The Wanderland Dive Guide to the Florida Keys

As a scuba addict with a US passport, I recently noted an almost embarrassing omission from my dive log: the one, the only, Florida Keys. The 120-mile stretch of islands is home to the only living coral reef in the continental United States and the third largest barrier reef on the planet. The Keys are world-renown and undoubtedly the most beloved dive destination in my home country (Hawaii, perhaps, is another contender.)

Having spent years traveling to Florida and recently taking on a major road trip to explore its freshwater dive sites, you could say I was almost criminally overdue for a trip to the Sunshine State’s dive mecca – The Conch Republic.

With easy access to the barrier reef five miles offshore, an abundance of marine life, a wealth of wrecks, aquarium-like warm clear waters, an impressive infrastructure for diving and a very appealing topside atmosphere, it’s easy to see why divers are so happy to hang their fins here.And it’s no surprise that one of America’s capitals of all things quirky would feature some unique diving attractions, too – from an annual Underwater Music Festival to famed underwater art installations to the world’s first underwater hotel.

While my trip was relatively brief at eight days, given all there is to explore, it gave me an incredible preview of what the various Keys have to offer to divers and underwater enthusiasts, and left me eager for a return trip. Before I started planning, all I knew was that the Keys were a must-dive destination. After reading this post, you’ll know much more!

Perhaps counter-intuitively, the further you go up the Keys towards Miami, the better the reefs, reaching a peak in Key Largo. In Key West and the lower Keys, the wrecks are the real stars. My trip started in Key West and crawled up the Overseas Highway to Miami, either of which act as easy access points to the region. Read my tips on finding perfect flights here.

When to Go

The Keys are essentially open for diving year-round, however the winter season does bring with it lower water temperatures — they range from the mid 70s to the mid 80s throughout the year — plus choppier seas and the possibility of lower visibility. It also, however, brings tropical respite from the brutal winters happening elsewhere in much of the country. The summer can be unbearably warm and humid topside for some, but we loved the sticky July week we visited. There is a risk of hurricanes most prominently from mid August to late September. World Nomads offers both scuba dive insurance and travel insurance – pick up a policy for both, regardless of the time of year.

The only time of the year I’d strictly avoid is the two-day mini-lobster season in July (oops, our major mistake of the trip) as dive boats will be filled with spears and coolers and dive sites will be oriented towards hunting, rather than “beauty,” as one of our very entertaining captains put it.

What to Pack

“Honestly, this time of year the water is boiling. You could dive in a bikini. But it’s Key West so no one would blink if you dove naked, either.”

I doubled over laughing when I called ahead to Captain’s Corner in Key West while packing my gear bag. Honestly, you won’t need much more than your bathing suit, your warm water dive gear and a few pairs of cutoffs. The Keys are extremely casual – you’d be overdressed almost anywhere in anything fancier than flip flops.

Where To Go 

Key West

With the Key’s wildest nightlife and quirkiest reputation, plenty of travelers are drawn to Key West for the topside attractions. But does it hold the attention of divers, too? I kicked off my trip here, to find out! 

What’s Underwater: Signature dive

One of the shiniest jewels in the Key’s diving treasure chest is the Wreck Trek. Consisting of nine shipwrecks stretching from Key West to Key Largo, divers can commemorate their attempts to dive them all with a souvenir ‘Official Florida Keys Wreck Trek’ dive logbook, and can receive a complimentary collage print when booking a wreck dive charter with participating dive operators.

I got a taste of the Wreck Trek with a two-tank dive of the Wreck of the Vanderberg with PADI five star dive center Captain’s Corner.

The 524-foot Vanderberg sits in 140 feet of water, seven miles south of Key West. After a proud life serving in World War II as an allied military troop transport ship, she retired to life as an artificial reef in 2009. And what a retirement it’s been – The Vanderberg is the second largest artificial reef in the world and is a bucket list dive for many.

Having just dove the Thistlegorm in Egypt, I must admit, the Vanderberg didn’t earn my top billing. Still, I marveled at the sheer size and intact quality of this ship, and at the way wreck dives merge an incredible past with a bright future, as sunken ships become a home for coral and sea life.

