Tims recent trip to Key Largo:

I recently had to attend a meeting for work in Tampa. I was able to arrange a flight to arrive a few days early. Two co-workers, one from Pittsburgh and the other from Virginia, were also interested in diving. An internet search didn't show much in the way of good diving around Tampa, so I looked farther south towards Key Largo.

We booked charters with Divers City http://www.diverscityusa.com/ . Captains Bob and Barbara really know their stuff. The boat that they operate is a 30 foot fiberglass island hopper, almost identical to Gary Venet's boat.

The weather was rough on the first day with 20 - 25 kt winds and we only got to do one dive down to about 80 feet on Crocker Reef. Visibility was limited to about 30 feet, but we did see many angel fish, a large manta and lots of healthy coral and sponges.

Our second day was better. The winds had dropped to 15- 20 kts. We made 2 dives on the Duane http://thefloridakeys.com/dive/divesites/duane.htm and finished off with a dive to about 80 feet on Molasses Reef. Visibility had improved to about 40 feet.

While I saw wonderful coral and sponges on a great wreck, many barracuda, a turtle and shared a quite small passage way with a very large grouper, the highlight of the dives on the Duane was seeing a small octopus about the size of my hand . Witnessing the instant changes in the colour and texture of the little cephalopod as it camouflaged to blend perfectly with the complex patterns on the coral encrusted hull of the ship was truly amazing.

The air temperatures were in the low 80's and the water temperatures were in the low 70's. We were very comfortable in 5 ml wet suits with hoods. Currents were running about 1 kt on the surface, but were half that or less at depth.

The weather in Florida in January isn't perfect for diving, but it was an improvement on what we have here at the moment. Conditions were challenging with wind, waves, current and limited visibility. The attention we were given from Divers City, the good luck to see some cool critters and having great dive buddies made it a trip to remember.

Thanks to my buddy Doug for the pictures.