The Lower Keys Dive Report

Undersea Concert at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

This year, this popular underwater event drew a crowd of 500.  Snorkelers and divers swim to music played through speakers attached to boats underwater.  This year’s theme was Alice in Wonderland and as you can see, they were quite creative with the costumes!

 

ScubaRadio Dives the Vandenberg

Join Greg The Divemaster and friends as they take in an afternoon of diving on the Keys newest and largest artificial reef….The Vandenberg!

November 2009: The Adolphus Busch – A Great Wreck Dive

In the past few months I’ve talked about some of the hot spots down here in the Lower Keys like our new and enormous wreck dive the Vandenberg and Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary.  We certainly can’t miss out on our other wreck dive in the Lower Keys, the  Adolphus Busch.  Sunk in Dec. of  1998,  it’s another great wreck dive and one you’ll want to add to your list when you’re doing your “wreck week” of diving. It’s located about 3 miles west of Looe Key.

This ship is  a 210′  freighter that’s well thought out for advanced divers and a real safe wreck dive.  If you haven’t dove a wreck before this is a great spot to get your wreck diving specialty certification.   Many instructors use it for that very purpose.  The ship sits in about 110’ of depth just off the reef and the top is right around 60’ and the smoke stack is just a bit shallower.  It’s a cargo ship and yes,  it’s from the family that owns the Busch Brewing Co. but all of the product is gone.  The ship has been down for so long there is just a ton of growth on the ship.  There is a wide variety of fish life that call this ship home, like large Goliath Groupers which are usually on or around the ship. Many times we’ve actually seen a 400 pounder in the wheel house.

Except for going down to the engine room where you’ll see on old fashioned tub,  the rest of the wreck is mainly set up so you can see through to the exit. Make sure first to look for the exits before going in.  You’ll need to go into the engine room with somebody that has done it before and make sure you’re trained to do so. The bow usually holds a large green moray eel and of course large amounts of fish as well. Going down into the cargo holds it is very open, very wide and of course they go deep. The bow and the wheel house are the two best spots on the ship to spend most of your dive.  To get more credit on your dive computers ascend right next to the wheel house where you’ll be in about 65’ of water where you can just watch the show.   The fish will be all around you and you’ll have a great view of the entire ship.  There are four mooring balls on the Busch.  Two for diving and two for fishing.  Make sure you pick the right one since the diving moorings are actually attached to the ship.  Again, keep an eye out for currents but on clear days the fish will still be hanging out with you even on your safety stop.

Many dive shops have trips running out to this wreck. If you want to see the sinking of the ship you can go to http://www.n-the-florida-keys.com/Adolphus-Busch.html.  This is a wreck I dive often and if you’ve dived this wreck before you’ll always have a different type of dive no matter how many times you go see her.

The conditions in the Lower Keys are still pretty warm even though the rest of the country is seeing a season change we haven’t.  Water temps have dropped just a few degrees and conditions are just great.  This is such a great time of year to dive and of course it’s always a good time to dive the Adolphus Busch.

Remember slow ascents and safety stops on each and every dive. See you on the bottom.

Shawn Hull is a PADI Dive Instructor who lives and dives (as often as possible) in the Lower Keys.

October 2009: Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary

Last month we talked about the Vandenberg. This month let’s cover a spot that most divers frequent, Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary. Looe Key Reef is a very popular dive spot for many different reasons and is located just off of Big Pine Key in the Florida Keys.  This reef got its name from the HMS Looe which supposedly ran aground there in 1744 while towing a captured French ship, the Snow. While crossing the reef, the HMS Looe hit hard in only 25 feet of water and quickly burned to the waterline, taking the accompanying ship with her. Some pieces of thin copper, possibly hull sheathing, and a piece of concrete located in that area of the reef seem to indicate that the ballast and wreckage found there may be from a wreck more closely resembling a 19th century merchantman.

Many divers mark their calendars and plan their trips around this spectacular dive site. Looe Key offers an incredible amount of marine life and some great coral formations. We are most concerned down here in the Florida Keys about protecting our reefs and of course the beautiful coral. Like the Upper Keys you’ll still find some Elkhorn coral at this dive site.

Looe Key is a marine sanctuary and so it’s a “no take” zone. You’ll find some yellow buoys that mark the boundaries of this dive site. There is no anchoring so there are a ton of balls to tie up to. Several dive shops along the lower keys run daily trips out to this dive site. It’s probably one of the best dives in the Lower Keys. Seems like the marine life know they are protected so they are in abundance. What sets this dive apart from the rest, is the variety of marine life you will see on just one dive.

The reef is shallow,  you’ll max your dive out at about 25’ which will give you ample bottom time. Visibility is usually pretty good and even better on an incoming tide.  There are fingers that you will navigate in between on this dive.  Around every bend you’ll usually find a surprise like pompanos, tarpon, reef sharks (friendly and used to divers), turtles and of course some Goliath Grouper just to name a few.  The reef is about 800 yards long and 200 yards wide so you’ll have many options.  Look at the current and where other boats are positioned prior to tying up. I like the west end myself.  There are a few resident Goliath Grouper and sharks that seem to stay in that area, however there is no bad spot at Looe Key.  Buoyancy is very important here as in any dive.

Remember not to kick or touch the coral. Divers always have to be responsible of the impact they leave on a dive site. This is also a great snorkel spot .  If you have friends that don’t dive, this is the place you want to bring them to. Conditions have been good recently and the water has been pretty clean, just pay attention to that afternoon thunderstorm. If you are going to dive the Lower Keys, Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary is a must dive.

So I’ll see you underwater sometime. Remember slow ascents and safety stops for each one of your divers.

Shawn

Shawn Hull is a PADI Dive Instructor who lives and dives (as often as possible) in the Lower Keys.

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