It truly is an enormous wreck – I didn’t come close to covering it in two dives, even with an experienced divemaster. He was a true Keys character – a sun-weathered professional skydiver from the Netherlands who jumps off dive boats when he’s not jumping out of planes.

One thing to note about the Keys is that dive trips are generally unguided unless you specifically hire the services of a divemaster. This can come as a shock to divers who are used to required guides elsewhere in the world! At the Vanderberg in particular I highly recommend splurging on the extra $60 for your group to have a private divemaster (of course, don’t forget to tip them, too). You’ll see more, learn more, and can be at ease knowing you’re diving a safe profile. It’s also an advanced deep dive, meaning you’ll need to be Advanced Open Water certified or be required to hire a private guide if not.

Captain’s Corner dives one of the Key West wrecks every morning – usually the Vanderberg, though they do visit others upon request. They visit reefs in the afternoon, though there are better ones further up the Keys, according to my guide. Trips start at $65, and increase to $115 with full rental gear.

The staff that checked me in at the dock was very friendly and accommodating, and even offered to feed my meter when I mused that it might run out before the boat got back. How’s that for Southern hospitality?

Surface Intervals: What to do on land

When you’re not breathing out of a regulator, stay connected to the aquatic world with a SUP yoga class with Lazy Dog Yoga. After a paddle through the mangroves, we anchored our boards for a peaceful yet powerful vinyasa yoga class. Instructor Kayla led a class that was both friendly to the beginners in the group and challenging for a SUP yoga enthusiast like myself. My favorite part? It was the least rushed class I’ve ever been to – most try to shoehorn the whole thing into an hour, which after you paddle out and set up leaves little time for, well, yoga. With a two hour time slot, we took our time and enjoyed ourselves – it’s the way they do things in the Keys, apparently.

Classes are held three times a week at $30 a class – Paddle Fit classes and SUP and kayaking tours also available.

Top of my list when I return? A trip to the Eco-Discovery Center, which unfortunately is closed on Sundays and Mondays, coinciding with my days in Key West. The center shows off the local flora and fauna, intending to increase awareness and appreciation for the ecosystem of South Florida. There’s a 2,500 gallon reef tank with living coral and tropical fish, a live Reef Cam, and a mock up of the nearby Aquarius, the world’s only underwater ocean laboratory, showing how scientists live beneath the sea during research expeditions.

Decompression Stop: Where to rest and recharge

Key West accommodation is known for being high in price and heavy on kitsch, but at The Gates Hotel, you get a break from both.

The bright and modern boutique hotel is well priced for the island with rooms starting at $165 per night. With spacious rooms, a pool, a cute food truck, a poolside bar, Gray Malin books in the lobby, ample parking (a rarity in Key West!) and complimentary push bikes, it’s hard to imagine finding a better – or more stylish – value. Regular shuttles make the trip to Mallory Square and back.

Marathon

Heading out of Key West? Marathon makes the perfect pit stop en route the two-hour drive to Islamorada. 

Surface Intervals: What to do on land

Underwater enthusiasts will flip for The Turtle Hospital, a non-profit dedicated to the rehabilitation of endangered sea turtles. The hospital, its educational programs, its rescue and lobbying efforts are all supported by guided tours — the only way to meet the turtles.

Ninety minute tours are educational and likely to elicit “awwws” from the audience when the teeny baby hatchlings are introduced. Heather and I were lucky enough to get a private tour with hospital director Bette and her passion and go-getter attitude was infectious.

Her story of ingenuity, creativity and throwing out the rule book to save turtles was becoming a familiar one in the Florida Keys. If you’re lucky enough to see a turtle on a dive through the Keys, it’s likely that its life has in some way been touched or influenced by the work of Bette and The Turtle Hospital, so go support the good work they’re doing. Tours are $25 and run every hour on the hour from 9am to 4pm.

Islamorada

Stranded between the buzzy islands of Key West and Key Largo, Islamorada is a breath of fresh air and a popular base for those looking for somewhere a little more laid back.

