Scuba Key Largo in January?

[ellenh]

I'm wondering if anybody has experience diving in the Florida Keys in January. I'll be there next month and want to dive but I've received mixed information as to whether it is 1)too cold and 2)too rough.

 

OK, I know theoretically nothing is too cold if one wants to wear a dry suit :rolleyes: but I have a 3mm wetsuit and don't want to have to invest in something heavier just for this trip. I have been quite comfortable in water that is 78* or so. Is it likely to get much colder than that? And how 'bout the current and surface conditions? Is it likely to be much different than what I've had during summer/fall months? I'm not a complete wuss but I guess I'm just trying to figure out whether I want to spend hard-earned money to dive if the conditions just won't be that good.

 

Any thoughts or experience would be much appreciated!

[scubaran]

I'm wondering if anybody has experience diving in the Florida Keys in January. I'll be there next month and want to dive but I've received mixed information as to whether it is 1)too cold and 2)too rough.

 

OK, I know theoretically nothing is too cold if one wants to wear a dry suit :rolleyes: but I have a 3mm wetsuit and don't want to have to invest in something heavier just for this trip. I have been quite comfortable in water that is 78* or so. Is it likely to get much colder than that? And how 'bout the current and surface conditions? Is it likely to be much different than what I've had during summer/fall months? I'm not a complete wuss but I guess I'm just trying to figure out whether I want to spend hard-earned money to dive if the conditions just won't be that good.

 

Any thoughts or experience would be much appreciated!

 

Hi,

 

I've dove the Keys in mid-Jan. and you're right, it isn't like diving there in the summer. According to my logs the avg. air temp was around 74F and the water was 72F. The worst part is the inconsistency of the vis. One day I had 50-60ft. vis then the winter winds blew out of the south pushing up sand into the reefs canceling two days of diving then two days with current and 10ft. vis. Since I dive in lakes and rivers in upstate NY I was more prepared for this type of diving, and since the operator has known me for years, they let me lead our group on the dives and the captain and DM monitored us from the surface and brought the boat to us after we surfaced. So it's hit and miss. If the winds stay down then diving can be good but not like summer. Also since I'd left -20F when I left arriving in the low 70s, I dove in a full 3mm and hoodie but the locals thought I was crazy (they were probably right but anyone who dives in the NE is probably crazy anyway). :)

 

Randall

[Capt_BJ]

Hi,

 

I've dove the Keys in mid-Jan. and you're right, it isn't like diving there in the summer. According to my logs the avg. air temp was around 74F and the water was 72F. The worst part is the inconsistency of the vis. One day I had 50-60ft. vis then the winter winds blew out of the south pushing up sand into the reefs canceling two days of diving then two days with current and 10ft. vis. Since I dive in lakes and rivers in upstate NY I was more prepared for this type of diving, and since the operator has known me for years, they let me lead our group on the dives and the captain and DM monitored us from the surface and brought the boat to us after we surfaced. So it's hit and miss. If the winds stay down then diving can be good but not like summer. Also since I'd left -20F when I left arriving in the low 70s, I dove in a full 3mm and hoodie but the locals thought I was crazy (they were probably right but anyone who dives in the NE is probably crazy anyway). :)

 

Randall

 

All in all I'd agree this is right on. Frankly, Florida divers often skip the winter!.. But I came from the north and my light weight wet suit is plenty for the winter in the Keys.... YES there is a higher possibility that the seas will be a bit more. My fav' upper Keys operator only runs 6 packs and cuz of their small boats is usually the first to cancel. Then we run 'cross the street to a cattle boat operator who will still go out but only with very experienced divers cut he won't mess with newbies on a bad day....so we still get out on a half filled cattle boat....but you need to know the places that will work on a ruff day lest you have no viz...or be sane and say, hey conditions stink let's go home :rolleyes:

 

Like said, if like me you got certified in a lake in Wisc' in April then ANY Florida water sounds great. But after 20 trips to Cayman you change your tune!

[the_dylaness]

I'm wondering if anybody has experience diving in the Florida Keys in January. I'll be there next month and want to dive but I've received mixed information as to whether it is 1)too cold and 2)too rough.

 

OK, I know theoretically nothing is too cold if one wants to wear a dry suit :rolleyes: but I have a 3mm wetsuit and don't want to have to invest in something heavier just for this trip. I have been quite comfortable in water that is 78* or so. Is it likely to get much colder than that? And how 'bout the current and surface conditions? Is it likely to be much different than what I've had during summer/fall months? I'm not a complete wuss but I guess I'm just trying to figure out whether I want to spend hard-earned money to dive if the conditions just won't be that good.

 

Any thoughts or experience would be much appreciated!

