Dive Travel Notes:
Key West, Florida
Posted by Barbara Dwyer on BA Diving on 27 December 2014.
Look up Jim Wyatt in Key West. He's a cave diver/instructor who is teaching tech diving in Key West. Not sure about his boat situation but he will know where to find one and could point you toward some operators. His web site is tekdiveflkeys.com .
Posted by Scott Tims on BA Diving on 2 January 2015.
Spent our first day walking one end of the island to the other, checking everything out, specifically, dive shops and boats. Two of the south end dive shop boats were out of the water for servicing, so the choices were Southpoint Divers with a limited load on fri, or a full boat on sat with Lost Reef Adventures. Decided for the light load on fri, with Southpoint. They were the most recommended shop/ boat.
Reserved a spot on wed, called back Thursday to confirm, they lost all my info, and reservation. Reserved again and asked for nitrox, they said yes, for an extra $18 per tank, but only 30%. I asked for 32, but OK, done
Showed up the next day, smooth transition from dive shop to boat. 90 mile an hour boat briefing, 20 minutes to the site, and then, WOW, the 20 something DM mandates a 100ft max, 17 min max bottom time, and or rule of thirds for air supply, whichever is more conservative. WHAT, I have never Been TOLD such conservative mandatory profile, even 30 years after the invention of the dive computer, and everyone on board had one. I was also asked to sign the nitrox log before analyzing the mix, which I also was not allowed to do, but only to observe the DM do it for me, and have me watch.
45 minute SI, TO THE SECOND, captain had an alarm watch, then back in for a similar short 25 minute TBT dive, then back to the harbor.
THE DIVE, Well we had hoped for descent vis, but got a snotty 15 ft. The wreck, down now for 6 years was well prepped for diving, and the crew recommended penetration, so long as you see light on the other end of each opening (I had no light!). The ship is over 500 ft long, so from the bow, we could only get about a little over half way back. There is some growth, crustations, coral, growing up to an inch off the wreck, but nothing big. All kind of brown, grey, red. A good number of Baracuda, one tiger grouper, one queen, and one French angel, lots of yellow tail.
The boat provided an ice chest and a water cooler, nothing else, no snacks, drinks, cookies, nothing.
So, for $200, I got 2, 25 minute dives, with lots of both bottom time and air left. These guys take conservative dive profiles to a new level. This shop and boat are more concerned about safe and conservative than fun and freedom. The captain, during his boat briefing, made a point of mentioning, more than once, that the boat has never had an accident, never pulled out the o2.
I had a slip and fall accident about 3 weeks ago, and have been walking with a cane. Banged up both my knees. When we returned to the harbor, I was getting OFF the boat, and as I went to step off to boat, the boat pulled away, and again I fell, again, hit both knees and wrenched my shoulder, the same shoulder I have trashed year in and year out lifting tanks and weight belts out of the water from my inflatable for 20 years. OUCH
Spending the rest of the trip sipping on various types of pain killer/s.
Needless to say, I would NOT go out with these guys again, but would recommend them for a new diver. Courtious, professional, fast, and did I mention, extremely conservative.
Oops, forgot to talk about the town
Duval st is alive and well, many many bars and eateries, a lot like Bourban at, New Orleans. It runs east west at the southernmost part of Key West. The LGBTG community is alive and well here, and has many local establishments, shows etc... Haven't seen naked men dancing on the bars till here and now (from the sidewalk) yes, I guess I have lived a sheltered life
Great conch fritters, white and red conch chowder, key lime pie, stone crab ( $15 per claw) ouch.
Staying accross the street from Hemingway's house, did the tour, as well as Mel Fischer's museum, very interesting stuff.
Most of the shops seem to be tourist crap stuff, t shirts, nick nacks, mostly run by furiners, Russians and middle easterners mostly. Oh, and then there are the countless kiosks with hawkers selling every possible type of water trip, scooter or bicycle rentals, kinda obnoxious. Then there are all the ridiculous shuttle/tour busses..... Trains..... Bicycle ...... Scooter tours some with endless numbers of cars. Kind of a mix of Disneyland and Bourban st.
