I loved it. This was my first saltwater diving experience and it was spectacular!!! The fan forests are gorgeous, with so much color. We were able to see sea turtles, sharks, barracudas, a giant stingray and more.

Molasses Reef was interesting, we did three dives there, but I actually saw more marine life by the shallow wreck. However, molasses Reef is great for a beginner dive. French Reef had some easy swim-throughs, which were fun for a beginner, but it also had other more complex ones for the more advanced diver.

I went on a trip with my local dive shop, Dip’n’Dive ( http://dipndive.com/ ) that hooked up with Sea Dwellers dive shop ( http://www.seadwellers.com/ ) Everyone there was fantastic-so helpful and great for a beginner such as myself. They had extra supplies on the boat so that when things went wrong (and they did) we could all still make the dives.

Bit of advice: if you haven’t been on a boat in awhile, don’t even chance it, take some Trip-Tone. We all were sick the first day, but after we discovered the magic of Trip-Tone didn’t have another problem. The key factor is to take it the night before and the morning of BUT a full hour before you dive.

I shopped at Diver’s Direct and got great prices on some things I forgot (and a large selection) like a mesh bag and dive log, but they will try and rip you off on others, such as underwater lights, knifes and regulators. So if you have a gear emergency, shop around for price-but if you’re desperate, Divers Direct will have it.

I stayed with Key Largo Holiday Inn, which is right by the canal so it made leaving for the boat in the mornings very easy. In addition, their pool and tikki bar are fantastic-shout out to the bartender, Jeffrey, who rocks.

I went parasailing with Key Largo Parasail. It wasn’t too expensive, and they made the experience fun, not terrifying. That is something everyone needs to try once. I even got to see a pod of dolphins! something I hadn’t seen while diving or on my way to the reefs.

Coconuts, the restaurant, was a bit overratted, but had decent Calypso Mahi mahi. The Big Chill was fantastic, I loved their Parmesan Crusted Snapper and their alcoholic tropical tea.