One of life's greatest pleasures in my mind,
is spending time near the ocean (hence my 17-year residence in the Sunshine
State).
With Key West being the only place in the continental U.S. that has a
living natural coral reef, snorkeling was the activity du jour.
Someday, I may try SCUBA diving because I know it's fabulous from all
the stories I'v heard from my friends, but right now I don't feel like
lugging around heavy dive gear and looking like a knockwurst in a wetsuit,
so I'm sticking to fins and a mask.
We
decided to take make our snorkeling adventure happen with Fury Catamarans.
Fury offers reef snorkeling, sunset sails, parasailing, land and sea
combo tours, and SNUBA (an experience beyond snorkeling but not as intense
as SCUBA, and happily, it can be learned in a 15-20 minute orientation).
Our snorkeling trip was to last three hours and took place from a 65-foot catamaran that leaves from the Hilton Marina. Once onboard, our crew explained to us the correct usage of snorkeling gear; how to position your head under water (don't bend your head straight down) how to clear water from your snorkel and what the "Help" and "OK" signs are, once you're in the water.
The reefs
lie about 7 miles offshore and takes about an hour to get to. The reefs
are filled with tropical fish, corals, crabs, lobsters, nurse sharks (no,
they don't wear little white hats with red crosses), and other sea life.
Altogether there are approximately 110 species of corals and over 500
species of tropical fish in the coral reefs.
What is a Coral Reef?
Coral reefs
are built by millions of tiny polyps, which are actually live animals.
The polyps secrete a skeleton of calcium carbonate also known as limestone.
In each coral polyp is a microscopic algae called zooanthellae that conducts
photosynthesis. The polyp and the algae live together symbiotically (harmoniously).
Although
coral may look tough, they are actually very fragile and even the slightest
touch can damage and kill the sensitive coral polyps. (They'd never last
on the dating scene.)
Standing on, kicking or even touching the coral reef may cause hundreds
or even thousands of years of coral to be destroyed because coral might
only grow about 1/8" a year. (And you thought your bangs took forever
to grow.)
Once we reached our destination, anchor was dropped and the fun began. To get in the water you were given the option of jumping off the side of the boat (3-foot jump) or going in on your butt down a small flight of stairs that were lowered from the catamaran. I always get a mini-panic adrenaline rush before I jump into water, but there was no way I was sliding in the ocean on my butt like a big whoose. So in I jumped. (Besides, JoBeth jumped in before me and I thought, "If she's doing it...") It was like another universe.
This
had only been my third time snorkeling and I could tell it was starting
to become addictive. If you've never been snorkeling, try it. It's an
easy way to appreciate the beautiful underwater scenery without all the
hullabaloo of SCUBA diving. At first, it takes a few minutes to get used
to relaxing and breathing through your mouth, but after a while you'll
find yourself concentrating on the fish and just losing yourself in the
environment.
We had an hour to snorkel. I had purchased a disposable underwater camera before the trip and I encourage anyone who would like to have some snapshots of the experience to do the same. The cameras work great and cost around $20. They come with an elastic band you can use to tie the camera to your wrist, so you won't lose it in the water. (The shots on this page were all taken with one.)
I
saw lots of tropical fish, myriad varieties of coral and few things I
couldn't identify that were beautiful just the same. The time flew. Soon
we were back on board and heading to shore.
During the ride back, free beer, sodas and water are available. (The soda
and water is available on the ride in too, but not the beer). The crew
was extremely friendly, informative and patient with all the passengers.
The three hour snorkeling trip cost $40 per person and gratuities are
appreciated. For more information call 800-201-2369 or visit the website
www.furycat.com. more>>
