October 2009 >> Archives

"Caribbean Diving – No Passport Required"

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You deserve a break!

All rooms 20% OFF published rates
1 - 29 October 2009

*** ASK FOR the "INTERNET SPECIAL" RATE when making your reservation ***

Check room rates

 

BEST Tiki Bar in the Florida Keys (maybe the entire world...)

Live music 7 days a week (band schedule.)

Food specials too!
Monday appetizer specials
Tuesday Tacos - Hard or soft. Chicken or beef.
see MORE...Bar Specials

COSTUME PARTY Friday October 30th

 

Fantasy Fest 2009

Mardi Gras - Key West Style!!!

Only in Key West. Think of it as recess for adults. You've never spent Halloween quite like this! This year's theme - "Villains Vixens and Vampires."

Come celebrate the 30th Annual Fantasy Fest
23 October - 1 Nov 2009
Photos
Schedule of events

 

Looe Key Divers in the News - Busch wreck clean up

 

 

 

Eleven volunteer divers collected approximately 250 pounds of debris from the Adolphus Busch wreck on September 9th, 2009. Each diver buddy pair made two dives to a depth of 80 - 120 feet. Much of the debris removed was rope and fishing line which presented an entanglement hazard. So, now the wreck is not only cleaner but safer!

 

 

 

Many individuals and organizations came together to make this event successful and fun:

• Students and faculty from the Florida Keys Community College School of Diving provided half of the safety and clean-up divers.
  
• Looe Key Dive Center donated the use of their dive boat, the Kokomo Cat II. The boat crew donated their time and the dive staff volunteered as both safety divers and clean up divers.
  
• Divers Alert Network (DAN) provided trashbags.
  
• NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) lent titanium shears and mesh bags. The shears were a BIG help in cutting the line - much faster than a knife which saved precious bottom time.

THANKS TO ALL!!

 

 

Attention Bug hunters!!

The 2009 Lobster season is in FULL SWING.

We have air fills and all of your "hunting supplies." We also rent scuba gear.

Questions about gear prep, hunting regulations, online license purchase? Check out Lobster Season FAQ's

 

Meet the staff

Stephanie has spent her entire life surrounded by water. Lucky lady! She grew up on Abescon Island, N.J. - then spent 23 years in the U.S. Virgin Islands. She's lived on a sailboat, done lots of snorkeling and even a bit of scuba diving. After visiting the Florida Keys for 30 years, she moved here full-time 12 years ago. Now, she's got a brutal commute to work here at Looe Key Reef Resort and Dive Center - a seven minute walk. At the front desk, she stays busy answering phones, filling tanks, rinsing gear and assisting our hotel and dive shop customers. Somehow, she still has energy left for her "sideline" pet grooming business. Stephanie is an avowed animal lover. Her favorite animals? Her dog "Toots." And Kokomo the cat, of course!

 

 

 

Learn to dive in your jammies

Did you know that PADI now offers ONLINE instruction for the Advanced Open Water Diver certification? That's right - you can do the classroom work at your convenience, from the comfort of your home. Learn more about

Gear Meister is back from Vacation..

Advice on "saving your Benjamins"

 

Sure it's nice to own your gear. But it's not cheap. Plus, there's the cost of maintaining it. How to do it without breaking the bank?

First, I know you've read all the Gear Meister articles on scuba gear. So I can assume that you did your homework and found just the right stuff to suit your diving. And, smart person that you are, you bought it from an authorized dealer.

A what? An authorized dealer is a retailer that has permission from the manufacturer to sell their equipment. Why not buy from whoever has the lowest prices? Because only an authorized dealer can ensure that their products are genuine and in good condition and that the manufacture will stand behind them. Unauthorized dealers may have acquired their merchandise from overseas or even on the black market. No manufacturer will honor the manufacturer warranty if you purchased the equipment from an unauthorized dealer. Some unauthorized dealers will offer their own warranty in lieu of the manufacturer warranty. Two words here: Buyer beware. Wondering if a particular retailer is an authorized dealer? Each manufacturer can provide you with the names of authorized dealers, often through their web site.

Protecting your equipment investment

Buying from an authorized dealer goes for equipment maintenance, too - particularly regulators and BCDs. Each manufacturer provides training, specialized tools, and authentic repair parts to their authorized service technicians. This ensures that the person working on your gear knows all about that gear and its special considerations, has the proper tools, and has the right parts designed by the manufacturer to work best in your specific equipment. It's your life support system - why would you want to cut corners?

Now, a lot of regulators and BCDs are similar, so a tech trained on one manufacturer’s equipment may be willing to work on your equipment from another manufacturer. But is he going to do it properly and with the right parts? There’s really no way to know. So, manufacturers can also provide you with the name of authorized repair centers. Don’t assume that because Dive Shop XYZ used to repair your brand and still has  a sign in their window, that they are still authorized. Shops change dive gear vendors all the time.

Manufacturer's Warranty

How about that all important warranty? What do you need to do to keep it in effect?

