This is a report of a trip taken in June 1996 to the Florida Keys. This was our post's biggest trip to date, and it was a great adventure for all of us.

One of the keys to the success of our trips has been getting started early on planning. Last winter we started looking for good deals on airfare, and we found one on TWA to Orlando. We decided that, even though our target was the Keys in south Florida, there were other things we could do in the Orlando area, so flying in there would work just fine.

So upon arrival in Orlando we got a big van and drove south to Key Largo. It was a long drive and we didn't get to the motel until 11:00 pm, but even that late we couldn't wait to hit the water, and went snorkeling that same night.

Our motel was called Bay Cove Motel, and from the road it looked kind of scarey, especially at night. But once we got in our room we were quite pleased. It was large, with a couple of beds and two large couches, plus a kitchenette. Most important, it had good air conditioning. Right in back of the motel is a tiny beach and a small pier, which is were we did our night snorkel swim.

In the morning we went over to our dive shop, the Florida Keys Dive Center, which was just a few miles down Highway 1 (the road which connects all the keys). That first morning we dove to the NOAA Habitat, a submerged chamber where scientists study a reef. This was the first dive in the Atlantic ocean for most of us, and the water was beautiful, warm and very clear.

We dove for two days at Key Largo and all the dives were great. We hit Horseshoe Reef and went back for a night dive. The next day we dove to the USS Duane and Molasses Reef. The Duane was a great dive. The water was deep blue and crystal clear. As we followed a line down to the Duane you could begin to see a large dark object at the ocean floor, then eventually see that it was the ship. We passed schools of barracuda, standing by as if guarding the wreck. The Duane lies at 120 feet. It's a little colder down there and you can definitely sense the depth. It was a great dive.

We took an afternoon to drive down to Key West. It's a cool place and we could have spent lots more time there. But we did catch the sunset carnival at the pier, and have a nice seafood dinner at the Half Shell Raw Bar.

The next day we drove up the Atlantic shoreline and made a stop at the beach in Pompano Beach. We got to Titusville where we stayed with some relatives of one of the boys in our group. Next morning we continued on past Orlando to Ginnie Springs.

Ginnie Springs is a resort located at some clear fresh water springs that come out of some caves. You can camp, swim, and cave dive there. They have equipment rentals right on site. It's a cool place, and the water is amazingly clear, but it's cold and a wetsuit is a good idea. They have a one cave that is gated in the back, so we could dive it even though we aren't cave certified. We could dive the other caves only without lights, so that would limit us to staying toward the front of the cave. If you want to go deeper you have to get cave certified, and they can help you with that too if you are interested.

Then for our last dive day we went to Epcot Center and part of our group did the "Living Seas" dive. It's a pretty interesting experience. You become part of the show, because you actually dive in this huge aquarium in front of all the spectators. Our guys had a great time doing it, although it is a little expensive for a single dive. But the ones who did it said it was worth the cost.

One nice thing about Florida, is that there are plenty of other things to do besides diving. We hit Cape Canaveral on our last day and saw one of the IMAX films. There's a cool shop called Ron Jon's that has loads of beach clothing and gear. We even had fun in the Orlando airport, which has a bunch of interesting shops, kind of like a mall. It was a great trip.