August 31st, 2008 Ummmm can we get a break?

Air/Water Temp: 84/85

Wind: 20-25 Knots!!!!!!

Well we survived Hurricane Gustav here in Key Largo and we are sending good luck for those still in his path. Kiddo is wondering when the wind will stop and we can resume his swimming lessons?!

Hope to see everyone soon!

Captains Rob & Aja & Kiddo

The Pleasure Divers

August 30th, 2008 Rain Rain Go Away!

Air/Water Temp: 84/86
Wind: 18-22 Knots (Really barfy)

Well we have been foiled once again by the weather. We hope that we can get out there and dive soon but we have to be safe and see what Gustav and Hanna do over the next few days. We hope to be back out on the Reefs soon! Send good weather vibes our way friends.

Thanks,

Captains Rob & Aja & Kiddo
The Pleasure Divers

August 29th, 2008 Labor Day Weekend Kickoff

Air/Water Temp: 82/86

Wind: 15-20 Knots (Choppy)

Hi all,

We had a full day today but the weather didn't cooperate! We did however make the best of what we had to work with. We set out this morning with Jenny, Bob, Megan, Jim and Kathy for some diving. The wind was howling so we headed for French Reef where we found some great diving. The visibility was amazing this morning! We started in the middle of French where we found a group of Snook in a cave, a very curious Spiny Lobster and a great cave with light streaming into it from above. We did another dive on French Reef down at the South end and did some swim throughs and swam with the Minnows which is always a treat!

For our afternoon adventure Jenny joined us along with Tammy, Xiu, Lawrence and Billie for a Snorkel/Dive trip. The wind had picked up a bit more so we headed for White Banks where we could dive and snorkel at the same site. On our adventure dive we came across some big Amberjacks, a Flamingo Tongue Snail and a group of tasty Lobsters in their hideout. It was a bit kicked up out there but we made the best of it. A bad day diving is better than a good day at work right!?

Check out http://picasaweb.google.com/thepleasurediver/August29th2008 for more pictures from your charter.

Hope to see everyone again soon! Thanks for a fun day.

Captains Rob & Aja & Kiddo

The Pleasure Divers

August 27th, 2008 Fay has gone away!

Air/Water Temp: 84/86

Wind: 10-12 Knots

Hi Divers,

We are finally getting back into the swing of things since Fay went through. We headed out to Molasses Reef this morning to check out our fish friends. Our friends Steve and Jean joined us and also Jenny from Oregon. We made our first stop at the North end of the reef. We swam against a little current and found a huge Hawksbill Turtle hanging out in a cave. He did some nice poses for Steve's pictures! We also saw a big Midnight Parrotfish munching away at his lunch. We stopped at Post Reef for dive two. There were plenty of Conch out among the amazing Elkhorn Coral. There was a Hermit Crab living in one of the old shells too. It was so nice to get out on the water again and we are looking forward to a great Labor Day Weekend.

Kiddo did OK for his first day on the water but he still needs to get his sea legs!

Captains Rob & Aja & Kiddo

The Pleasure Divers

Our Newest Pleasure Diver Crew Member!

Hi Pleasure Divers,

We want to introduce everyone to our newest crew member here at Pleasure Diver. His name is Kiddo and he will be our official Bos'n. He is really meshing well with the rest of the crew so we hope that you come to meet him and dive soon!

Captains Rob & Aja & Kiddo

The Pleasure Divers

August 24th, 2008 Another Blast from the Past!

Air/Water Temp: 84/84

Wind: 10 Knots

Hi friends,

We finally made it back out to the reef after Tropical Storm Fay! We were so sick of being tied to the dock so we called our good friend Perry and told him not to believe the news, the weather is amazing down here in the Keys! So he gathered the Plunkett Family (Perry, Stacie, Matthew & Alicia) and headed for Key Largo. It was a gorgeous day here and we were anxious to see if the visibility had cleared up at all since the storm. We headed out for a snorkel trip to White Banks. Everyone hopped in and checked out some of the most colorful fish they had ever seen. There were lots of Stop Light Parrotfish out and schools of Sergeant Majors as well. We just hung out in the sun and had a freestyle jumping contest off of the bow! It was a tough call who won but Alicia won the loudest screamer contest easily!