First, read the owners manual! This will explain most everything you need to know. Most manufacturers require that you have your regulator and BCD serviced annually in order to keep the warranty in effect. If you miss one year, your warranty is no longer valid.

“OK,” you think, “No big deal. This stuff is made to last. I don’t really need a warranty.”

You may be right. But it can be pretty costly, if you’re wrong. Plus, you get other benefits by keeping your warranty in effect. For instance, several manufacturers include standard parts in their annual warranty service, meaning you pay only for labor. A nice cost-saving benefit since retail parts can be pretty expensive!

Maintenance Service

Is an annual service really needed for everyone? Good question. And the answer is “it depends”. Infrequent divers may actually need the annual service more than frequent divers as rubber parts can dry out during nonuse. On the other hand, very frequent divers may go through the lifecycle of a part faster than average. In fact, most manufacturers also have a recommended number of dives between service as well as the annual requirement.

There are several different types of service your authorized service center can provide.

inspection and adjustment For instance, you’re about to go on a big dive trip and you want to make sure your regulator is in tip top shape, even though it’s not due for an annual service. The technician will inspect for any obvious problems and then verify all the proper settings and adjustments in the first stage and second stages. This is probably not covered under warranty, but should be fairly inexpensive.

annual service is usually an inspection and replacement of the parts the manufacturer has noted to be the most likely to wear out in a year (for instance, O-rings.). Remember, this is the service that's required to keep many manufacturer's warranties in effect.

complete overhaul can be considered an expanded annual service. In fact, several manufactures vary the service and parts based on the usage cycle. For instance, every other service will replace basic parts and the alternating services will add the replacement of other parts.

troubleshooting and repairing a problem For example, a free flowing 2nd stage regulator. You'll be paying for the technician's time to find and fix the problem (plus the cost of parts.) $$ saving suggestion: it may be cheaper to get an annual service rather than pay for the technicians time to try and find and fix the specific problem part. The annual service will probably replace the problem part anyway, but without the extra labor charges. If your equipment is still under warranty, and the problem is a defective part, the service will probably be free. If it’s just an adjustment or normal wear and tear, it may not be covered under warranty.

"The fine print"

Nobody’s warranty covers damage due to neglect, abuse, or misuse. Drag your reg through the sand every dive or slam it in a car door, or shoot a spear through your BCD and you’re on your own. And hoses, consoles, and gauges are usually not covered under warranty service except for manufacturer defects.

Bottom line – buy your gear from an authorized retailer, service it with an authorized repair technician, and keep your warranty in effect.

 

Night Diver

"See the underwater world in a whole new light "

Night Diving – there’s really nothing like it. As the sun sets, you don your dive gear, slip on your mask and bite down on your regulator. A deep breath and you step off the boat – into the underwater night. Although you’ve seen this reef many times before, this time you drop into a whole new world and watch it come to life under the glow of your dive light.

 

 

The adventure, thrill and excitement of nightdiving can be yours when you complete your PADI Night Diver Specialty course. With the right training and a little bit of planning, night dives can be as easy as diving during the day.

 

What You Learn

• Night dive planning, organization, procedures, techniques and potential problems
• How to control your buoyancy at night
• Entries, exits and underwater navigation at night
• Nocturnal aquatic life, since many of the plants and animals you'll see are different

Prerequisites

You must be:

• A PADI Open Water Diver or Junior Open Water Diver certification (or qualifying certification from another organization).
• At least 12 years old.

The Learning Materials You Need

PADI’s Night Diver crewpak (manual and video on DVD) will help you prepare for your first night dives with a PADI Instructor. Topics covered include: tips for navigating at night, night diving etiquette, establishing an entry and exit point, and how to maintain your underwater light system

Schedule your class now! Call Looe Key Dive Center 1-800-942-5397
or contact us by e-mail

More info about this specialty at PADI.com

 

Have you seen this fish??

Beautiful but deadly, the lionfish is an invasive exotic species native to the Indo-Pacific region. It is being found in increasing numbers along the east coast of the United States as well as the Caribbean. The red lionfish (Pterois volitans) is a predatory fish with few natural enemies that devours smaller indigenous reef fish at an alarming rate. It also poses a threat to divers and fishermen - the fins are tipped with venomous spines that inflict a painful sting.
So far, we have not seen the red lionfish on Looe Key reef. It has, however, been spotted off Bahia Honda and Key West . What can you do?

If you see this fish, report it
More info about lionfish here

 

 

Looe Key Fish of the Month
Smooth Trunkfish, Lactophrys triqueter

 

This odd shaped swimmer is found over the reef and sandy areas, using its pointed snout to blow a stream of water at the bottom in hopes of uncovering it's next meal. Although it can reach a foot (0.3 meters) in length, most are in the 6 - 10 inch range. The trunkfish is not shy and will allow a close approach by divers and snorkelers. There's just something very entertaining about watching these boxy fish swim around, mostly using their pectoral and aft positioned dorsal fins.