 

Hi Ellen! I can't answer your EXACT question, but pretty close. We dove Tavernier (Conch Republic divers, great!) including a few sites that I think typically fall under the classification of Key Largo, in December of last year. I wore a 5mm full suit (and sometimes a 3mm vest +/- 1.5mm gloves for the second dive) and 3/5 booties and was pretty comfy on our two tank dives. DH wore a 3mm full suit, no vest, no gloves and was okay too, but he's 1) a guy and 2) slightly more insulated ;)

[ellenh]

Thanks everybody for your replies. This was just the kind of info I was looking for. I think I'll bring my gear and keep my fingers crossed. Maybe I'll get lucky. At worst I end up paying the %$#^& airline's baggage charge for my gear bag but I'd rather do that than get down there and find that conditions are great and I DON'T have my gear!

 

It sounds like a coin toss but I'll let you know how it works out. Hopefully I'll get a least a couple of decent days. And maybe if Santa is reading this he'll bring me a hood and gloves ;)

 

--Ellen

[Capt_BJ]

If diving Key Largo my first choice is

 

http://www.quiescence.com/

[jimw]

Ellen,

 

I dove on the 15th of Dec when the winds died down for a few days. seas 2-4, water temp 76, I wore a full Aeroskin and a 3 mil shorty, also a windsurf hood and was ok--got cold on the second dive---viz 30-35

 

Check Key Largo weather and winds on Weather Underground--if you click on hourly--predicted winds are shown--less than 10mph should be ok. Also check the NOAA tower on Moassses Reef for winds in knots and current water temp. Google Molasses Reef tower....... http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=mlrf1

 

I added the molasses tower site as it can be hard to find--current winds are 22kts, water temp 75.4 F

[ellenh]

Thanks again for the hints everyone. I've definitely decided to bite the bullet and bring my gear. I'll be in the keys for a week so hopefully there will be some time when the diving is good during that span.

 

Captbj--I've dived w/ Quiescence several times and I agree they are a first-rate operation. I've also dived with Silent World and Capt. Jeff Jarvis (http://www.hmsminnow.com/hmsminnow/) and have been completely happy with those too. I guess it just depends on where the boats are going and who has room to take us.

 

Two more questions:

 

Has anyone managed to get to the deep wrecks (Duane, Spiegel Grove) in Jan?

 

And is it possible to do a day dive at the Dry Tortugas from Key West? I will be in KW a couple of days while I'm there and some friends have proposed a day trip to the Dry Tortugas. I see no mention of dive operators though--just snorkel. I'd love to dive if there is a way to do it.

 

Thanks again for all the help.

[scubaran]

Thanks again for the hints everyone. I've definitely decided to bite the bullet and bring my gear. I'll be in the keys for a week so hopefully there will be some time when the diving is good during that span.

 

Captbj--I've dived w/ Quiescence several times and I agree they are a first-rate operation. I've also dived with Silent World and Capt. Jeff Jarvis (http://www.hmsminnow.com/hmsminnow/) and have been completely happy with those too. I guess it just depends on where the boats are going and who has room to take us.

 

Two more questions:

 

Has anyone managed to get to the deep wrecks (Duane, Spiegel Grove) in Jan?

 

And is it possible to do a day dive at the Dry Tortugas from Key West? I will be in KW a couple of days while I'm there and some friends have proposed a day trip to the Dry Tortugas. I see no mention of dive operators though--just snorkel. I'd love to dive if there is a way to do it.

 

Thanks again for all the help.

 

I know of only one operator that does the Dry Tortugas and they only do it on a 2 or 3 day live-aboard. The Tortugas are just too far for day-trippers (they have the fast cat boats that go to the Tortugas but they only offer snorkeling and it's really geared to visit the Fort out there). BTW, if you dive in KW, look up Southpoint Divers (rheir office is in the Hyatt by Mallory Square). Not only have I dove with them a bunch of times but I've gotten two certifications from them as well (and I'm PICKY). :p Don't dive with Captain's Corner. :mad: I found their dive practices to be unsafe and even had to report them to PADI once.

 

Randall

[ellenh]

I'm back from my trip to the Florida Keys and thought I'd give you a report on how the diving went. As it turns out we only did one (2 tank) trip--in part b/c the conditions weren't great and in part b/c the scheduling didn't work out for anything more.

 

Dive day: Jan 23rd: A good day--sunny skies, temps in the low 70's and calm seas! We dove with Silent World--an operator we've used many times. Only 5 divers on the boat--two young ladies taking a resort course (are they crazy? The water was 70*! :rolleyes:) together with their dive guide, my DH and me. I wore my 3mm wetsuit over a lycra skin and added a rental hooded vest as well. When I jumped in the water my first reaction was "holy %^%$#* that's cold! :eek:" but after a minute or two I got used to it (or got numb). We dove the Christ of the Abyss site which I had always been warned away from due to the crowds and damaged reef but it was actually pretty nice. We were the only boat out there (in fact, we were the only boat in sight for the whole time we were on the water) and I found it fairly pleasant. We didn't see any astonishing sea life but we saw some huge schools of midnight parrot fish as well as several queen angel fish and all the usual suspects. The reef is very shallow--about 25' at the max--so we could have stayed down forever but I was seriously chilly at 45 minutes so we called the dive at that point. Still, I enjoyed having a nice lazy dive with plenty of time to just poke around the reef.

