Fort White

Technical Dive Instruction, May, 1995. "Expert personalized tutoring and exploration of Crystal Spring waters below (not offshore) Florida in variety of cave systems near Branford Dive Center. Twenty­four hour dives. Unique micral colonies in vase sponge form, blind aquatic fauna, shells never disturbed from their resting places. The perfect ecology dive for those seeking technical training for cave, wreck, or (really) deep dive or safely extend the envelope with mixed­gas scuba. Cavern entry begins in familiar and rustic Ginnie or other fresh water phriatic tunnels. 68 degree water, 100­200 foot visibility. Anyone can ride a boat and fall overboard. This is special. Wow!" Dennis Burt, Dallas, TX

Islamorada

Lady Cyana Divers, October, 1994. "A reasonably run operation, with a safety conscious staff that offers extensive briefings about dive sites and entries. The practice of directing divers to wear their fins on the boat during dive preparation however, could cause tripping. . . . Divers who have not logged a dive deeper than 70 feet within a time period, determined by Cyana Divers, must be accompanied by a divemaster; we paid $20 per person for this service. The boat was filled for a Saturday trip. When we neared the bottom at dive site Nelson's Ledge, we awakened a lesser electric ray that was buried in the sand. A moon jellyfish hovered over us like a space ship, disappearing as quickly as it appeared in the 25 ft. visibility. Schools of grunts and snappers swirled and surrounded us. A solitary beach ball-shaped brain coral, as wide as an arm span, and unblemished except for a tiny encrustment near its bottom, lived near a patch reef. I and a small school of fish took turns swimming over the coral head." Robert & Kathy Rankin, Butler, PA

Holiday Isle, July, 1995. "Not many people; not as many shops as in 1989. Too many years of overuse and poor restrictions have taken their toll on the Keys. Many great dive locations elsewhere for less money. Keys too high for what's there." Billie Walters, Richton, MS

Looe Key

Looe Key Reef Resort, May 1995. "Great for photographers. Nice place for beginners, many on boat were on check out dives. Good night diving. Friendly staff onshore and on boat." Gary & Carol Kehrel, Punta Gorda, FL

Key Largo

Capt. Slate's Atlantis, March, 1995. "Great operation, good dive sites, safety conscious without being oppressive. Would recommend to anyone. Water temp, 75o, visibility, 100 feet." Richard E Pearl, Sr., Murfreesboro, TN

It's A Dive, Marriott Key Largo Bay Beach Resort, May, 1995. "Long weekend. Staff at the resort was extremely friendly, both on the phone when we made reservations and when we arrived; the same with the staff at It's A Dive, on the premises. A great dive operation. Everyone was friendly and helpful. We did eight dives in two days (two morning and two afternoon). We set up our gear in the morning and it was the last time we touched it (except to dive) until the next morning. They even reserved 62 cu ft. tanks for me when the divemaster observed the 80's banging my legs. I still surfaced with 1500 psi after one hour. The crew rinsed our gear and stored it for us. Allowed us to use computers. They stored our gear the last night free of charge. . . . My husband's first open water dive since his certification and he loved it. Great for beginners. I enjoyed it also. . . . Biggest tropicals I've ever seen. Saw eight huge tarpons. The crew would have taken us to the Duane if my husband had his advanced certification. . . . It rained the last morning but we went past rain and dived Molasses Reef all day. They said best visibility since the rain and waves had bottom churned up. It was still great, we did four dives and did not cover half the reef. . . . The only bad thing was the Sea Star needs dry storage. After the ride through the rain our towels were soaked inside our bag. It didn't kill us and we would dive with It's A Dive again in a heartbeat." L.R. Newberry, Kevil, KY

Ocean Divers, Marina Del Mar, April, 1995. "All reservations went smooth. Location of Marina Del Mar to Ocean Divers excellent. Marina Del Mar was clean and rooms bright but dated. . . . 0cean Divers was well run and expressed deep concern about no touching anything while diving. Sensitive to the environment. Boats were run as cattle dives, fill 'em up and send them out. They definitely fill the boats. Ocean Diver was the boat to be on. The Big Red was nice looking but slow. All in all a great trip." Don Sanders, St. Louis, MO