Thanks Plunkett family for getting us off the dock and bringing us beers. they tasted so good at the end of the day! Check out http://picasaweb.google.com/thepleasurediver/August23rd2008PlunkettFamily for more pictures from your Pleasure Diver Charter!

Captains Rob & Aja

The Pleasure Divers

Greetings from Hurricane Fay

Air/Water Temp: 78/85 Burrrrr!



Wind: 30-35 knots Ummmmm tropical storm Fay!





Hi Bloggers,



We here at Pleasure Diver just want everyone to know that all is well down here in Key Largo. We are watching the wind and rain.......and boats very closely. No need to worry we should be back in action ready to head to the reefs by Wednesday so give us a call!



Captains Rob & Aja

The Storm Watchers

August 16th, 2008 Snorkel Afternoon

Air/Water Temp: 85/85

Wind: 5-10 Knots

Hey Pleasure Bloggers,

Today we ventured out for an afternoon Snorkel Trip. Troy and family joined us along with Reza and his lovely lady for some fun out on the reef. We headed North to the Christ Statue to see the famous land mark. The visibility was great today which makes for great viewing of the Statue. We took a short motor South to Banana Reef to visit the Goliath Groupers and schooling Minnows. All the fish were out today including a large school of Sergeant Majors. It was an amazing snorkel for all.

Thanks for a fun day everyone!

Captains Rob & Aja

The Pleasure Divers

August 15th, 2008 Family Fun!

Air/Water Temp: 84/85
Wind: 10 knots

Hi friends,

Today we headed out for some afternoon diving with Claudia, Robin, Alex and Joan. We cruised out on a gorgeous afternoon to the Benwood Wreck. There were plenty of schooling fish around at their favorite spot and some huge Midnight Parrotfish. We took a short trip over to French Reef where we explored the swim-throughs and large coral heads. We found some big Grouper and some tiny little Cleaner Shrimp in an Anemone. Another beautiful day with fun people. Thanks everyone for a great day!

Captains Rob & Aja
The Pleasure Divers

August 13th, 2008 Captain Aja takes the gentlemen out for the day.

Air/Water Temp: 85/86

Wind: 5-10 knots

Wahhooooo! We had a sweet day. We took our friends Weldon and Richard out again today and Brad joined us at the last minute and was glad he did. We left the dock and planned to stay out all day and enjoy. We started at the Benwood Wreck where we admired the schooling fish in all if their splendor. Then it was off to the Christ Statue to "see the Jesus". We saw the Jesus and had a fun photo shoot. We then started back south and stopped at Banana Reef for a shallow dive. There were giant Barracuda and some schooling Minnows out and about swimming in the beautiful sun lite water. Our last stop of the day was a Lobster/Hogfish Hunt just outside of the Benwood area. We came back successful with one Lobster and one Hogfish. Everyone is eating well tonight.....at least a bite or two!

Check out http://picasaweb.google.com/thepleasurediver/August13th2008RichardWeldonAndBrad for some more pictures from our fun day!

Captains Rob & Aja

The Pleasure Divers

August 12th, 2008 Tuesday Lobstering and Pleasure Diving

Air/Water Temp: 84/85

Wind: 10-12 knots

Hello Bloggers,

Today we welcomed our good friend Michael with daughter Michaela, Nancy & Eric and Richard with son Weldon. We were out to do some good diving, catch some Lobsters and get some father daughter snorkeling in. We did it all! We spent time at Pickles Reef and a few secret spots on the way back in. We scored one Lobster today for Nancy and Eric to have for dinner. We saw some big Stingrays, Dolphins out cruising and a ton of Squid! We also watch Weldon and Michaela do some sweet moves off of the bow! Lots of fun in the sun today, thanks to everyone for joining us. We will see you in the morning Richard and Weldon!

Check out http://picasaweb.google.com/thepleasurediver/August12th2008 to see some pictures from your charter!

Captains Rob & Aja

The Pleasure Divers

August 11th, 2008 Girls Day Out

Air/Water Temp: 81/84 (With a big storm in the distance!)

Wind: 5-10 knots

Hello Pleasure Divers,

Today was girls day out. Roger from the Famous Coconuts Restaurant sent his lovely wife Margo along with Sister Cathy and nieces Nicole & Erin out for a day of snorkeling on the reef. We headed out onto dead calm waters and made a bee line for White Banks. We got a good hour in there and the the Thunder and Lightning started to close in around us. We cruised back in watching the amazing storm dump water and give us a great light show. We got some great snorkeling in and some super storm watching, which is part of the summer showcase down here in the Keys.