Get off Bourban st, oops I mean Duvall st and you really start to see the folks that actually live and work here, from my observations, mostly Jamaican, or at least Caribbean. Very friendly folk who seem to mostly get around on bikes. On old timer came around the corner on his tricycle, all decked out with tinsel and lights and a big ass boom box, playing the theme song from three's company full blast. Another old woman pushing a shopping cart full of here possessions down a one way street, blocking all traffic behind.... I asked her if she wanted a "hand" and her reply was, " HELL NO, I WANTS ME SOME MONEY"
Would definitely recommend Santiago's restaurant as having the best crab cakes I have ever had.
Lots of other stuff we haven't seen, just running out of time and mobility.
Late night craziness, I have no idea, was in bed at 8pm last night.
Posted by Bob Halem on BA Diving on 7 January 2015.
The Ocean Highway is an interesting drive, but I would probably find a way to do it one way next time. It looks the same going both ways.
I wasn't thrilled with the dive operation I used, but do find a way to dive the Vandenberg. It is an interesting wreck. I was down only a few months when I dove it. It should be much more interesting now.
Posted by Bill Taylor on BA Diving on 7 January 2015.
You might try Key largo instead of Key West for diving. The drive on the highway is pretty boring. There are some good wrecks out of Key Largo.
Posted by Ken Gwin on BA Diving on 7 January 2015.
Key Largo has interesting diving.
Key West has a little hut at the end of the road (can't go any
more).
I suggest the Myers Dark Rum and tonic. No fruit.
Watch the ocean and chill.
Posted by Janna Nichols on BA Diving on 8 January 2015.
Just as an interesting aside to this - in spite of the fact that things are no longer what they used to be (same is true pretty much everywhere, I think), Alligator Ledge, off Islamorada, is one of the few places in the Tropical Western Atlantic region (Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas) where REEF fish surveyors have counted more than 100 species of fish on one dive. And that was in 2014.
That's one person, one tank.
Simply incredible!
In fact, the record for that site is 116 species counted!
(To compare - a typical survey done by someone who knows what they're doing usually yields maybe about 60-70 fish in the TWA region.)
So for fish geeks, this area still holds an attraction other than wrecks!
Posted by Brian Correiar on BA Diving on 8 January 2015.
Here's perhaps a slightly different thought on possible additions to your diving plans.
I lived in Boca Raton for a few years. Somehow my math tells me that was 15 or so years ago, but I find that hard to believe. Back then my preferred dive area ranged from Boynton Beach in southern Palm Beach county to Pompano Beach in northern Broward county. There was great drift diving off this stretch of coast and plenty of artificial wrecks. Most dive tourists went north to Palm Beach or south to Ft. Lauderdale or the Keys. That left the coast I'm describing for mostly locals to dive. Yes, that was 15 or so years ago.
Another option is to dive off Jupiter in northern Palm Beach county. There you will find deeper diving and bigger animals (sharks).
By Melissa Coleman on The New York Times on 29 April 2015.
“It’s the best place I’ve ever been any time, anywhere,” Ernest Hemingway wrote of Key West. “Flowers, tamarind trees, guava trees, coconut palms. … Got tight last night on absinthe and did knife tricks.” Now as then, Florida’s southernmost key offers the delights of a tropical paradise matched by spectacular night life. The writer’s favorite pastimes in the 1930s — catching big fish, eating well and drinking hard — still define the island’s appeal today. This historic allure persists in the decades of memorabilia on saloon walls, “conch-style” homes inhabited by famous writers and the never-ending diversion of the omnipresent pale-blue sea. Dip beneath the surface in the Conch Republic, and you’ll find something for everyone in the family. You may also find that, in Key West, everyone feels like a kid.