Sharky's, March, 1995. "Due to wind, Sharkey's only went out one day out of the week we were there, but the trip was excellent. Sharkey's new snorkel boat made the trip to the reef, a smooth, delightful encounter. For a beginner snorkeler it was great, since there was one in our group. The next day we dived with Sharkey's in the afternoon to a couple wrecks in the reef and of course 'Christ"' Enjoyable, organized and safety conscious. Great dive shop, boats and crew." Linda Rees, Wylie, TX

Key West

Looker Diving, Lost Reef Adventures, Whispers B&B, Bottle Inn, Dry Tortugas June 1995. "Went off season, so accommodations were cheaper. Key West is a great place to stay because there is a lot to do above the water. Stay at a Bed & Breakfast if you can. The dive shops can help with this. We did an all day dive with Looker. They take you out farther than the usual two tank dives with this package so you get to see sites that are off the beaten path. We saw healthy coral, barracuda, larger groups of jacks and grunts, green morays, several nurse sharks, lobster, Nassau and black grouper, large hogfish, pork fish, sandtile fish, butterfly fish, scorpion fish, angels, etc. I watched a gray angel being cleaned by a juvenile Spanish hogfish at the third dive site. Diving was overall quite good with depths ranging from 30­50 ft and vis from 20­60 feet. . . . With Lost Reef Adventures and I saw tarpon, barracuda, nurse sharks, small rays, southern stingray, lots of lobster and reef fish. Some reefs were pretty beaten up, but in others, especially those areas less than 25 feet deep, there was lots of new growth of staghorn coral. Lost Reef has a nice, comfortable boat, a well-run shop and friendly divemasters, Myra and Alex were both great. Highlights for us were diving Joe's Tug ­­ a small wreck in 65 ft. of water that is loaded with fish­ green morays, parrot fish, lots of grunt and snapper and high hats. The Cayman Salvor in 90 ft. of water; lots of green morays and some large parrot fish. . . . I think artificial reefs are where it is at in the Keys. Sink more of them and give the reefs a rest. . . . Took a day trip to the Dry Tortugas and did two dives. Visibility was only 15 ft. or so, but we dove a nice ledge and it was nice to see lots of healthy coral. Yankee Freedom might accommodate divers better if they used Zodiacs to get to the dive sites. Instead, they took the big boat out and while they did a good job maneuvering the boat, it did take them longer to anchor up and used time that might have been better used for diving. Snorkeling around Ft. Jefferson is nice for those who choose not to dive. Crew was friendly and accommodating. . . . I enjoyed our trip­our accommodations were quite nice, I saw some variety, nothing dramatic, mind you, but it was fun."J. Warfield, Woodbine, MD

Seaclypse, Pier House Hotel, July 1995. "About what I had expected. Fair coral, a lot of dead areas and many smaller fish - not a great variety. Visibility was less than expected. Water warm, for once I wasn't cold. Dive operation professional only six divers on boat, a real plus. Out of sour dives, only once allowed to go it alone with buddy. Stayed at the Pier House - great hotel." Nancy Cohn, NYC, NY

Marathon

Coral Lagoon, Marathon, October, 1994. "We made four dives, 25-40 depth. There were plenty of fish, few invertebrates, and the reefs looked healthy. Divemasters were informative and safety conscious. . . . On our first dive as we touched the bottom we spooked a four foot nurse shark under a ledge, and to our disappointment the shark never returned. On another dive we watched a remora make repeated attempts until it finally attached to an angelfish. We watched a black grouper that had staked out a spiny lobster in an abandoned fish trap. . . . The Coral Lagoon is adjacent to the dive shop; helpful staff, clean, up-to-date accommodations and patio overlooking a canal with dockage." Robert & Kathy Rankin, Butler, PA

Hall's Dive Center, January, 1995. "Visibility 15­30 feet; could dive own profile but dives were only 20­40 feet except for one wreck. No deep dives without 'Deep Dive' course. Course we took there was to 106 feet. Visibility was poor, underwater sites were boring, and weather would not be 'summer' but cool (jackets, light sweaters). I understand there were more deeper dives, but weather in winter didn't allow us to go there, as is often the case. I suggest divers go to Florida in the summer - seas calmer, so less turbulence, better visibility. Of course I am spoiled on Cozumel." Bonnie Phippen, Mill Valley, CA

