell us anything about the diving in Miami such as whether it is good diving, the best areas to dive and possibly some good dive ops? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[TrqoisWtrs]

I would head to Key Largo, about an hour's drive away. There is a national marine park there, and the reefs are pretty good; its been many years, but I liked Molasses Reef. Sorry, but don't remember who we dove with.

 

http://www.fla-keys.com/keylargo/

[Capt_BJ]

concur ... there are dive boats in Miami but I wouldn't dive there

 

you could go up to Lauderdale but IMO that is not anywhere as good as the Keys.

 

You can find decent diving in upper Key Largo - these shops have access to Mollasses Reef.

 

My operator of choice, just outside the entr to Pennecamp State Park is

 

http://www.keylargodiving.com/ (they only take 6 per boat)

 

from downtown Miami this is about an hour . . .

 

{certified in 74 by PADI instructor #6 ... and active since then .. 10 year Miami resident }

[Sailfish]

I have always enjoyed diving in Key Largo, but it's a long way to go diving for just one day prior to a cruise. I have done this, and though it's do-able, it makes for a very hectic pre-cruise day, especially if you arrive in town in the morning, get settled into your hotel and go diving. I have no idea what your schedule is, but we got into MIA around 8am, drove to Key Largo and checked into a hotel near the dive shop. By the time we arrived, we barely made it for the one tank afternoon dive. The dive was so-so, as it got windy and conditions weren't ideal (always best to go early). But we did manage to get a dive in.

 

Personally, two days is ideal - the day you fly in, you settle into your hotel, and dive the next morning.

 

Good Luck!

[Capt_BJ]

concur that if you are arriving the day b4 your cruise then a dive is going to be a very difficult thing to arrange. When I lived in south Miami (right at the zoo) a typical dive Saturday had us leaving the house at zero dark hundred (military time) to drive 50 minutes to Key Largo and be ready for the morning 2 tank dive trip (be there at 8 am). Off the boat and heading for home with a lunch stop didn't see us back at the house before 3 pm. Shift that to an afternoon dive and you still need to be at the dive shop by 1230. The shop I recommended DOES offer a one tank twilight dive if you REALLY want a dive. Mollasses is what I'd consider the most reliable site in the upper Keys and general Miami area, but that is not to say it is a sure thing as the conditions on any given day are always a crap shoot at any dive location....

[Bowie MeMe]

We will be in Miami for 2 days before a 4PM flight to Ecuador for the Galapagos Islands cruise. We will have our snorkel equipment with us for GI. My question is Biscayne NP or Pennykamp State Park for snorkeling and is it worth the effort when we will snorkel everyday for the next week?

 

DH Used to live in Kendal area (Palmetto HS) but that was a LONNNNNNg time ago and memories of Pennykamp may not be exactly precise. We plan to go to Biscayne anyway as we are missing that National Park stamp:o

[TrqoisWtrs]

is it worth the effort when we will snorkel everyday for the next week?

 

Coming from landlocked Midwest, I personally would snorkel every chance I could get. :)

[Capt_BJ]

penne' has access to good snorkeling but it is not in the park so far as what you can access from their beaches. You need to get out to the Molassess area and that's about a 40 minute boat ride from a provider in the park, or one of the others in the immediate area.

 

Snorkel from the beach in the park and see sand and some sea grass.

 

{you could head out to the mangrove areas but that's a very different type of snorkeling}

 

 

We will be in Miami for 2 days before a 4PM flight to Ecuador for the Galapagos Islands cruise. We will have our snorkel equipment with us for GI. My question is Biscayne NP or Pennykamp State Park for snorkeling and is it worth the effort when we will snorkel everyday for the next week?

 

DH Used to live in Kendal area (Palmetto HS) but that was a LONNNNNNg time ago and memories of Pennykamp may not be exactly precise. We plan to go to Biscayne anyway as we are missing that National Park stamp:o

[Bowie MeMe]

Thanks that was pretty much what I was afraid of. Sand and grass and a lonesome turtle. Will probably just take the glass bottom boat ride.

 

I wasn't being "snotty" with the remark about worth snorkeling. I just am very disappointed in some of the tourist sites that have over fed and caused so much disturbance that the fish have gone to quieter and better locations. Snorkeling is always fun but loads of colorful fish make me a happier person and lack of creatures makes me cranky.

[Shark Bait!]

Miami has plenty of good diving if you like wrecks. The best dive operator I can recommended is RJ's, the boats can get packed, but the wrecks are simply amazing and within recreational diving limits.

 

http://www.rjdiving.com/

 

As far as driving to Key Largo, I prefer to use Conch Republic or Quiescence, but I would drive north 1 hr & dive in Boynton Bch w/ Underwater explorers or Jupiter w/ jupiter dive center ot abanathy before I drive 1 hr south & dive the keys.