Friday
1. Literary Landmarks | 3 p.m.
Hemingway wasn’t the only writer drawn to the island, prompting the poet Wallace Stevens to state in the 1930s, “Key West, unfortunately, is becoming rather literary and artistic.” Arlo Haskell, executive director of the Key West Literary Seminar, suggests a self-guided bicycle tour of author abodes, though out of respect for current owners, please don’t knock. Call WeCycle, for example, and they’ll deliver a rental cruiser or tandem bike ($10 to $17) to the Casa Marina resort, where the Pulitzer-winning poets Stevens and Robert Frost debated poetics over conch chowder. From there, follow White Street to 1431 Duncan Street, the house of Tennessee Williams. Head next to 624 White, the former home of Elizabeth Bishop, poet laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner, and take Southard to 709 Baker’s Lane, where James Leo Herlihy of “Midnight Cowboy” held court. A writer’s compound at 713 Windsor Lane has a plaque boasting yet another Pulitzer Prize-winning poet laureate, Richard Wilbur, and the “Invisible Man” author Ralph Ellison, among others, and the poet-illustrator Shel Silverstein lived nearby at 620 William. From there, glide by Casa Antigua at 314 Simonton Street, the former Ford dealership where Hemingway and his wife, Pauline, once awaited a car, then head south on Whitehead and you can’t miss Hemingway’s Spanish colonial villa, where “To Have and to Have Not” was written.
2. Dinner Al Fresco | 5 p.m.
On the southwest side of Whitehead is Bahama Village, where Blue Heaven resides in a one-time bordello and site of boxing matches refereed by Hemingway himself. Make reservations to secure an outdoor table. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served in the courtyard with a water tower tiki bar, Ping-Pong table, live music and resident chickens and roosters, all beneath white lights and the branches of a colossal 90-year-old Spanish lime tree. Favorites include yellowtail snapper with an addictive citrus beurre blanc sauce ($28.50) and Key lime pie topped with meringue ($9.50).
3. Flicks and Concerts | 7 p.m.
Cayo Hueso (the original Spanish name for the island) has long fostered a vibrant local community. Today, the new “Old Key West” can be found at Coast Projects, a collective of craftsmen, artists and musicians hosting monthly fund-raiser concerts (with the likes of Mason Jennings), workshops and outdoor film screenings at a funky lot on Stock Island (see coastprojects.com for events). Back in town, the old Tropic Cinema has been restored into a multiplex theater and locals’ hub by the Key West Film Society, spearheaded in part by George Cooper, husband of the author Judy Blume.
Saturday
4. Coffee and Art | 8 a.m.
Many a book was born in a coffee shop, and the Coffee Plantation is a good place to settle into a couch or on the front porch with a laptop and organic Blue Moon blend house brew ($2) or café con leche ($3.50), plus bacon and Cheddar quiche ($4.95). Owned by the husband-wife team Diane and Theo Glorie, both artists, the cafe features their paintings as well as art shows, author readings and even a real estate desk run by Theo — just in case you find the need for a home of your own.
5. Angler Central | 10 a.m.
Renowned as a sport-fishing destination since the days of Hemingway’s marlin conquests, the draw is now catch-and-release fishing for tarpon, bonefish or permit. Nathaniel Linville at the Angling Company can set you up with the appropriate Hardy, Sage and Hatch gear and Simms clothing, as well as the best charter captain for your angling ambitions, but call well ahead to assure a full-day booking ($650). Ask after Capt. Justin Rea, of Sting Rea Charters, a sought-after tournament-winning guide who specializes in fly and light-tackle charters into the backcountry flats, including expeditions to the Marquesas, an intriguing ring of reef islands 20 miles away by boat.
6. Waterfront Walkabout | 11 a.m.
From the Angling Company, wander down Caroline to the Harbor Walk at the Key West Historic Seaport. The boardwalk weaves along the bight from the ferry terminal on Grinnell to the end of Front Street. Explore the charters, tour operators and schooners for hire (look for the beautifully restored two-masted 1920s Hindu and book a sunset sail, $85), plus gift shops, restaurants, bars and views. Stop across from the A & B Lobster House to feed the steam-shovel-jawed tarpon and scavenger pelicans.
