Dive Review of MV Makai in
The Continental USA/Dry Tortugas, Florida

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MV Makai: "MV Makai Expedition to the Dry Tortugas", Oct, 2019, by Carol D Cox, FL, US ( Sr. Contributor 22 reports with 16 Helpful votes). Report 11219.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Friends wanted to dive the Dry Tortugas while the coral was still healthy. They are very big into photography and citizen science. Unfortunately, most of the liveaboards that go down to the Dry Tortugas go there for the purpose of spearfishing. Because of the protected areas in the Tortugas, these trips are limited on locations they can visit in the Tortugas. My friends didn’t let this deter them, and as a retirement gift to themselves they chartered the MV Makai out of Key West to take 10 divers to the Dry Tortugas for 6 days. My husband and I are very lucky to have such wonderful, generous friends to take us on this trip of a lifetime. The MV Makai is not your normal liveaboard; the entire vessel must be chartered which is not particularly unusual for a Tortugas trip. However, it is usually chartered for scientific research and bird watching expeditions. This was the first time it had been chartered out for a recreational dive trip with some science thrown it. It was clear from the beginning the owner/operator is very concerned about safety. Joe watched the weather prior to the trip and kept my friends updated on the conditions. If he didn’t feel it was safe to cross over to the Dry Tortugas, the vessel would remain at the marina. We had dinner on shore, and then met at the wharf at 7pm to load up the ship. All the food, tanks, and weights had been loaded by the crew, so we formed a line to pass over dive gear and camera equipment. It was an interesting group of divers our friends had put together. We had 4 “citizen scientists” with a high interest in photography and video. There was a book author/photographer from Honduras that was on the hunt for more creatures to add to his book on Caribbean reef life, a coral specialist with Florida Fish and Wildlife, a young naturalist from Disney World, another young marine biologist on her way to Seattle, and a prominent marine biologist from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. Unfortunately, the 10th diver, a dive shop owner from the Florida Keys, had to cancel at the last minute. We received a good safety briefing with emphasis on the location of the two escape routes from the berths below decks. We were also showed an upstairs lounge, directly behind the pilot house, where all lithium batteries were to be stored and charged during our trip. A crew member was always there at night to keep an eye on them. Then we could set up our tanks on the dive deck at the stern of the boat. After getting to know each other we all got settled into our bunks. The boat has 4 cabins and 2 shared heads with showers. The master cabin has a queen bed and twin bunk, cabin 2 had two twins and a twin bunk, cabin 3 had a wider twin and twin bunk beds, and the final cabin, not much bigger than a closet, had two twin beds. We were in cabin 2 which had plenty of storage in the drawers under the beds, and in a small dresser between the bunks. There was also a roomy closet; it was full of extra pillows that could be stored elsewhere if they were in our way. Joe let us sleep and then fired up the engines at 4:00 am to begin our journey to the Tortugas. He knew what he was doing because once we started the crossing, we caught a beam sea and conditions weren’t good for sleeping. When we got to our first location to dive, Joe made the call to go to a spot where the visibility wouldn’t be as good, but the diving would be easier. He was looking at the age of some of the divers on board (including me), and I could tell he was worried whether they would get knocked about getting back on board in 4 to 6-ft seas. The dive deck was roomy for gearing up, although there weren’t many places to sit down. After getting into our wetsuits, we would make our way down to the dive deck in buddy groups, put on our tanks, and plunge off the stern of the boat. Then we could use the granny line to pull ourselves most of the way up to the mooring line. The diving did not disappoint. We visited several high-profile coral reefs where the corals were healthy and plentiful. The fish life, both large and small, was abundant. I saw the largest red groupers I have ever seen, and they would approach within arm’s reach. We also saw black and yellowfin groupers, along with large dog snappers and swarms of yellowtail snappers. The occasional gray reef shark would pass through, along with a pair of friendly dolphins. One of the scientists on board brought a list of every fish species that had been identified in the Dry Tortugas, and after every dive the fish geeks on board would mark off species they had seen on their dives. My husband was the first person to identify and photograph a black spotted drum and got to add it to the list. By the time our dives were over, several species had been added. The Smithsonian biologist counted hamlets on the reefs; he said he had never seen so many anywhere else in the tropical Atlantic and counted over 100 on one of our dives. The book author was able to photograph several “new” species for his book, including a couple of yellowprow gobies I found, and a yellowtail reeffish my husband located. In addition to the diving on the reefs, Joe got permission from the park rangers at Fort Jefferson to dive around the fortress, which is usually a snorkel-only site. Visibility was a cloudy 15-foot, but fish life was abundant, and the different habitat provided new opportunities for photographs and fish-counting. Also, the passengers were able to go on shore and visit Fort Jefferson if they wished. In the evenings, we moored up on the lee side of Fort Jefferson, and the sunsets and sunrises were stunning. On our last day, we did a couple of morning dives before heading back to Key West. The water was much calmer, and we had a very enjoyable trip. As I said earlier, the MV Makai is often booked for scientific trips and bird watching. However, it was set up well for our trip. The upper lounge was used for the camera equipment and battery charging. There was only one outlet, but we were told to bring enough surge strips to handle our gear. One table was for charging, and the other table and a bench were used for assembling camera gear. It worked. There also two freshwater rinse bins on the deck of the boat. Tanks were all located on the back of the boat. The boat can only pump air or nitrox on a trip, and all the divers on this excursion were nitrox certified. The mix was always 31 to 33% and tanks were filled to 3000 psi. All the tanks were 80s, but my husband was able to bring his own 100 onboard. Our food was basic fare, but always well-prepared and delicious. For rougher seas, lunch would consist of something easier like Dagwood sandwiches; but when calm it might be hamburgers. The same for dinner – we always had salads along with lasagna, pork loin, Mexican, and pizza. The cook catered to special requests including vegan and “no fish”. At dinner, we would make the single table work for the 9 guests on board, but for lunch we would spread out in the saloon. There were lots of snacks available throughout the day, and it was help yourself. Alcohol was BYOB, and the no drinking before diving policy was in force. The beds were comfortable, and the linens were soft and cozy. The cook also made up the rooms and emptied the trash cans in the heads at least once a day. Most of the guests drove to Key West, and the marina had free parking for vehicles. For folks arriving by air, there is a shuttle that can be scheduled from both Ft Lauderdale and Miami. Joe is planning on running more dive charters in the future and is working on some changes to make the trips more pleasant. For one, he is moving the compressor from the bow of the boat to below decks. Then he is planning to add a hot tub to the bow.
Websites	MV Makai
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Caribbean, Bahamas, Florida, Turkey, Palau, Truk, Mexico, Red Sea, Cypress, Guam, Indonesia, Revillagigedo, Costa Rica
Closest Airport	Miami	Getting There	Drive, or fly into Miami or Ft Lauderdale and take the shuttle
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy	Seas
Water Temp	81-83°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	15-80 Ft/ 5-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	60 minutes, 500 PSI
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	1 or 2	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	See narrative above

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Dive Review of MV Makai in The Continental USA/Dry Tortugas, Florida

MV Makai: "MV Makai Expedition to the Dry Tortugas", Oct, 2019,

Photos Submitted with this Report

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of MV Makai in
The Continental USA/Dry Tortugas, Florida