Thanks to Roger and family for a fun day and some very enthusiastic fish feeding!

Captains Rob & Aja

The Pleasure Divers

The Newest Pleasure Divers?!

Scott & Nancy may be our newest Pleasure Divers?! Hope to see you soon guys!

Captains Rob & Aja

The Pleasure Divers

Pleasure Diver Gear!!!

Hi friends,

Our PD Gear is popping up everywhere! Send us a picture of you in you PD Gear and will will make you famous on the Pleasure Diver Blog! We have Girl and Guy Tanks and T-shirts if you want to join in! In our next batch we are hoping for some Beer Coozies for those of you who prefer to go shirtless.

Captains Rob & Aja

The Pleasure Divers

August 9th, 2008 The Boys Are Out Today!

Air/Water Temp: 86/85 Yikes!
Wind: 12-15 knots

Hi to all our diving friends,

Today we took the boys out! Leonard, Dave, Tim and Brandon came out to the reef with us today to do some Lobstering and some relaxing diving. We made it a Pickles Reef Day and it was a good place to be with the little wind that was blowing. Our Lobster hunters caught 3 great sized bugs and Leonard and Dave did some exploring on the reef and checked out some hot chicks on a nearby boat! What can I say, there were some nice things above and below the water today.

We have another fun week of diving coming up so come and join us!

Captains Rob & Aja
The Pleasure Divers

August 8th, 2008 Dive Olympics

Air/Water Temp: 84/85

Wind: 5-10 knots

Hello all,

We had our friends Lee, Susan, Rick and Donna back for another gorgeous day on the reef. Jack and Sheryl also can along for the ride. We made our way out to the Benwood for a nice easy Wreck dive. There were tons of fish out today! Schools of Jack, Snapper and Parrotfish all looking very busy. We headed over to French Reef #18 a.k.a. Morris Reef, for future reference, and had a beautiful dive there as well. On our way back in we had a visit from our Dolphin friends who came to check out the boat and say hello. Lucky us!

Thanks to all for a marvelous day. We hope to see you again soon!

Captains Rob & Aja

The Pleasure Divers

August 7th, 2008 Old Friends and New Faces

Air/Water Temp: 84/85

Wind: Dead Calm and Gorgeous!

Hello Pleasure Divers,

It was another fun day of diving for our lucky guests. The water was like glass, you could see straight through to the Lobsters on the bottom! Our guests today included Stan and Jessica from up north, our new friends Donna and Rick from Colorado and Lee & Susan Morris visiting from Virginia. We headed out on a 10AM charter, first stop, French Reef. We found some great little shrimp hanging out in an anemone and saw some giant Parrotfish. We made our second stop at Post Reef for an easy shallow dive. The sun was out making for some beautiful colors on the reef and lighting up all the pretty fish.

Thanks for a fun day everyone! Keep on diving!

Captains Rob & Aja

The Pleasure Divers

August 6th, 2008 Lobster Hunt!

Air/Water Temp: Soooo hot!
Wind: None....sooooooo hot!

Greetings Pleasure Divers!

We went on a Lobster Hunt this morning! Today is the first official day of Lobster Season that will last until March 31st, 2009. We headed out to some of our secret spots with our friends Sam ans Steve and welcomed Phil and Melodie along for the hunt. We did OK today. It was just a gorgeous day so we were glad to be out and in the water. We brought home two god sized Bugs and everyone was happy.

For our afternoon trip we had Zack and Karl back along with their new friends from the Holiday Inn, the Soltmann Family from North Carolina. We headed out to the outer reefs to do some nice easy diving. We also had snorkelers so Pickles Reef was the perfect destination. There were a few big Turtle sightings and some Nurse Sharks as well. It was an amazing afternoon with great conditions.

Thanks everyone for a great day, we hope to see you again soon!

Captains Rob & Aja
The Pleasure Divers

August 5th, 2008 Wreck-a-palooza!

Air/Water Temp: 82/84
Wind: 10-15 knots ( Nice day on the Spiegel!)

