With the desperation that only a surgery internship can inspire, Laura needed to get out of town and go someplace warm during her too-brief vacation in February 2001. So did I. Instead of just vegetating on a beach, we decided to do something active and interesting, and used this vacation to become certified open-water scuba divers, something both of us had wanted to do for years. While Key Largo is indeed a tropical island, it is also connected by road to the United States, and is a short drive from a major urban center.
Accessibility is a two-edged sword.
Everything is ridiculously cheap compared to most island destinations. On the other hand, everything is also quite built-up, primarily with a funky sort of variation on strip malls. The diving in Key Largo is fun, easy, and very shallow. At most of the major dive sites, you won't get deeper than 35 feet without a shovel. That also makes this area an excellent destination for snorkelers.