Dive Duck Key Blog
-
Braved the Seas...to See Below!03/23/2012
Mother Nature hasn't made it easy this week with high winds and big seas. Fortunately, here at Dive Duck Key, we have had some salties that wouldn't be deterred from their goal of seeing the beautiful reefs.The conditions beneath waves have been really good. Check out the pictures! -
First Speared Fish03/20/2012
We had a great time teaching Jim how to force feed the fish!!! What a great marksman for a first time spearfishing underwater here at Dive Duck Key. Don't need bait!!! -
Luck of the Irish03/19/2012
We were blessed with the luck of the Irish (and a beautiful rainbow) this St. Patrick's Day weekend. The Florida Keys got a nice break in the winds and Dive Duck Key ran several fantastic dive and SNUBA trips. Check out our Facebook Page to see some pictures from the trips: lobsters, eels, pufferfish, and Trunkfish were all photographed on our coral reefs! And with 60+ feet of beautiful blue water, even more tropical fish and critters were spotted! -
What about winter?03/02/2012
With spring starting, a lot of us down here in the Florida Keys are wondering- what happened to winter? We have had one of the warmest winters on record- with February temperatures averging in the 80s! Our guests from the North are sure enjoying the sun, and we locals really like how warm the water is on the coral reefs! It is an unheard of 76 degrees where we go diving- not bad for this time of year. Dont forget to book a dive or SNUBA trip with Dive Duck Key while on vacation at Hawks Cay- come see for yourself how warm and beautiful our reefs are! -
Southern Stingrays on Duck Key's Coral Reefs02/26/2012
Did you know that Southern Stingrays are related to Sharks? Like Sharks, they often hunt at night, and spend their days inactive. Stingrays often bury themselves in the sand to hide from predators. Our most recent Resort Diver, Michael, got to take his picture with a "hidden" stingray. Check out our facebook page to see the video! www.facebook.com/diveduckkey -
SCUBA Diving & Glasses01/31/2012
If you have bad eyesight, don’t worry- it will not keep you from seeing our beautiful coral reefs here in the Florida Keys. Depending on your prescription, you have options. For most farsighted divers (you can see better farther away than up close), a regular lens mask works just fine, as the fish are far enough away to see clearly. Most nearsighted divers (can see up close but not far away) are in need of prescription masks. We sell and rent prescription masks here at Dive Duck Key. We offer a range of prescriptions from a -1.0 to a -8.0. If you are not sure of your prescription, no problem! We will play eye doctor and hold each mask up to your face until you find the one that works best for you. If your prescription is more unique, such as a severe stigmatism, you may have more difficulty using a standard prescription mask. But your eye doctor is capable of putting your exact prescription in your mask, at a hefty fee, of course! Many divers find it just as easy, if not easier, to wear their contacts while diving. If you are not sure if you are comfortable doing so, you can always try wearing contacts with a regular lens mask in the pool first, to see how you do with it. One way or the other, you do not want to miss out on our spectacular underwater world! -
Underwater Cameras01/27/2012
The deeper underwater you dive, the more colors disappear from the UV Spectrum. The first colors to go are the reds and oranges, and the colors you see the most of deep down are the blues and greens. Taking an underwater camera with you when you dive allows you to enjoy your dives even when you are not on vacation. A flash on your camera will help bring out the colors you lose on deeper dives. See the difference in the same picture, taken with and without a flash at 110ft? Most of the diving is shallow on the coral reefs here in the Florida Keys, however we do have some reef lines and lots of wrecks in the deeper water that our more advanced divers enjoy checking out. Call Dive Duck Key to book your next underwater adventure! -
Don't let fear of getting sea sick keep you off the dive boat!01/14/2012
We currently offer 3 different brands of anti seasickness medicine at the dive shop. Triptone is the preferred medicine that we recommend to our divers. It seems to work twice as well as the other medicines with half the side affects. We also carry CVS brand Motion Sickness Original Formula and Survitec Anti Motion Sickness Tablets. The main active ingredient in all these medicines is Dimenhydrinate, which in our experience is a lot more affective than Meclizine, the main ingredient found in Bonine and the less drowsy Dramamine. What time you take your sea sick medicine is just as important as choosing the right sea sick medicine. Most people take the maximum recommended dosage immediately before getting on a boat, and then complain of feeling a little tired during their trip (although personally, I would rather be tired than nauseous). We tell our divers to take the recommended dosage (based on a person's weight), and to take the sea sick medicine the night before their boat trip, as well as the morning of the trip, about an hour before getting onboard. The double dose gets the medicing good and in your system, without over medicating immediately before the trip. While the seas are typically calm in the Florida Keys, we do have our windy days, and it is always better to be safe than sorry. If you are not sure if you get sea sick or not, you may consider taking the anti sea sickness medicine as a precaution. Either way, we look forward to taking you scuba diving on our boat. Come check out our beautiful coral reefs! -
