Time seems to pass pretty uneventfully as we wait out the pandemic. What we really needed was a day like this to go scuba diving: nice and clear with no wind!
We quickly made plans to meet our local friends, Leslie and Carlie — and after a short delay to disembark a stowaway racoon from our boat — we met their boat (the ‘Lucky Enough‘!) right around 11 am at one of our closest and best dive sites, Key Largo Dry Rocks.
Boats were soon hooked up to neighboring mooring balls and we were close enough to talk across to each other — but far enough apart to be in compliance with the order to distance on the water!
We kitted up and met up underwater at the base of the mooring line. Glenn led us towards The Island, a little-known coral reef outcropping about 100 yards from Dry Rocks.
Despite being a gorgeous day and visibility from the boats looked endless, underwater was different. There was some particulate in the water making it a bit milky, so viz was not as good as expected. Happily the fish life did not disappoint!
We spent a lot of time crisscrossing the underwater island and sighted a large Black Grouper and a Nassau Grouper at a ‘cleaning station.’ Our friend Leslie got this amazing shot of a gorgeous yellow spotted stingray, which we don’t see that often.
And all the normal suspects were in abundance: Grunts, File fish, French Angelfish, Yellow tail snapper, Hogfish and more. We also noted some nice healthy hard coral, something there is a shortage of in the Keys waters at the moment due to Stony Coral disease.
Working our way back, we visited the Christ of the Abyss statue for a quick hello and came across a beautiful moray hunting in the nooks and crannies.
Dive time was 61 minutes and we got down to 31 ft!
Dive 2: North Key Largo Dry Rocks
After some discussion we motored over to North Key Largo Dry Rocks. Carlie tied Lucky Enough on the eastern mooring buoy and we tied onto the back for a good chat while eating lunch. There was a long easy swell coming in that left us bobbing gently up and down.
We suited up and dropped in and started making our way up and down the fingers of the reef. Being so shallow, the visibility seemed much better.
We noted lots and lots of coral outplanting in the area done by the good folks at Coral Restoration Foundation and it was encouraging to see new growth. A few swim-throughs made for excellent photos. Morays, snappers and the NML (normal marine life) was observed.
This dive was a lot shorter at 38 minutes and we never got deeper than 20 ft.
Back on the boats, we showered off and parted ways back to the docks in Key Largo. It was a thoroughly enjoyable morning and we are definitely going to do it again!
Psst… Want to see more? Here’s a great video of the day made by our friend Carlie!
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– Theresa N.Oh my gosh! What a perfect day for a very very special occasion…a surprise, underwater proposal. They showed us a beautiful, private dive spot and made sure that the proposal went off without a hitch. The videos are perfect. Jill, Glen, and Stephanie, thank you. Thank you. Thank you!
– Em S.What an awesome time!!!! Every year for my birthday, I look for different things to do with my friends. This year, it was a sunset cruise, which far surpasses a dinner at yet another restaurant. … A plus is their actual head (toilet) aboard. Their cat is a perfect size for 6 passengers. It is well appointed, spotless and very stable. Highest praise for Jill, Glenn and Suzy!
– VijaiOMG. To be honest I booked this charter because the boat had a full functional bathroom. Luckily, I never needed it. … The boat was beautiful and immaculate. The little detail that was actually quite useful and made us all very comfortable was the fresh water shower after each dive. We got back to the dock feeling refreshed and not sticky and gross. Jill was responsive in following up with my initial inquiry and follow up confirmations etc. the dive sites were quite impressive. Overall an amazing experience and won’t be our last.
– Lance HLucky Fish Scuba is a top notch diving operation, very professional, and so much fun! Glenn & Jill made had everything prepared and ready when we arrived. Once we arrived at the dive spot, they were very helpful explaining where we would go, what we would see, and then proceeded to guide us through the dive. Since this was our first time diving in Key Largo, having a dive master guide us was very comforting. In between dives, they provided drinks and snacks. The boat is perfect for small groups and very comfy and it has a head if needed. In addition, Jill provided us with a short video of our dive a few days later. We loved it! This biz is a gem amongst all other dive operations in the Keys. You will not be disappointed booking here. We can’t wait to go back!
– Jose B.Lucky Fish Scuba is where you need to go in Key Largo! Both Glenn and Jill are extremely professional, courteous, and fun. They will keep you laughing throughout the trip while always being very attentive to your needs. The boat is super comfortable and they are able to make a customized plan according to what you want.
– Heather PHIGHLY recommend. 5 stars isn’t enough Took my 11 year old daughter diving. Jill and Glen are amazing- a hidden gem. They are extremely personable, the boat is phenomenal, and the level of customer service is top notch. Worth every penny. They will be my go to scuba diving resource from now on. And they are super kid friendly Thanks Jill and Glen we had an amazing time.
– David TWorth every penny. Great tour and super friendly and knew all the right dive spots. Look no further. Also took amazing photos for us.
– Linda KInclement weather in Marathon Key did us a great favor. Our trip with Lucky Fish Scuba in Key Largo surpassed anything we could have imagined…