Dive Review of Spree Expeditions, M/V Spree in
The Continental USA/Florida Keys

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Spree Expeditions, M/V Spree: "Fantastic Keys wreck trek on the Spree", Aug, 2015, by Craig A Wood, PA, US ( Top Contributor 54 reports with 48 Helpful votes). Report 8319 has 1 Helpful vote.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	I have wanted to do the Florida Keys wreck trek for a long time and finally got my opportunity on a trip aboard the M/V Spree, organized by Pete and Elena from ScubaBoard. The experience on the Spree exceeded my expectations. The Spree is a pleasure to live and dive from. The Spree is a 100 foot aluminum crew boat, refitted for diving. The dive deck is extremely well laid out. It has tank racks and under seat storage for each diver. Tanks are filled in place, 32% nitrox was included in the trip, and was within tenths of a percent of target the entire time. Divers analyzed their gas and tank pressure prior to each dive and recorded it in a logbook. There was a large camera table, dedicated camera rinse tanks, gear rinse tanks, and 2 hot water showers on the deck. There is a large swim platform and two very sturdy ladders. The main salon includes the galley, the dining room, and a large charging station. The accommodations are not luxurious but are very comfortable. Bunks are available in 4 bed units as well as in an open area. My son and I had a lower and upper bunk in one of the units and found it very pleasant and cozy. We had no trouble sleeping after the 4 dives per day. There is a large and comfortable sun deck on the upper level. There are 4 restrooms including 2 off the salon, 1 off the dive deck with a shower, and 1 off the lower level, also with a shower. There was unlimited hot water. The boat is designed to carry up to 24 passengers and up to 8 crew. We were very lucky to have only 10 divers and 6 crew, a real luxury. The entire staff, Captain Frank, 2nd Captain Tim, DMs Mel and Jess, and galley staff, Anna and Stephanie were absolutely excellent. The food was uniformly excellent and beer and wine were included after diving for the day was done. We boarded the boat in Key West on Sunday night, got a detailed briefing, and were then free to move into our room for a good night sleep while cruising up to Key Largo. At each site, we were moored to a ball and had a current line from the descent line to the stern of the boat. The current line was not only a good idea, but was really needed on many of the dives. Mel and Jess ran a tight dive deck, everything was always ready for a smooth dive. The trip was a rec/tec trip, 4 of us did rec dives and the others did light tec or a combination of tec and rec. There were 2 dive windows per day of 4 hours duration, generally 8-12 and 2-6. In our 4 days, we did 4 dives on the Spiegel Grove, 2 dives on the Duane, the one buoy at the Bibb was occupied so did 2 dives at the Eagle, 2 dives at the Thunderbolt, 2 dives on the Adolphus Busch, and 3 dives on the Vandenberg. The diving was fantastic though the visibility in the northern keys was certainly better than in the South. The boat had 4 weighted down lines at the stern, one with an auxiliary reg, these were frequently the best places for the safety stop considering the current. I had dived the Spiegel Grove and Duane before, I am really looking forward to a return to the Vandenberg, as 3 dives was entirely inadequate to explore this huge wreck. The opportunity to dive the Eagle, Thunderbolt, and Adolphus Busch was most appreciated. After this tremendous experience, I’m looking forward to my next trip on the Spree. The Dry Tortugas trip is very attractive. Captain Frank is working hard to organize a trip to Cuba, that, I would do, in a heartbeat.
Websites	Spree Expeditions, M/V Spree
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, Bonaire, Curacao, Turks and Caicos, Cozumel, Costa Rica, Panama, Maui, Oahu, San Diego, Cape Ann, Key Largo, Boynton Beach, Jupiter...
Closest Airport	Key West	Getting There	We flew to Palm Beach International and drove to Key West
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	calm, currents
Water Temp	84-87°F / 29-31°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	20-80 Ft/ 6-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Rec divers with buddy or solo with cert and equipment. No deco
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals	N/A	Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of Spree Expeditions, M/V Spree in The Continental USA/Florida Keys

Spree Expeditions, M/V Spree: "Fantastic Keys wreck trek on the Spree", Aug, 2015,

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 Spree Expeditions, M/V Spree in
The Continental USA/Florida Keys