Scuba Diving & Camping in Florida Keys - An Outsider's Account

I never really thought of a vacation excluding Florida Keys. Because my best activities, viz., diving and camping, is almost precooked in the Keys, though the serious one's may plan themselves after reaching at the Keys. My travel and the itineraries are laid out; each activity I want is almost laid out.

It's almost banal to say that Florida Keys have a great deal of must-dos. Everyone knows it. That's why I made my way through the sawgrass out to Flamingo, on the edge of Everglades National Park, then down the Overseas Highway to Key West.
Instead, I felt it was important to let the spirit of the journey seep into us along with the humid heat of the great swamp. As we drove leisurely along, the great prairie of Kansas receded from our minds, soon replaced by Florida's sawgrass prairie.

Last time I had a little diving on the holiday planner's area with my fellow vacationers. And in a fine morning while driving across the Everglades, I saw an alligator. On reaching Anhinga Trail I had several visual treats of wildlife found in the Florida Keys.

Outside our camp, near Anhinga, I could see several diving birds that prey on the marine fishes.

Dolphins make great tourism business in the Keys. If you get a chance to dive with them then that will be memorable for life. If you can't afford (or don't like to like many others) you can stop at the Dolphin Research Center on Grassy Key and the dolphins do something special for you. I was a bystander, but could not resist to get some cuddle and rushed in. They have a human feel.

Florida Keys have the best scuba diving destinations in North America. I preferred the sites in Key Largo, because it's basically a scuba diver's town with all the amenities for the experienced and learning divers. Besides, it offers a variety of diving sites for every level of diver.

In many of the beginner level diving sites there are the nicest coral reefs loaded with fish. They depth is only upto 30 to 50 feet.

Though we had diving and camping in equal proportion and some merry-making. I loved to indulge more in scuba diving. It gives a close view of marine life. And I love that. Why not, the Keys offer open water certification dives as well as more advanced training. And many local dive operators offer special packages just for scuba diving.