 

The second dive was just a ways up the reef at north north dry rocks. The water was a relatively balmy 72* here. This dive was about the same depth as the first dive but we saw more big stuff--tons of baracuda & tarpon and an absolutely enormous stingray just lounging on the sand. Unlike the first dive there was a lot of current here so we had to pay a little more attention to our navigation in order to avoid a long swim back to the boat. Still, it was a real pleasure to have the dive site all to ourselves. Once again we opted to end the dive a little early (50 minutes) due to the cold.

 

We had planned to do two more days of diving but it didn't work out. Our next attempt had been with a dive shop in Big Pine Key where we hoped to go to the Looe Key Reef. We had reserved with this shop in advance and had even given a credit card # to reserve our spots. However, when we called to confirm on the day of the dive--as instructed--they disavowed all knowledge of us (though they admitted they had our credit card # on record???). We were annoyed to say the least especially as they made no attempt to hook us up with anyone else or do anything whatever to help us locate another boat. Grrrrr.

 

Finally our last attempt was back in Key Largo with Silent World with the intention of diving the Benwood. When we showed up that morning we were told that the wind was blowing at 18-20 knots and seas were approaching 6'. :eek: They said they would attempt to go out but if the wind was blowing steadily at 20 knots when we got to the reef they would return to shore. The other 3 divers sharing the trip were technical divers by profession and were quite unfazed by this. My DH and I, OTOH, were not eager to test our boat-boarding skills in 6' seas so the good folks at Silent World gave us a rain-check. I have no idea whether the other guys ended up diving or not.

 

Fortunately this trip to the Keys wasn't planned as a dive trip. It was primarily a trip to meet some friends and run a race--and diving would be a nice fringe benefit if it worked out. Given our experience this time I don't think I would ever plan a dive trip to the Keys in the winter. The conditions were just too iffy to make it a reliable dive destination. OTOH, if you're going to be in the Keys anyway, as I was, I'd say by all means bring your gear along. If you get lucky and have good conditions you'll likely find that you have the reef all to yourself--a nice change from peak season diving down there!

 

--Ellen back in cold NYC

[kwfl]

Water can get as cold as 66 in Key Largo in winter. It can also be a little above 70- much more tolerable. Most divers wear a farmer john 3mm to a full 5mm in the winter here. Most divers aren't cold during their dives, but in between the 2 dives and the ride back.

 

You can get lucky with viz and sea conditions in the winter. It just depends how quickly that cold fronts are sweeping across the US. That same front pushes through here and churns up the sea and ruins viz for a few days before settling back down. Usually the strong ones come through every 7-14 days in winter. If you are here an entire week, chances are you may not be able to dive a few days due to weather. You also will probably have some very good diving between fronts. If you are just planning a weekend and only for diving, I wouldn't risk having bad timing ruin my vacation in the winter:(

 

If you go to the NOAA website or even wunderground.com you can look at current marine weather and forecasts by typing in Key Largo. You can also see how close the Gulf Stream is to shore which brings us warmer and clearer currents during the winter. It might be fun for you to monitor this during Feb- conditions will be similar next Jan. If you had been watching this the last few days in KW, we've had excellent diving as the Gulf Stream drifted closer with water temp of 74 and lots of unusual sightings. But, this afternoon a strong front has moved in. Air temp has dropped 15 degrees since and wind has started picking up- diving will most likely be cancelled tomorrow but back on again on Sunday. It will depend how close the GS is to us as to how bad this passing front will affect viz.

 

Winter diving here can bring in some interesting currents and with those, some unusual critters, so don't rule it out completely!

 

I agree with the posters above about Quiesence. There are many dive ops u pthere- most have a smaller and a larger cattle boat, but with Q- never more than 6! Capt Steve is my favorite.:)

[scubaran]

Hi Ellen,

 

Sorry to hear your diving didn't quite work out as you'd planned. Unfortunately it looks like you had "typical" diving in the Keys in the winter. At least you were warned. :p Don't give up and always bring your gear. I've been diving the keys in the winter for years and a couple of them we actually had "great" vis and seas. Also summer is totally different. So maybe plan a summer vacation down there and dive 5 times a day in really great conditions. On the bright side, a cold day in the Keys is warmer than a warm day in NYC in the winter. :)

 

Randall

 

P.S. diving the week of the 9th in the Caribbean as part of a cruise. 80's in those waters. ;)

[thecarnivalkid]

was down that way for a few days last month in Jan and hilarious seeing the locals skip diving altogether in the 'cold water' ha, man these people need to head up north a bit and maybe they would reconsider.

 

we did a 2 tanker and had 74ish water temps and I did fine with a 2.5mm shorty with 5mm boots on. I find the in between tank and ride back was when others were getting cold, bring a sweater or whatever and I would have been golden, next time!

 

gotta love the Ramada (and other 2) at the 100, talk about walk up diving from the hotel, I still look at the pics daily to get over the snow covered mess outside the door.