What’s Underwater: Signature dive

Known locally as “Flakeys,” The Florida Keys Dive Center is a PADI 5 Star Career Development Dive Center. Technically located just north of Islamorada in lesser-known Tavernier, Flakey’s main selling point is that they are close enough to Key Largo to dive top sites such as Spiegel Grove and Molasses Reef, but also have easy access to Islamorada sites like Conch Wall and Davis Reef. They even go further afield, offering Wreck Trek packages spanning the Keys. As is standard in Florida, dive guides must be hired additionally and are not a standard part of the dive package.

Unfortunately, we made the classic rookie mistake of booking our dive trip in the middle of Mini Lobster Season, South Florida’s two day free-for-all where every seafood eater in the Southern Seaboard descends upon Florida to stuff coolers with freshly speared lobster. (Perhaps I should give this blog a tagline: “Travel mistakes — I make them so you don’t have to!”)

Hence, the dive boats were more oriented towards heading to hunting sites than the area’s premiere reefs. Regardless, even the no-name reefs we visited showed us exactly what divers love about reef diving in the Keys – warm, clear waters, unfazed fish, and bright and colorful coral. It straight up feels like diving an aquarium here, guys.

Surface Intervals: What to do on land

It’s official: divers simply cannot make a trip to the Florida Keys without a stop at the History of Diving Museum.

“You can start a museum, but you never finish a museum,” laughed founder Sally Bauer, who along with late husband, Joe Bauer, created the largest collections of historic diving equipment and research documents in the world.

As a Women Diver’s Hall of Fame grant recipient who is continually inspired by the community, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet Hall of Fame member Sally and get a personal tour of her incredible museum. As an ER doctor and a famed surgeon, “diving was our escape from our intense medical realities,” Sally explained. But what began as a holiday hobby morphed into a lifelong passion and interest, and eventually a collection and body of research so large it felt only right to share it with the world.

The History of Diving Museum is dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of mankind’s quest to explore, understand, and venture under the sea. While it tells a full global history – in fact the museum’s collection represents contributions of more than thirty countries — the museum also celebrates the special role that South Florida and the Florida Keys plays in this story.

The museum focuses heavily on the early technology of diving, before the development of scuba gear. Looking at the extensive collection of dive helmets and hoses – it’s the largest in the world — it’s hard not to marvel at the brave pioneers who paved the way for what recreational diving is today.

With the ever-growing exhibits, a fun treasure hunt for kids (or, um, Heather and me), The Bauer Diving History Research Library which houses the largest collection of historic and rare literature about diving history in existence, and a gift shop with something for every underwater enthusiast on your shopping list, there’s really something for every diver here. Don’t miss the Immerse Yourself series, a free lectures the third Wednesday of every month, which dive into topics like underwater art, conservation, and more. Admission is $12 (hint: there’s a $2 off coupon on their website).

Decompression Stop: Where to rest and recharge

Islamorada was one of the Keys hit hardest by Irma, and much of the accommodation is still under renovation. Luckily, the islands most colorful and chic boutique hotel has its doors wide open for business: Amara Cay Resort. With a private beachfront location, a spacious pool, a fitness center, a dock with complimentary use of kayaks and paddleboards, and Reelburger, a fantastic onsite bar and restaurant, Amara manages to blend resort amenities with intimate boutique service for the best of both worlds.

Want to ditch the rental car for your trip? No problem – there are complimentary push bikes and a free hotel shuttle to anywhere within a four mile radius of the hotel.

Key Largo

What’s Underwater: Signature dive

If you’re looking for spectacular reefs, Key Largo is where it’s at – essentially making it the epicenter of diving in the Florida Keys. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, America’s very first underwater park, was established in 1963, and covers 178 nautical-square miles of coral reef, seagrass beds and mangrove swamps. You may know it from the famous “Christ of the Deep” statue, which is located at Key Largo Dry Rocks reef and graces Instagram feeds the world over.

Eager as we were to explore those famous waters – and without question, we’ll be back to do so – we had a date with The Coral Restoration Foundation, a group working to make all of South Florida’s reefs as lush and healthy as John Pennekamp.

We were lucky enough to participate in CRF’s one day Discover Coral Restoration workshop, which began with an educational presentation at their headquarters in Key Largo. Even as someone fairly well-versed in the topic, I learned a lot – most soberingly, that without extreme intervention, by 2050, 90% of the worlds corals will be gone.

