Another magnificent trip down to the Florida Keys where in 2 days I did 7 dives off of Key Largo, this time I was down there conducting a friend’s Advanced Open Water certification. The adrenaline starts flowing when the boat goes into full throttle and those wonderful blues of the Keys ocean water surrounds you. These conditions were a little different for my friend who had done his Open Water Certification at Stoney Cove in England, for those who do not know the two are miles apart, well quite literally.
We started off our first two dives in the afternoon on beautiful shallow reefs; the first was just an orientation dive followed by the first of the adventure dives, navigation! The only trouble we had with the navigation was trying to navigate through all the schools of fish on the dive site Snapper’s Ledge; numerous colorful species in such abundance made for a truly refreshing dive. A short break to grab a snack, rehydrate, and we were off on our sunset boat trip to our next dive site, the Benwood Wreck. Sweet, wreck night dive! As we descended, the waters still alight with the sun just above the horizon; we joined the numerous parrotfish, grunts, and porkfish that inhabit the wreck. The scene and atmosphere quickly changed, our flashlights on, it was time to slowly move over and around the wreck poking in to all the nooks and crannies. While many of the fish seen during the day were tucking themselves in for the night; those that hide away were coming out to play! There were lobsters shuffling in full view, crabs flexing their pincers, and a lucky octopus spotting! We returned to land under the full moon exhilarated by our dives.
The following morning our dive site was to be a double dip on the Spiegal Grove wreck, a 510-foot Navy transport ship sunk in 2002, for both our deep and wreck adventure dives. My friend looked at me with excitement during the deep adventure briefing about comparing the depth gauges at 100 ft; suspiciously as he performed the timed skill; and curiously when I asked him to look at my red soda 
can. During the dive he looked at me with even greater excitement when after comparing depth gauges a nurse shark appeared on the stern of the wreck! During our safety interval we debriefed the dive, and he expressed to me the difference he felt on the timed skill being slower underwater and that my red soda can was no longer red at depth. He now wore a look of understanding and anticipation to get back in for our wreck adventure. The visibility was about 80 ft. which made for another incredible dive on this fantastic wreck. We both noted that the current had picked up and used it to our advantage to navigate around the outside of the wreck. He was quick to point out all the dangers he saw along the way. We filled out our log books on the way back, pumping with adrenaline.
can. During the dive he looked at me with even greater excitement when after comparing depth gauges a nurse shark appeared on the stern of the wreck! During our safety interval we debriefed the dive, and he expressed to me the difference he felt on the timed skill being slower underwater and that my red soda can was no longer red at depth. He now wore a look of understanding and anticipation to get back in for our wreck adventure. The visibility was about 80 ft. which made for another incredible dive on this fantastic wreck. We both noted that the current had picked up and used it to our advantage to navigate around the outside of the wreck. He was quick to point out all the dangers he saw along the way. We filled out our log books on the way back, pumping with adrenaline.
Quick lunch break and we were back on the boat for the final adventure dive, one of my personal favorites, digital underwater photography at an ideal dive site: Molasses Reef. With its high profile coral heads and massive congregates of tropical marine life defining this popular reef, he was not short of subjects for his shots. Of course, I did my bit to provide subject matter; anyone who knows me knows I am not a big fan of having my photo taken. He did great, followed my instructions, and kept breathing and mindful of his buoyancy over the reefs. After a massive high 5 and congratulations to the new Advanced Open Water Diver the boat had moved us to another dive site. The final dive was just for fun, and it sure was! We leisurely made our way through the “channels” of coral taking in all the colors of the corals and fish. Back on shore we were sad to log our final dive for the trip, but happy with our success and it was definitely worth the effort! The dive sites off of Key Largo once again produced amazing new memories for me. A special thanks to Horizon Divers and the wonderful staff for providing us both with a fantastic experience, I am looking forward to returning in the near future!
(Interested in a Florida Keys Trip? Check out our Travel Page and join Caitlin in January! - http://www.patriotscuba.com/?page=travel)
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