May 2009    Download the Entire Issue (PDF)

Vol. 24, No. 5   What's this?

Florida, California, Bahamas, Philippines…

good U.S. diving, Cozumel’s best gear repairman, and more

from the May, 2009 issue of Undercurrent  

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Horizon Divers, Florida Keys. If you’re like a lot of my fellow divers, you’ve postponed a trip abroad to go diving for a variety of reasons, but don’t forget you can find some decent diving in the good old USA. George T. Felt (Moultonborough, NH) reminds us there are still a few surprises in the Florida Keys, which he visited in February. “I stayed at the Marriott in Key Largo, and took a refresher course with one of their staff. The teaching and service there is excellent. I dived with Horizon Divers (I had dived with them before) and was reminded of their good location, solid boats, and excellent staff and pre-dive briefings. You are on your own (with your buddy), as they do not routinely put a divemaster in the water. You are required to hire a guide if you want to dive a wreck and do not have advanced diver training or have not been in the water in the last year. Roll calls were always well done.

“We saw Goliath grouper that were so big you couldn’t put your arms around their mid sections (not that you want to try) - - their approximate dimensions were six-plus feet long and 400 pounds. Scary big. Also saw a pair of really big Cobia that were mistaken for sharks at first glance. Generally healthy coral but some sites were in decline. This area is a good value and has surprisingly high-quality diving for an easy-access stateside vacation. Marriott is steep on price so for less-expensive accommodations, consider the Holiday Inn or the Ramada. They’re decent but undistinguished places to crash but not on the water, despite what they tell you - - a canal is not “the water” in my view.” (www.horizondivers.com) ...