On that note, we sprung into action. Boarding a local dive boat, we set off for one of CRF’s seven coral nurseries, where primarily staghorn and elkhorn coral fragments grow on Coral Trees™ — simple PVC designs tethered to the ocean floor. Our job was to scrub them clean of algae, a simple and time-consuming but critical talk, while more experienced volunteers selected colonies large enough to be outplanted into the reef on our next dive.

On our second dive, we headed to a carefully selected outplant site, where we attached tagged corals directly to the reef using a special marine epoxy. The most exciting part was checking out some of the thriving coral that was previously planted by CRF volunteers elsewhere on the reef – some of the more than 74,000 corals they have successfully outplanted onto Florida reefs.

As my interest in marine conservation has grown, I’ve become exposed to several different coral preservation programs around the world, and this was actually the second workshop of its kind I’ve been lucky enough to participate in; the first being in Thailand. Yet I was blown away to learn that CRF is the largest non-profit marine-conservation organization on the planet! They are doing incredible work, and it’s hard to imagine a diver who wouldn’t find this experience rewarding.

You can find a list of upcoming one day Discover Coral Restoration experiences like we participated in here. Programs are offered in conjunction with local dive schools and start at around $110-120 for adults. Want to learn more? Upgrade to a two to three day PADI Coral Restoration Diver Distinctive Specialty. I can’t think of a more fulfilling cert card to add to your dive bag.

Surface Intervals: What to do on land

Combining alcohol and balance sports for an afternoon of aquatic adventures? Only in the Keys! Aquaholic Adventures offers an impressive array of eco paddle tours, from SUPing with manatees to kayaking with dolphins to LED-board lit versions of each.

We opted for the $50 per person Sip and SUP tour, a bar hop along Key Largo’s waterfront bars. While owner Jen – who’s also a PADI Divemaster, so feel free to pump her for dive tips — shared that many of the ocean-side bars are still recovering from Hurricane Irma’s wrath, we had a blast paddling along the bay side, sipping key lime coladas and laughing with (not at, we swear!) the first time paddlers in the group before watching the most gorgeous sunset the Keys had blessed us with so far.

Sure, you could arrive at local hotspots Snook’s and Bayside Grille by car, but you can’t compete with a dramatic entrance by SUP. You can paddle tipsy, but don’t drive that way – ride sharing is available in the Keys, use it to get yourself to and from (get a free ride of up to $20 with Uber here, and up to $25 with Lyft here.) Aquaholics Adventures run tours from Key Largo and Islamorada – I know I’ll be working my way through their entire catalog of offerings on future trips to the Keys.

Decompression Stop: Where to rest and recharge

When it comes to diver accommodation in Key Largo, there’s one bed that stands above the rest — well, technically, below. The Jules’ Undersea Lodge is accessible only by scuba diving twenty-one feet beneath the surface. Sure, divers can visit the mangrove-enclosed Emerald Lagoon for a fun dive, but staying overnight in the lodge is the real fun around here.

After shrieking with excitement and exploring every corner of our overnight underwater clubhouse, Heather and I went for a dive in the lagoon and returned to the lodge just in time for dinner — pizza delivered on scuba gear. With a classic kitsch design, hot showers, a kitchen stocked with snacks, an Amazon FireStick with stocked with underwater movies and documentaries, and cozy beds, it was more than we could have hoped for.

At $975 for a two person overnight stay in the lodge, it’s not cheap — but reading through the heart-felt guestbook was proof that this is the stay of a lifetime for many. While we’d worried it might feel claustrophobic, when it came time to leave our own inscription and exit the lodge, we were incredibly reluctant to return to sea level.

Want to literally be a certified aquanaut? Arrange to take one of the three PADI distinctive specialities offered at Jules Lodge — and nowhere else on earth!

Should we have extended our trip above sea level, we’d have headed straight to Drift Hotel. Self-described as a “Key Largo hideaway purpose-built for eco-adventurers, explorers, and weekend escape artists,” this fresh and modern boutique hotel starts at under $150 a night, a steal for the Keys. Believe it or not, it’s waterfront – and some rooms boast full kitchens, perfect for sundowners and a relaxing night in after a busy day of diving.