7. Adventures Afloat | 1 p.m.
Rob Oliverio of Mellow Ventures Backcountry Outfitters, docked on the Harbor Walk at the end of William Street, organizes full- or half-day private eco-charters to Marvin Key and the Marquesas for up to six passengers ($400 to $1,000) on a Twin-Vee catamaran sport boat. His captains will take your family or group to the best spots for paddleboarding in the mangroves, fishing for snapper, snorkeling around shipwrecks and reefs, picnicking on a private island and swimming with dolphins.
8. Oyster Happy Hour | 4 p.m.
At the Harbor Walk, happy hour begins at 4 to 4:30 p.m. — though some would say much earlier. Head to the Half Shell Raw Bar at the end of Margaret Street for Texas oysters on the half shell ($4.50 per half dozen) and a locals-meets-vacationers scene, or go a block farther to Pepe’s, a venerable dining establishment, where Gulf Coast oysters are shucked on demand (64 cents). The Rum Runner — popularized in nearby Islamorada by combining rum and a variation of blackberry and banana liqueurs with pineapple, orange and cranberry juice — goes down easy and packs a punch.
9. BYO Catch of the Day | 7 p.m.
Game fish may be catch-and-release, but snapper, mahi-mahi and grouper are good eating. Bring your own filleted catch to Café Solé, and they’ll serve it grilled, blackened or sautéed with sides for $25 a person. The chef John Correa, with his wife, Judy, and a friendly staff has been offering seafood dishes with French and Caribbean influences since 1995 in the comfortable, candlelit setting. If you didn’t bring your own fish, the hogfish snapper ($34) is pan-seared in breadcrumbs and served with baby lima beans and a red bell pepper hollandaise.
10. Famous Night Life | 10 p.m.
Anything goes and everyone is welcome at most bars in Key West, and there’s no shortage of options. Start the night on Duval Street at the Other Side with a craft cocktail ($10 to $40), maybe the Not Coming Home, featuring absinthe (à la Hemingway’s opening quote) or a Keys Disease made with four different rums, and cozy into the couch in this Victorian mansion said to be haunted by the ghost of the former owner, Dr. Porter. Next: Capt. Tony’s Saloon, the original location of Sloppy Joe’s, where Hemingway met his third wife, Martha Gellhorn, and where you can check out the decades of dollar bills and other memorabilia (bras, license plates, photos) on the walls and ceiling. After that, perhaps a visit to the Garden of Eden, the clothing-optional bar on the rooftop of the Bull and Whistle. You can always blame the Rum Runners.
Sunday
11. Beach It | 9 a.m.
Tennessee Williams liked to swim at the end of White Street, but Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park is the place to make a day of it ($6 per vehicle). Though the entrance may suggest the abandoned fort it is, the beach has a clean span of white sand, deep water for swimming and snorkeling, a cafe and picnic tables under the Australian pines. Smathers Beach, though more exposed along South Roosevelt Boulevard to the east, has the benefit of the Sunset Watersports Beach Pass, offering parasailing, sailing, kayaking, tubing, paddleboarding and windsurfing for $79 a day, $69 if booked online.
12. Lunch With a View | 1 p.m.
The best way to end a trip to Key West is lunch on the deck at Louie’s Backyard, noted for its gentle breezes, views of the Atlantic and high Zagat rating, as well as easy proximity to the airport. Try Doug Shook’s Bahamian conch chowder ($10) with a snapper sandwich ($16.50), and imagine you were here in 1975, celebrating with Thomas McGuane at the postproduction party for “92 in the Shade,” the Peter Fonda movie based on Mr. McGuane’s novel about the misadventures of a local fishing guide.
Lodging
The Marker Waterfront Resort The first newly constructed hotel in Old Town in 20 years the Marker (200 William Street, themarkerkeywest.com) offers 96 rooms featuring a smart and updated Key West aesthetic with private balconies and views of the historic marina, as well as unique art installations, three pools and an onsite restaurant. Advanced-purchase rates start at $289 (May to November).
Authors of Key West Guest House Stay on theme at the Authors of Key West Guest House (725 White Street, authorskeywest.com) with 10 rooms and two cottages named and decorated after authors including Tennessee Williams, Ernest Hemingway and Carson McCullers, among others. Starting at $170 in high season (December 23-June 1), with continental breakfast and heated pool.