Hi friends,

Today was our first official Wreck-a-polooza! We can have these anytime if you just ask but Sam and Steve will always be the first. We took Sam, Steve, Zack and Karl out for a full day of Wrecks. We ended up doing 3 dives on the Spiegel Grove and 1 dive on the Benwood Wreck. The current chased us away from the Duane and Bibb for today. The Spiegel was glorious today with minimal current and 40-50ft visibility. We had a huge Loggerhead Sea Turtle hanging out on the wreck all day and some giant Hogfish as well. We watched big storms move over Key Largo while we sat out in the sun! The Benwood was a nice end to the day, nice and easy.

Thanks to all the fun guys and double thanks for all the points at Mrs. Macs!

Captains Rob & Aja
The Pleasure Divers

August 3rd, 2008 Family Ties

Air/Water Temp: 82/84

Wind: 10-15 (A bit rocky)

Hi there Pleasure Divers,

We had a fun day out on the reefs and wrecks today. The Williams Family from Redding, CA joined us for our 10AM Charter to see the Benwood Wreck and French Reef. Captain Aja (aka The Kid) navigated the glorious Pleasure Diver out to the reefs with great ease. The Benwood Wreck was happy this morning and the big Queen Angelfish were out today. There were also quite a few Trumpetfish hiding in the greenery. French Reef was pleasant too. We spotted a Stonefish, Moray Eel and a few Jawfish.

Steve and Sam joined us in the afternoon for a few warm-up dives on Molasses. They are here to dive the wrecks of Key Largo this week and they just wanted to get wet and test their gear out. They got two great dives in and then we raced a storm back in. The front was moving faster than we were but the drop in temperature was welcomed.

Thanks everyone for a fun day!

Captains Rob & Aja

The Pleasure Divers

August 1st, 2008 Sniadach Family Spearfishing

Air/Water Temp: 84/86

Wind: Not a whisper!

Hello Friends,

I know I keep saying this but today was the most beautiful day. It just keeps getting better here! The very fun and excited Sniadach Family returned once again for a go at Spearfishing. We headed out of the park and settled in at a place we like to call Hog Heaven. There are Hogfish everywhere here and plenty of other good sized fish to hunt. Everyone got their first go at spearing some fish and did very well. They brought back three Hogfish all well over the limit. nicely done! We had a fun lunch break with some acrobatics off of the bow and a little food too. Then we were off to site number 2. Here we all learned about Nurse Sharks. While hunting in the water there are a few side effects.....one being Sharks! They smell the free meal from miles away. They weren't dangerous but very curious about the lovely smell of fish in the water. Once Molly had screamed her little heart out through her regulator a few times the group turned in their Speargun and played around jumping off the boat and watching the Nurse Sharks. Good job crew! A great first Spearfishing Trip! Come back soon and keep those skills improving.

To see all your pictures from today go to http://picasaweb.google.com/thepleasurediver/SniadachFamilySpearfishing

Thanks for a really fun week guys!

Captains Rob & Aja

The Pleasure Divers

Come and Join WRECKFEST!

Hi Divers,

We have a few Wreckfest days coming up and we would love for you to join us!

Monday August 4th: AM Benwood for 2 Dives (4 Spots Left)
PM Spiegel Grove 2 Dives (4 Spots Left)

Tuesday August 5th: AM Spiegel Grove 2 Dives (4 Spots Left)
PM Duane/Bibb 2 Dives (4 Spots Left)

Wednesday August 7th: AM Lobstering Trip ( 4 Spots Left)

Come and join in the fun!

Captains Rob & Aja
The Pleasure Divers

July 31st, 2008 Mini Season Take: 2

Air/Water Temp: 84/84

Wind: None (Must cool off in water!)

Hiya Divers,

Today is the second and final day of 2008 Mini Lobster Season! We had our morning crew back with Roy, Greg, Jeanne and Bill. Most of the choice Lobsters were picked off the 1st day to today there is a lot more skill involved. Roy and Greg had a great day with 3 good sized Bugs. Jeanne and Bill did so well yesterday they decided to leave the Lobsters for next time. We had our new friends, the Sniadach Family back for some more hunting fun in the PM. We headed out to a spot inside of the Benwood Wreck to Scout a new spot. The ladies did quite well....at least they say.....the Lobsters were in the bag all the way back to the boat and then somehow escaped......crafty little Lobsters. They headed home with a few keepers....all in all a very successful Season! Tomorrow they will be back for some Spearfishing to try out a new skill.

Thanks for a fun Mini Season everyone!

Captains Rob & Aja

The Pleasure Divers