A number of dive companies from the Florida Keys are here at this year’s DEMA Show, eager to highlight how the region has recovered from Hurricane Irma.
On September 10, 2017, Hurricane Irma made landfall in the United States at Cudjoe Key in the Lower Florida Keys, about 30 miles east of Key West. Classified as a Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds, the powerful storm battered the Keys, as well as much of the Caribbean.
In the two years since the storm’s massive impact on the people and landscape of the Keys, life has returned to “normal” for an area used to the challenges of Mother Nature. Though the storm changed the landscape above and below the water, conditions have never been better for diving.
The many wrecks and named dive sites may look a little different post-Irma, though. For example, the Spiegel Grove has moved forward about 70 feet (20 meters), but they are waiting to be explored again!
The Monroe County Board of Tourism (which covers the entire Keys area) has a tremendous website that makes planning a trip to America’s Dive Capital a snap. When you visit fla-keys.com, you will find that there are links for everything from “How To” dive videos, to interactive calendars, maps, park information, accommodations, up to date weather report and more than 50 streaming webcam feeds from across the keys!
This is a fantastic time to visit the beautiful Florida Keys and experience all that this vacation paradise has to offer both the diver and non-diver alike.
