Diving in a Florida Sanctuary

Get up close and personal with a grouper the size of a compact car.
By Walter Bonora

For decades, the Florida Keys have fed the imagination of adventurers, explorers, musicians, playwrights, conservationists or those who just want to kick back and slip into a low-latitude attitude. Topside, from Key Largo to Key West, the attractions are numerous and diverse. But the area’s real allure is beneath the surface—in the waters of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, a 2,900-square-nautical-mile protected area surrounding the entire archipelago of the Florida Keys. It’s also the world’s third-largest barrier reef; only the reef systems of Australia and Belize are larger.

Diving the Reef
Visitors to the sanctuary appreciate its diverse marine life and historic significance, with opportunities to swim with loggerhead turtles, snorkel in a rare ecological reserve or view the remnants of a Spanish galleon. In the sanctuary’s shallow waters, snorkelers can swim through mangrove forests and glide over seagrass meadows where endangered manatees regularly browse.

For many visitors, the sanctuary’s coral reef takes center stage. Home to tropical fish that spawn or feed there, the reef offers no shortage of photo opportunities. Point your lens at rare elkhorn coral, Queen angelfish, rainbow parrotfish and spotted moray eels. For those seeking the thrill of a face-to-face meeting with a large predator, Caribbean reef sharks are common in the sanctuary’s waters. These sharks usually are not aggressive and are not considered dangerous to humans unless provoked, but it is advised that divers use caution when in their presence.

Turtles are another common sight in Florida. Five of the world’s seven species of sea turtles—Kemp’s ridley, green, leatherback, loggerhead and hawksbill—often use the sanctuary’s reefs for foraging or shelter. All are protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Whether you’re diving, swimming or snorkeling, remember that reefs are fragile ecosystems. Storms, warming ocean trends and the human footprint are putting most of the coral around the world in peril. In fact, nearly 30 percent of reefs worldwide are considered to be severely damaged. Visitors should be careful not to touch, stand on or remove any coral.

Boat captains also should pay close attention to nautical charts. Nearly 19 acres of Florida reefs have been damaged by vessel groundings. It was the toll taken on the reefs by the numerous groundings that, in part, led Congress to create the sanctuary in 1990. Boats should not discharge any chemicals because they are deadly to corals, and passengers should not throw plastics into the water. Plastics can suffocate corals and choke sea turtles and some larger fish.

Coral reefs take years to grow, but only a few minutes to destroy. Responsible diving means leaving only bubbles, as dive operators often say.

Exploring the Shipwrecks
A glimpse of maritime history can be had along the sanctuary’s Florida Keys Shipwreck Trail. Since the early 1700s, this area has been a pivotal shipping route, albeit a treacherous one. Unpredictable storms, coral reefs and pirates looking for treasure have sent many a ship to its grave.

Nine shipwrecks of important historic and cultural significance spanning Europe’s Colonial period to the Modern era are on the trail. Popular among divers are City of Washington, a two-masted sailing vessel that sank in 1917 and now rests in 25 feet of water off Key Largo; Benwood, an early 20th-century cargo ship that lies in depths ranging from 45 to 18 feet of water; and San Pedro, an 18th-century Spanish galleon with an anchor, replica cannons and a large pile of ballast marking her spot.

A Three-Hour Tour
In the westernmost waters of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary lies the Tortugas Ecological Reserve. No trip to the region is complete without taking the three-hour boat ride to explore this remote coral reef ecosystem, about 70 miles west of Key West.

The Tortugas is a dazzling no-take zone where pristine waters present divers and underwater photographers with a variety of fish and other marine life. In the north portion of the reserve, the only area where diving is allowed, visitors can venture into waters teeming with marine life. Spectacular deep-water corals and more than 250 species of fish thrive here.

Fewer than one percent of the world’s oceans are no-take zones—meaning no fishing, no extraction of any kind and no development is allowed in the area. Fortunately, the Tortugas is right off our shores. The Tortugas are particularly special because some of its fish species are increasing in number; fish that were once endangered, such as black grouper, are bouncing back.

If you’d like to take a break from the water, visit Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park, one of the smallest and least-visited of the National Parks, situated about 70 miles west of Key West. The seven atolls that compose the park were first named Las Tortugas in 1513 by explorer Ponce de León because of the abundance of sea turtles he found there. “Dry” was added shortly thereafter and refers to the islands’ absence of freshwater.

Located on Garden Key, the park’s second-largest island, Fort Jefferson is the largest brick structure in the Western Hemisphere. It was built in 1846 to protect the southern coastline of the U.S. and the Gulf of Mexico shipping lanes. During the Civil War, the fort was a Union military prison for captured deserters. It also held the four men convicted of complicity in President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, including Dr. Samuel Mudd.

The fort was plagued with construction problems and its soldiers wracked by yellow fever epidemics. With the invention of the rifled cannon, Fort Jefferson became obsolete because its thick walls could now be penetrated. The Army abandoned the fort in 1874, and in 1908 it became a wildlife refuge. In 1935, President Roosevelt set aside Fort Jefferson as a national monument, and in 1992, it was designated Dry Tortugas National Park.

Discovering the Reef Through Displays

While at the center, be sure to visit Mote Marine Laboratory's Living Reef, the focal point of which is a 2,400-gallon tank featuring live corals and schools of reef fish. A coral nursery, where researchers actually raise coral to later transplant to a reef, is also on display.

Admission to the Eco-Discovery Center is free, and parking is available on-site.

For More Information
National Marine Sanctuaries
sanctuaries.noaa.gov

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
floridakeys.noaa.gov

Tortugas Ecological Reserve
Floridakeys.noaa.gov/Tortugas/welcome.html

Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center
305/809-4750

Fort Jefferson National Park
fortjefferson.com
305/242-7700

For more on how to help preserve coral reefs, visit coralreef.noaa.gov.

A no-cost permit is required for diving and snorkeling in the northern portion of Tortugas Ecological Reserve. For information, call 305/292-0311.

The information in this story was accurate when it was published in the November/December 2009 issue of AAA World, but details such as dates, times and prices may have changed since then. We suggest you verify such details directly with the listed establishments before making travel plans.

Defining Places

So what exactly are marine sanctuaries? Think of them as underwater National Parks. Sanctuaries are established by the Secretary of the Department of Commerce, Congress or the President to protect fragile marine ecosystems and submerged historical sites from damaging activities such as oil and gas exploration, illegal fishing practices and dredging. Today, there are 13 sanctuaries and one marine national monument.

Stretching from Michigan’s Lake Huron to the Florida Keys, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Coast and to American Samoa, these national marine sanctuaries form a living tapestry of biological diversity. Within their waters, giant humpback whales breed and calve their young, coral colonies flourish, endangered marine mammals and sea birds reproduce safely, and lonely shipwrecks beckon researchers and tourists alike.

The waters off the Florida Keys have long been appreciated for their unique beauty and abundance of marine life, prompting Congress to declare the area a sanctuary in 1990. Travelers to the region can choose from several towns to serve as a base, including Key Largo, Islamorada and Key West.