Rick wrote:

> Some friends of mine are going to a trade show in Miami and are planning
to do
> some diving in the keys on the Monday-Friday afterwards.  They are
thinking about
> staying in Key West and driving to a good dive operation each day.
> One of them has limited experience.  What would be a good operation not
too far from
> Key West where they can get some good shallow reef dives in?

There are several shops in Key West, some of which have been recommended by
others.    For my money, the diving is better up the road a piece, about 21
miles to be exact.  Looe Key, which is an underwater National Park, is
arguably the best shallow water dive site in the Keys.  What I particularly
like about it is that portions consist of separate coral patches, each of
which seems to support it's own unique ecosystem.  No two are quite alike,
from the coral, to the invertebrates, to the fish.  It's an excellent dive
site for those with limited experience and not too shabby even for those
with a lot of experience.  The favored operator for Looe Key is Captain Jim
Wyatt, the owner operator of Florida Keys Reef Divers on Cudjoe Key.  The
shop's web site is at http://reef-divers.com/ .  Jim is a frequent poster on
Rec.Scuba and well known to many of the group's members.  Everybody I know
that's gone out with Jim has given him rave reviews.  Jim also does trips to
on of the Key's newer wrecks, the Alolphus Busch and/or wherever conditions
are best.  If your friends use Jim, please ask them to mention me to him.
Jim will appreciate knowing he's earned my/our respect.

> Or would they be better off to stay in Miami and drive from that end?

Staying in Miami is definitely not the right way to dive in the Keys.  No
matter where you stay in Miami, you're a good hour drive on a two lane
highway from the nearest of the Keys.  Your friends have options on where to
stay, but Miami isn't one of the choices, unless Miami is where they want to
dive.

Key Largo is the northern most Key.  It's also where John Pennekamp Start
Park is.  The Park, which is famous for being one of the country's first
underwater parks, isn't really where the diving taking place.  The diving is
in the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary, directly adjacent and outside of
the Pennekamp.  This area has been reported to be the most visited dive
destination in the world.  Diving ranges from shallow to deep, poor to
excellent.  Everything depends on the operator you use and where they take
you.  The preferred operator in Key Largo is Quiesence Diving.  I do not
have a website for them, bu their phone number is (305) 451-2440.

A bit further down, in Islmorada, you begin to get away from the crowds that
are attracted to Pennekamp's name.  The diving in this area tends to be a
bit less impacted by high volumes of visitors.  My preferred operator in
this area is Lady Cyana diving.  If your friends consider this area, ask
them to contact the shop before completing their plans.  My diving in this
area is in the 110+ fsw range which may be beyond your relatively new
diver's comfort range.  The shop probably does shallower trips for those
that prefer them, but I can not confirm this from personal experience or
knowledge.  If it's important, find out in advance.

Down around Marathon, Captain Banny seems to have the best reputation among
those I know.  Marathon is about 45 miles north of Key West.  That's too far
for a daily drive, but not too far if they just want to stop off for a day
or so on their way.  It's been a lot of years since I dove the Marathon
area, but my recollection is that the area's mid to greater depth reefs are
as good as you'll find anywhere in the Keys.

I've already told you about Jim on Cudjoe Key.  You friends might like to
taste the full range of diving available in the Keys by scheduling something
in each of the areas as they travel the Keys.  A day stop over at each of
the areas I mentioned could be a lot of fun and would definitely give them a
taste of all the Keys have to offer.

For non diving activities, there's really only one place to go in the Keys
and that's Key West.  It's a drive everybody should do at least once in
their lives.  Tell them to take the Conch Train tour.  It's touristy as
hell, but is also the best way to learn about this historic and very hearty
party town.

Lee