Hall's Dive Center, July, 1995. "There were six divers with no less than 100 dives per diver - we were treated like newbies. The hotel associated with the dive shop pulled a bait and switch on us so that we had to rent an extra room. Once the dive shop had our money, we were ignored. . . . All the reefs were less than 20 feet. A lot of the reefs showed the abuse of many new divers with vast areas of destruction. The charter boat was like renting a horse -if only knew one path and on the trip home was the only time it would run. There is good diving in the Keys except Hall's won't take you there. Also, you couldn't get a decent air fill." Randy Zeilinger, Ecorse, MI

Tavernier

Florida Keys Dive Center, March, 1995. "Windy, choppy day in the upper keys - no other dive operations were going out. My husband and I are certified rescue divers, I with over 10 years experience; the dive center said if you're not experienced, don't go. They neglected to mention they were going outside the reef and marine park to spear fish (but we went elsewhere later in the week). Most divers were 'over the rail' with seas 10-12 ft. Boat 22-25." Linda Rees, Wylie, TX

Panama City

Divers Den, July, 1995. "Panama City diving is about wrecks. Not much coral, tropical fish populations are sparse. Occasionally you'll see sharks or dolphin (not on this trip), but the variety of wrecks and other artificial reefs is great. . . . $45 for a three-tank trip aboard the rusting cattle boat 'My Ship' (allegedly scheduled for renovation). They promised about 18 divers but left with 28 and two extra riders. Crew was great, providing excellent predive briefings, good stories, and a fair amount of help with gear, exits, etc. They let us dive our own profiles with computers but had no provisions for cameras. Stand out dives were the wrecks of the Block Boat and the USS Strength. Divers Den doesn't require a firm commitment or deposit from divers so they never know how many will show up. My last day of diving only my buddy and I showed so the boat owner canceled the trip. Big inconvenience and disappointment."Patrick Wilstrom, Brasstown, NC

Hydrospace Dive, June, 1995. "My third trip to Panama City and diving with Hydro Space. They have boats right behind shop; other dive stores you have to shuttle equipment and tanks. They run a good shop and allow more experienced divers to dive computers as long as you do not greatly exceed or hold up dive times. Had the best vis of all this trip. Excellent wreck diving on Chippewa, Black Bart, stage one and two, and bridge spans. Good shore dive at St. Andrews State Park jetties. Only complaint was on two trips had to stop at fuel docks to take on fuel. Weather and sea conditions can hamper diving. Panama City is great for whole family as well. Do not expect any coral reef dives." Don Sanders, St. Louis, MO

Hydrospace Dive, July, 1995. "Love this operation. Well-run and efficient, with clean (if somewhat large) boats. This town has marvelous artificial reefs and wrecks in the Gulf, and the marine life is unique: Toadfish, batfish, octopi galore. I expected the boats to be crowded for the 4th of July weekend, but the denizens of the Redneck Riviera must have been sleeping off the previous night's medicines. Being a nondrinker myself, I was clearly in the minority, yet I had a blast. I love Panama City, even if it's not 'world class' diving. It is distinctly different." Michael Kates, Atlanta, GA

Pompano Beach

Lighthouse Dive Center, La Costa Beach Resort, July, 1995. "Lot of wrecks with a mild to strong current ­- most reef dives were drift dives (boat following divers flags) ­­ easy. Beach diving near Commercial Blvd. will turn up a few interesting creatures (nurse sharks, turtle, eels). Dive shop personnel service oriented. My son Mike and I did the shark dive. Had eight ft. bull and several 5­6 ft. black tips visit the site. Really enjoyed this dive." Anon.

Sarasota

See Quest, March, 1995. "It was cold. Poor visibility, no coral, only a small ledge about 18" above the sand, a few colorless fish. Why does anyone dive here?" Wayne Green, Peterborough, NH

West Palm Beach

Diving Solutions, July, 1995. "Dove with Diving Solutions and Three Little Devils (Boat). Did eight dives. Enjoyed all of them. Saw 10 turtles: hawksbill, loggerhead, eight leatherbacks. Saw lots of lobsters and mucho tropicals. Diving Solutions was great. Three Little Devils was ok: crew was great, got smoked out by diesel fumes, too many divers (25), always was playing catchup (on drift diving), but all the sites were great." Anon.

Copyright 1996 by DSDL, Inc., publishers of Undercurrent. All rights reserved. No portions of this report may be reproduced in any way, including photocopying and electronic data storage, without prior written permission from the publisher. For more information, contact DSDL, Inc., P.O. Box 1658, Sausalito, CA 94966.