Latitudes With Attitude, Chapter 5
Tuesday, June 20 Key West Harbor
Wow! What a day it has been. Two reef dives today and both of them were most excellent.
The first one was just outside New Found Harbor, so it took us only half an hour to get there from our overnight anchorage. The water was extremely clear and warm, and the ecosystem was completely different from the reef we dove yesterday.
There was an incredible variety of coral, ranging from small, delicate species that reminded me of a small tree branch or perhaps a sumac tree, to huge pieces looking like boulders scattered along the sea bottom. Brain coral, brilliant red fire coral, yellows, greens and purples—all alive and healthy.
In several spots, I simply floated in amazement at the depth of the coral. What appeared from a distance to be a single growth, upon closer inspection turned out to be layer upon layer of coral, not solid but successive layers grown over each other. In the depths of the structure, hundreds of fish could be seen, peeking out and retreating if a threat appeared nearby.
On that reef, Mike, Brian, Faith and I were diving together when Mike spotted a stingray skimming along the white sandy bottom, which may have made Mike’s morning. The ray traveled effortlessly compared to the awkward thrashing of us humans.
None of the crew ingested much saltwater on that dive, a fact for which I was grateful after their seasickness yesterday. I had been worried their first experience snorkeling would be a turnoff and, yes, their initial enthusiasm for today’s first dive was low. Afterwards, though, they all agreed it had been excellent.
From there we motored out to Looe Key for the day’s second dive. The seas were a slight bit choppier than the morning dive, but not as heavy as yesterday. As a result, the water was also cloudier, yet the quantity and variety of fish was probably the best yet. Schools of yellow-and-white striped fish shaded themselves underneath dive boats and swam around us without fear.
Brian spotted a shark we believed to be a nurse shark about 7-9 feet long with a dark grey body and a rounded snout. It cruised along the bottom, undoubtedly aware of us but fortunately acting oblivious.
A small dog swam from another dive boat moored nearby, so I asked a woman on the boat if her dog had come out of the water because of the shark. She said it hadn’t, but just loved to swim with them while they dove. Meanwhile, the shark cruised out of view only to reappear again several minutes later.
At Looe Key, Mike ingested quite a bit of saltwater and got sick while diving, so Faith accompanied him back to the Wyvern while Brian and I kept diving. On our way back to the boat, we saw a second shark, much smaller than the first one and difficult to identify in the turbid water.
Once we finished snorkeling, we started on a long arc to the southwest, gradually coming west then northwest until coming into harbor at Key West. I would say everyone on our crew is in good spirits as we lay anchored here this evening.
Mike is over his seasickness, but bummed out about getting too much sun on his back while snorkeling.
I’ve also got sunburn tonight. Although I was careful not to expose my back to the sun while on the boat, I had forgotten about my back while snorkeling and had neglected to ask someone to apply sunblock for me.
Well, the guys are organizing a game of “31,” so I’m going to take a break from my journal for now.
Wow! What a day it has been. Two reef dives today and both of them were most excellent.
The first one was just outside New Found Harbor, so it took us only half an hour to get there from our overnight anchorage. The water was extremely clear and warm, and the ecosystem was completely different from the reef we dove yesterday.
There was an incredible variety of coral, ranging from small, delicate species that reminded me of a small tree branch or perhaps a sumac tree, to huge pieces looking like boulders scattered along the sea bottom. Brain coral, brilliant red fire coral, yellows, greens and purples—all alive and healthy.
In several spots, I simply floated in amazement at the depth of the coral. What appeared from a distance to be a single growth, upon closer inspection turned out to be layer upon layer of coral, not solid but successive layers grown over each other. In the depths of the structure, hundreds of fish could be seen, peeking out and retreating if a threat appeared nearby.
On that reef, Mike, Brian, Faith and I were diving together when Mike spotted a stingray skimming along the white sandy bottom, which may have made Mike’s morning. The ray traveled effortlessly compared to the awkward thrashing of us humans.
None of the crew ingested much saltwater on that dive, a fact for which I was grateful after their seasickness yesterday. I had been worried their first experience snorkeling would be a turnoff and, yes, their initial enthusiasm for today’s first dive was low. Afterwards, though, they all agreed it had been excellent.
From there we motored out to Looe Key for the day’s second dive. The seas were a slight bit choppier than the morning dive, but not as heavy as yesterday. As a result, the water was also cloudier, yet the quantity and variety of fish was probably the best yet. Schools of yellow-and-white striped fish shaded themselves underneath dive boats and swam around us without fear.
Brian spotted a shark we believed to be a nurse shark about 7-9 feet long with a dark grey body and a rounded snout. It cruised along the bottom, undoubtedly aware of us but fortunately acting oblivious.
A small dog swam from another dive boat moored nearby, so I asked a woman on the boat if her dog had come out of the water because of the shark. She said it hadn’t, but just loved to swim with them while they dove. Meanwhile, the shark cruised out of view only to reappear again several minutes later.
At Looe Key, Mike ingested quite a bit of saltwater and got sick while diving, so Faith accompanied him back to the Wyvern while Brian and I kept diving. On our way back to the boat, we saw a second shark, much smaller than the first one and difficult to identify in the turbid water.
Once we finished snorkeling, we started on a long arc to the southwest, gradually coming west then northwest until coming into harbor at Key West. I would say everyone on our crew is in good spirits as we lay anchored here this evening.
Mike is over his seasickness, but bummed out about getting too much sun on his back while snorkeling.
I’ve also got sunburn tonight. Although I was careful not to expose my back to the sun while on the boat, I had forgotten about my back while snorkeling and had neglected to ask someone to apply sunblock for me.
Well, the guys are organizing a game of “31,” so I’m going to take a break from my journal for now.
posted by Joe Wollet at 8:41 AM
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