The BP oil spill is certainly causing worry and concern for the scuba diving community in the Gulf Coast. However, scuba diving operators in the Florida Keys are reporting brisk business, full boats and a bit of anger at inaccurate media reports.
Several dive operators experienced cancellations in the days following the spill as numerous media outlets forecast oil washing ashore throughout the Florida Keys, one of the most popular scuba destinations in the continental United States. That oil never appeared and in fact, no oil from the spill has reached the Keys, according to local officials.
“That initial media blitz cost us several thousands of dollars in lost business,” says Cece Roycraft of Dive Key West. “People are concerned, and rightly so, but many of those reports were just plain wrong.”
“There’s no question that the media coverage is costing all of us,” adds Gary Mace of Conch Republic Divers in Key Largo, 100 miles north of Key West. “I think Key West may have been affected a bit more than we were, but we had groups calling to cancel and people calling every day wanting to know if we were still taking divers out. We’ve never stopped taking divers out. In fact, there has been no oil from the BP spill anywhere in the Florida Keys.”
Roycraft said that Florida Keys Tourism officials have worked hard to keep everyone, including the media, informed about the spill including posting trajectory maps and daily releases from NOAA. The link to that website is Fla-keys.com/oilspill/
Roycraft said that all of the Keys operators are actually enjoying strong business, including a near record-setting Memorial Day holiday weekend. “There’s no question that our numbers are up, but we could be doing much more.” She adds that while the initial media blitz may be subsiding a bit, advance reservations, especially from international markets, are very slow.
“It’s a shame, because divers were anticipating coming and diving the Vandenberg that was sunk last year and many aren’t sure if or when they will be coming to dive the wreck,” said Roycraft.
Comments
The Florida Keys tourism site says the nearest oil is over 200 miles away, but they're obviously biased. I've read several current media reports that a huge oil 50-mile-wide oil deposit is only about 50 miles from the florida keys. At that rate of travel it seems reasonable to assume it will reach the keys in the coming weeks. It's a shame to know that beautiful area is about to be destroyed and devastated by the oil. Best of luck to those who live and operate businesses in the florida keys.
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