Originally Posted by
mahdnc
My wife prefers reef over wreck diving. Having said that there were more reef diving locations near Key Largo and not as many at Key West (which has some very nice wreck dives).
When we were at Key West, we ended up doing only one dive because of weather--and that was at famed Looe Key--30 miles east of Key West. We went with Strike Zone Charters at Big Pine Key. Of the dive operators that we used, they were the worst because the captain and crew were very unfriendly. The water was pretty choppy and the visibility was not great which was disappointing because the reefs at Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary are supposed to be fantastic. My wife wants to go back to do Looe Key some day and when we do it, we intend to book our dive with Looe Key Dive Center.
When we were at Key Largo, we had a fantastic time with Rainbow Reef and the dive concessionaire at John Pennenkamp State Park. I highly recommend them both.
When we return to Key West, my wife also wants us to dive Marquesas Keys--the only known atoll in North America. This cluster of islands is located 25 miles west of Key West and supposedly has spectacular, unspoiled diving.
I recently did some dives with the former Subtropic shop now called Seaduction. It's right off RT1 at Garrison Bight. Wrecks and reefs in KW are a pretty good transit on the dive boat and it gets rough sometimes.
I was based there a total of 6 years with the Navy and lived on Trumbo Pt both times so Subtropic was very convenient. I probably logged 75 dives with them. But like you I found the Upper Keys diving a little more reliable. The weather and sea state was less of a factor.
Did a quite a few trips with the Looe Key Dive Center back then and in Sep when I was back there. Highly recommended - short run to the reef.
Back to topic, I did a walkthrough at the Beachside (didn't stay there - we were camped out with friends on Cudjoe). Looks pretty good. As to those shuttles they are a nice perk. But if you have a car, it's usually not a problem parking downtown. I would just head down Caroline or Eaton and park a few blocks off Duvall and walk the rest of the way.
Also did an interesting drive-by on the old Casa Marina Marriott (now a Waldorf property). Nice location not far from the NAS KW Annex (Truman) on the S side of the island and a classic resort. Had a few drinks - too bad this is no longer in the Marriott fold, but the Beachside is a nice alternative. Cheers.