Conch Republic, Amoray; Upper Keys, Florida: Undercurrent 06/2026

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Dear Fellow Diver,

USS Spiegel Grove I needed a break from local drysuit diving and wanted to stay in saltwater shape for an upcoming trip. So, I did what many experienced divers never consider and headed to the Florida Keys, where in the past I found interesting diving options, great food choices, and shops and art galleries for my non-water-sports spouse. While lodging and dining in the Upper Keys, specifically Key Largo and Tavernier, have become expensive, with a non-diving companion, I'm willing to spend more than I would on a divers-only trip.

I planned to make four dives the first day with Amoray Dive Center, then have two more days of deep diving with Conch Republic, then on the fourth day, morning dives only, respecting my flight departure the following day. I have dived with both often, but Conch tends to go outside Pennekamp Park and dives the wrecks more often. My buddy for the first two days, an instructor at one of the shops, offered to dive with me on days off, and I was delighted. I often hire a guide from the shop if I don't have a dive buddy who has local knowledge. And I'm not interested in insta-buddies, having had to rescue a few. I enjoy having someone along who knows where the cool stuff is.

I traveled in February -- unlike Thanksgiving or Christmas, when scads of parents and kids fill the hotels (meaning lots of snorkelers on dive boats) -- so the boats weren't jammed, and restaurants had tables. February's downside is that the wind may kick up the waves, and in the past, I've had many diving days rescheduled or canceled, especially on the renowned 500-foot-long Spiegel Grove. If conditions are too challenging, operators will call off the trip even when they're on site. This trip, I had glassy seas, no currents, and several repeat splendid dives on the Spiegel Grove.

The former Navy ship, which was commissioned in 1956 to deploy amphibious landing craft, was sunk as an artificial reef in May 2002, but the descent didn't go as planned. It landed catawampus about 140 or so feet down. It didn't take long for fish to discover it. Three years later, Hurricane Dennis stirred the seas with so much power that the currents surprisingly pushed the ship upright, just as it was originally planned.

Upper Keys, Florida - Map We left Tavernier Creek Marina on my second diving day on the comfortable Republic Diver, a 46-foot Newton (with a marine head), for the 45-minute ride out. Co-owner Ashley Hudson brought some friends for their first Spiegel dive. She and her husband, Dave, purchased Conch Republic in 2022. Captain Jasen, whom I'd enjoyed diving with on previous Conch trips, has been with them since 2008. He and the crew know how to read the water and find the best buoy for that day's dive....

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