Miami

What’s Underwater: Signature dive

There’s no sugar coating it – if you’ve been diving in the Keys, the coral reefs in Miami can’t compare. In fact, many operators make regular trips to Key Largo for their coral-loving customers. So in Miami, you have two options. Start your trip here, so things get better as you go, or focus on something else entirely. Known as the “Wreckreational Dive Capital of the World,” Miami has no shortage of sunken boats, tanks, planes, and cars – in fact, there are currently seventy-five and counting.

You might also consider a cleanup dive. Heather and I had hoped to get a couple of dives in in Miami, but when I shortened my trip to get home sooner we just had time for one — and we made it the cleanup dive with PADI dive shop South Beach Divers, local NGO Debris Free Oceans, and worldwide non-profit Project Aware. Clean up dives are my new favorite way to bring attention to what happens to “stuff” after we toss it in a can and and stop thinking about it. I’ve done them recently in Thailand, in Egypt, and now in the USA — it’s like an underwater treasure hunt for trash!

Our cleanup dive took place at a dive site a short ride from Miami Beach Marina at “Jose Cuervo Reef.” Sunk as a promotion during the “Sinko de Mayo festival” in 2000, the 10,000-pound concrete bar was built for Jose Cuervo and then donated to the Artificial Reef program. At the time, a “bartender” handed out mini Tequila bottles stuffed with a raffle ticket to win dive trips and tours to the first one hundred divers and snorkelers. How fun is that? Again – only in Florida!

Today, Jose Cuervo Reef is a cute sunken attraction, a growing home for fish and coral, and, sadly, the site of much washed-away debris from nearby South Beach. After a boat briefing on clean-up dive procedures, safety, and recording practices, we set off in buddy teams to see who could collect what. The trash we brought up to the surface was then carefully separated and responsibly disposed of.

Everything removed from the ocean was also painstaking recorded in order to (a) make us and our communities think about the lifespan of things like disposable convenience plastics, which are some of the top objects removed from the ocean and (b) create things like impact studies that can impact legislation on waste management in the local area. Our reward? Sunset over the Miami skyline, from the top deck of a dive boat.

Unlike most dive shops in the world, with very stable and predictable conditions, Miami dive shops often plan out their dive site and trip calendars months in advance, so you can know exactly where you’re headed when you book. Check the calendar at South Beach Divers for upcoming reef dives, wreck dives, and special conservation events like clean ups and shark tagging trips.

Surface Intervals: What to do on land

Fuel up for the next dive with a food tour of South Beach, survey your next adventure with a sightseeing flight over Miami, or check out a slightly different kind of aquatic ecosystem with a road trip to the Everglades.

Debris Free Oceans also runs plenty of non-scuba events you could do while you try out– yoga and park clean ups, sunset beach clean bar crawls, and beyond.

This trip, I reveled in all things urban energy to warm up for my back-to-nature Keys Trip: I took a street art tour of hip Wynwood, marveled at an Art Deco architecture tour of South Beach, and ate my way through a culinary tour of Little Havana – stay tuned for full reviews of each.

Decompression Stop: Where to rest and recharge

A mere two blocks from the beach, The Julia is a surprisingly affordable, adults-only boutique hotel in South Beach. Rooms are colorful and quirky, and there are great restaurants, cafes, and dive shops – including South Beach Divers! — within walking distance.

It’s the perfect place to rest up before or after a flight from MIA, and a refreshing spot to start or end a diving road trip through the Keys. Rooms start at just over $100 a night, but upgrade to a deluxe room for sky-high ceilings and an Instagram-worthy paper chandelier installation.

Clearly, I had an incredible trip to the Keys and can’t wait to return to discover new sides to this dynamic destination. Have you been diving anywhere from Key West to Miami? Leave your tips, comments and questions below.

Stay tuned for more details from this trip!

Many thanks to PADI and to The Florida Keys for their hospitality. Read more about the top scuba sites in the Florida Keys, and dive and travel tips for the Florida Keys on their sites and follow their social media accounts for daily doses of scuba and sunshine. Want to book a dive trip to Florida? Check PADI Travel for more information!