The Florida Keys

About 100,000 years ago billions of coral animals, working together built a 150 mile long chain of coral reefs. These reefs formed what we now know of as the Florida Keys. Stretching from Miami to Key West, the keys offer much opportunity for the boater. As the weather began to improve we departed Boca Chica, home of Naval Air Station Key West, traveling along Hawk Channel to Marathon, a popular boater’s destination. Nestled in Boot Key Harbor, surrounded by the town of Marathon are numerous marinas. The harbor itself contains moorings for 276 boats. When we arrived, all mooring balls were full and boats were anchored wherever there was adequate space. We were fortunate to find space in a marina. Marathon is a legend among boaters and it was fun to experience it. The highlight for us was seeing others we had met along the way. We rode our bikes into town and were surprised to see an Iguana sunning himself on a Palm tree. Continuing northeast along the Keys, we cruised through the mangrove swamp into John Pennecamp Coral Reef State Park, the first undersea park in the United States. The park and the adjacent Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary cover approximately 178 nautical square miles of coral reefs, sea grass beds and mangrove swamps. North America’s only living barrier reef and the third longest coral reef in the world lies only 6 miles off shore from the Florida Keys. We were pleased to find that a dive boat departed daily from the State Park and we took full advantage of this opportunity. Our first dive site was the Key Largo Dry Rocks Reef, location of the famous “Christ of the Deep” statue. Presented to the Underwater Society of America by Egidio Cressi, the 9 foot tall bronze statue was placed on the sea floor in 20 feet of water in August, 1965. It is quite an inspiring sight!

We felt privileged for the opportunity to see the fish in their natural habitat, beautiful Queen Angelfish, Spotted Trunkfish, Grouper, Barracuda, Parrotfish of several varieties, a Green Moray Eel swimming through an undersea canyon, and so many more. The varieties of coral were amazing, the lacy fans swaying in the current, Brain Coral, Elkhorn Coral, Tubes and many others. We made four dives on a combination of coral reefs and shipwrecks which we enjoyed tremendously. We also explored the mangroves for hours by dinghy. Boca Chita Key, part of the Biscayne National Park was our next stop. Once owned by Mark Honeywell as a private retreat, this beautiful little harbor has lots of history and charm. A private lighthouse built on the island still stands. The ranger opened it to allow us to climb the stairs to watch the sunset from the top! Our last stop in the Keys was No Name Harbor on Key Biscayne. Part of the Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, this picturesque harbor offered miles of bike trails, a 95 foot tall lighthouse, the oldest standing structure in Miami-Dade County and easy access into the Village of Key Biscayne. We rode our bikes for hours, watched parrots flying free and climbed to the top of the lighthouse to enjoy the view. Our time in the Keys has come to an end. We are now traveling the Intra Coastal Waterway heading north.