Strike a pose! Hawksbill Turtle on Florida Keys Reef off of Duck Key01/09/2012
Anthony and I had the pleasure of spending a few minutes with this friendly little Hawksbill Turtle while diving with Dive Duck Key in the Florida Keys. He was kind enough to pose for a few pictures. Come get your picture taken with one of our 1200 species of marine life inhabiting our coral reefs! -
Enjoy diving in summertime conditions on the coral reef this winter!01/05/2012
Hope everyone had a fantastic holiday, and that you all managed to find some time to relax and celebrate with your families. We at Dive Duck Key were very pleasantly super busy over the holidays, and the fantastic weather helped us get full boats out to the coral reef every morning and afternoon. Despite it being a little breezy on Tuesday, we are still enjoying unbelievably good conditions on the reef. Today we had 60ft of visibility and less than a foot sea. While the air has been a bit colder than we are used to, our divers and SNUBA divers have been very comfortable in the water with the wetsuits we provide them. We are starting to slow down, and have spots to fill on the boats so PLEASE feel free to pass the word along. It is very rare for us to have such great visibility and calm seas this time of year. We are running our usual SNUBA Pool Party at the main pool tomorrow morning so come check out breathing underwater! -
Flip Flops at Christmas12/24/2011
For those of you who couldnt make it down this year for the holidays, keep in mind that we dive all year long! Winter still has a couple of months to go... pull your flip flops and dive bag out of the back of the closet and book a trip to Hawks Cay for January! Dive Duck Key takes trips out to the coral reef everyday, all winter long. The water temperature is still in the 70s, and the air temperature is warmer than that! -
Guess where Santa is scuba diving this year?12/07/2011
Come diving on our beautiful Florida Keys Coral Reefs this winter with Santa Claus! Its not all work for him during the holidays, he has taken some time off to blow bubbles with the tropical fish... -
Great Dives with Joe!12/03/2011
Joe lucked out with a private charter on the Seafari, had nice long dives, and really got to spend some time with the crew. Come diving with us before the holiday rush hits us, we are still running nice small dive charters this week. We look forward to having you back, Joe! -
Dive Duck Key is doing their part!11/26/2011
Jason and Ben went on a lionfish hunt out on the coral reefs. A very successful one, I might add. In addition to killing lionfish, they got hogfish and grouper for dinner, swam with a nurse shark, and played with a turtle. GIve us a call to book your adventure with Dive Duck Key! -
Underwater Hunting11/20/2011
Looking for a new way to fish? Try spearfishing! Andy and his spearfishing guide had an incredible day out on the coral reef- got dinner for the whole family! And caught a few lobsters as a bonus... come give it a try with us, winter is the best time of year for spearfishing! -
Good Weather Day11/04/2011
Today is the day to go diving! Calm winds. We have a great trip planned for 1 p.m.! -
Stay Warm in the Water!11/02/2011
Winter is fast approaching here in the Florida Keys and while it may not get cold here, it does get cooler. Stay warm for your water activities by renting wetsuits at Dive Duck Key. We have full and shorty wetsuits, 3mm in thickness. Wetsuits are not just for scuba diving, wear them during your dolphin encounter, or during your jet ski tour. We rent on and off property. -
Octopus Camoflauge10/21/2011
Check out this awesome video of an octopus on the coral reef. Did you know they were such amazing underwater creatures. You can really see how good the octopus is at camoflauge! http://youtube/PmDTtkZlMwM -
Afternoon SNUBA Trip10/14/2011
Great trip going out this Afternoon (1-5pm). Ever thought about beathing underwater? Try SNUBA!!! No experience needed!!! Ages 8+!!! Great for the whole family! An experience you will never forget! -
Great Day for Pool Sessions10/04/2011
It's a little windy today! Hearty divers can have a good time. If you don't feel like being tossed around on the ocean, come see us for a Nitrox class!
Located in the middle keys on Duck Key, Dive Duck Key provides SCUBA & SNUBA® diving trips, guides, dive instruction, certification classes, retail sales, air fills, gear rental and repair. Explore the only living coral reef system in the continental U.S with our
team of diving professionals.
Located at Mile Marker 61 in the Hawks Cay Marina.
Phone: (877) FUN - DIVE
Watch Now
