Eric Billips
Eric Billips is is the owner, captain and instructor at Islamorada Dive Center and Floridia Keys Dive Center. He specializes in scuba, rebreather, spearfishing and
captaining in the Florida Keys
KEYS DIVING: TIPS TO AVOIDING SEASICKNESS
The Florida Keys waters had a couple of bumpy days. Reports back from the captains stated numerous fish were being fed.
What this means is that motion sickness grabbed hold of some divers, and they "fed the fish." The Keys have many industries that deal with seasickness (a form of...
KEYS DIVING: MASTERING CERTIFICATIONS MEAN MORE ADVENTURE
Divers heading out on the waters off the Upper Keys experienced decent diving conditions, and that was great for our students who went through professional level classes.
The Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI) is the primary scuba certifying agency in the world. They have scuba courses ranging from basic...
KEYS DIVING: THE ALLURE OF EXPLORING THE NIGHTTIME WATERS
Divers heading out on the Upper Keys waters experienced some windy days last week, but it ended with amazingly calm conditions. It was so calm that we were able to do two night dives.
Our dive shop had the pleasure of taking out a group of firefighters from Myrtle Beach,...
DIVE REPORT: EXPLORE THE UNDERWATER WORLD DURING WINTER BREAK
Conditions this past week weren’t all that great. We had a couple days of high winds but it did lie down nicely for the weekend. We're looking at the upcoming forecast of some chilly, iguana- falling-out-of-the-trees kind of days.
But don't let that stop you from getting out there and enjoying...
DIVE REPORT: UPPER KEYS’ ALEXANDER BARGE IS THE MECCA OF MARINE LIFE
Divers in the Florida Keys experienced pleasant conditions this past week, so good that lots of divers and fishermen were out taking advantage of it.
On numerous reefs and most of the wrecks, NOAA has installed mooring balls. These mooring balls allow anyone to moor up to that location and...
DIVE INTO THE SCUBA MARKET IN TAVERNIER ON DEC. 11
Florida Keys diving conditions were stellar over the Thanksgiving weekend. It’s a popular time in the scuba industry with school out, and this past week was no exception.
Our dive shops welcomed divers from all around the country taking various classes, from learning how to spearfish to educating themselves on...
DIVE REPORT: PREPARATION TIPS IN TIMES OF A STORM
Diving conditions were fine leading up to Hurricane Ian earlier last week. But I do think the threat of Ian kept a lot of customers and visitors home until the certainty of this thing was figured out.
Not a lot of diving goes on in the days leading up to...
DIVE REPORT: VICTORY REEF A CREW FAVORITE
VICTORY REEF WORTH THE DIVE
One of the favorite spots to dive in Islamorada per the crew is Victory Reef. Located about 5 miles off the shore, it's part of the barrier reef and the depth is 40 to 100 feet. It’s a spur-and-groove coral system, meaning you have a...
DIVE REPORT: ANNUAL LIONFISH DERBY NETS MORE THAN 900 INVASIVE FISH IN THE FLORIDA KEYS
We had decent conditions for the 2022 Florida Keys Lionfish Derby and Festival. Postcard Inn Beach Resort & Marina hosted the two-day event, which saw 18 teams composed of four people remove an impressive 919 invasive lionfish. Team Forever Young came in first place with a whopping 400 lionfish...
DIVE REPORT: PADI INSTRUCTORS VISIT THE FLORIDA KEYS
Friday - Chance of rain 40% south, southeast winds, 5 to 10 knots, 2-feet seas
Saturday - Chance of rain 30% south, southeast winds, 5 to 10 knots, 1-foot seas
Sunday - Chance of rain 40%, (this information will come Wednesday)
CONDITION REPORT
We’re still being blessed with “Keyzee-like” conditions this past week....
DIVE REPORT: DOLPHINS GREET EXPLORERS BENEATH THE SURFACE
WEATHER CONDITIONS
Friday - Overcast with rain showers at times, Winds out of the east, 10-15 knots, 2-3 feet seas
Saturday - Partly cloudy with isolated thunderstorms, Winds out of the east, around 15 knots, 2-3 feet seas
Sunday - Cloudy with a chance of showers, Winds of out of the east,...
DIVE REPORT: EXPLORE THESE LESSER-KNOWN UNDERWATER SITES IN THE UPPER KEYS
WIND PASSES
This week the winds came down and we had an absolute stunning week for ocean activities. The winds picked up a little on Sunday but the forecast calls for them to once again cooperate and lay down for this coming week.
WONDERFUL WRECKS
We did an "Islamorada wreck special" this...