8-11 Dec, 2024
For me, the middle keys are the perfect place. Everyone goes to Key West or Key Largo, ignoring the 90 or so miles of bridge connected islands in between. This leaves the whole middle for antisocial types like me. I like to go to the keys in the second week of December. You're past the hurricane season, but a week ahead of the Christmas rush, when everybody else shows up. When I'm down there, it's for just one thing; diving. Ok, maybe the conch chowder and other seafood, but the main mission is scuba. My first couple of times there, I was able to get on a mostly empty boat or get "cross boated" to another shop that was trying to get enough bodies on board for the trip to make economic sense. From what I hear, during high season they pack folks in pretty tight, making for a less than pleasant experience.
So Marathon... It's about 50 miles east of Key West. I had originally wanted to go to Big Pine Key, but when Jeannine said she wanted in, we opted for Marathon because she has a deal with Mariott. Also -- the Mariott had an attached dive operation. When you talk to folks there, they tell that the local economy has been a little challenging. They really weren't getting the tourists, like in the pre-Covid days. Charter fishing wasn't getting a lot of business, and while I saw 3 dive shops on a 2 mile walk into town, two of them were closed. The upside is with the decreased fishing pressure, the reef and fish population was rebounding. We managed to see predators on every dive, from barracuda to eels, to nurse sharks.
The dive shop... I've already been to Largo twice and Key West once (actually twice, but didn't dive the first time). In both places, the diving was the same kind of experience. There was a boat captain, plus a dive master or two. The boat usually had a minimum of 3 customers or the shop would find you space with another outfit. This shop was completely different. For the first 3 days, we had the boat to ourselves. We had a captain -- very knowledgeable and awesome guy, and that was it. Nobody else in the water with us. Truth be told, I think it worked out better for us. We could take in the reef at our own pace, hunting for critters to film. This was the very first time in whats now for me, 7 years of diving that Jeannine and I were totally on our own in the water. We make a pretty good team with her spotting and me filming. Plus, since she hasn't ruined her hearing with decades of heavy metal, she was able to locate the boat by sound because she could hear the ladder banging off the transom in the waves. Day 4 was mosly the same, except we were joined by a German couple who snorkeled the reef. Felt bad for those kids. They weren't particularly salty, and definitely weren't dressed for the occasion. No wetsuits or rashguards, and both were more than a little seasick. Temps were in the mid to high 70's, so it probably wasn't the Florida experience they were expecting.
The reef... Like I said before -- with the decrease in fishing pressure, we saw quite a lot of life. Another bonus was the depth (or lack thereof). It was roughly 8' to the coral and at most, 24' to the sand. With this short water column, we never had a single safety stop, always had enough light to take video, and even I was coming up with 1500# after 45-50 minutes. Jeannine probably could have used the same tank for both dives and still had air left over. This place would be a new diver's dream.
Final thoughts... I think we'll visit Marathon again, at least once. I enjoyed the town, small and quiet. The dives were right after lunch, so I was able to get up early, get breakfast, take a walk, maybe a nap, then eat lunch and go out diving. The restaurants were all pretty good, this includes the attached "Sparky's Landing". I do have a few gripes. You would think that a place like Florida, with all that sunshine, might have a few solar panels. Nope. I saw exactly two solar panels; one on a traffic sign, and the other on a weather station in a state park. On top of that, it seemed like the scent of burnt fuel was everywhere. The Keys are a narrow strip of islands with US Rt. 1 running right down the middle, so that could have something to do with it. Also, electric vehicles were rare. Odd, because there is a Tesla Supercharger in Marathon. Maybe it was just that week. Anyway... minor smog concerns aside, I believe we'll be back. It's far more pleasant to fly into Key West and drive to the middle, than to fly to Miami and drive to Key Largo, and the dives are as good or better.
Sunday. Coffin Patch and Samantha's Reef
Monday. Coffin Patch and Donut Hole
Tuesday. Sombrero Lighthouse and Barbara's Reef
Wednesday. Two dives at Sombrero Lighthouse