March 15, 2003: Key Largo, Florida

"Eagle" - "Hens and Chickens" - "Triple X" - "Snappers"

Diving in the Florida Keys:

• Directions from Tampa: Best bet is to take the Florida Turnpike south until it ends. Then you're pretty much at the Keys at that point ... keep driving until you hit Key Largo.
• Conditions on the day of my visit: Sunny, usually not too hot though
  
  
• Personal Notes: It was great diving in the Keys ... the reefs off of Key Largo didn't look that damaged, there were restaurants a plenty nearby, and the op we went with (whoever they were) was first rate. I'll have to consider doing some long weekends in the Keys - the marina the op operated out of had an area with picnic tables where we could eat lunch - and since you're still in the US, it's not that hard to find a supermarket to get some stuff at for sandwiches.

Eagle
A photo of my sister.
On the Eagle - I'm guessing it's a mollusk of some sort. I don't want to claim it as a crab or something because I'd probably be wrong.
Hens and Chickens
I really like macro shots, and this is the closest I get to being able to get a good one. This is the tip of some soft coral.
I guess this might qualify as an attempt at a macro of some brain coral.
These coral polyps looked cool.
Three christmas tree worms hanging out.
Where a macro lens would come in handy would be to get some detail from Christmas Tree worms like this one.
This (probably dead) sea biscuit was spotted by my sister.
Here's one that's most likely live.
We had a couple of barracuda that would check us out from time to time.
Here's one a little closer, with a little better color.
An eel.
A little closer view of the eel, giving some more detail - particularly his teeth!
Another attempt at a closeup of some coral.
Goby's stand still but if you get too close they hide. And since this particular species is translucent, it's often hard to get a good shot of them that doesn't have them disappearing into the background.
Here he is again.
This is a Juvenile Blue Angel fish. I don't recall having seen that many since I started diving, and blue angels tend to be confused for queen angels sometimes - both also tend to be a bit more skittish when it comes to divers, I think.
Triple X
The head of a Trumpet Fish.
Here's a view of the Trumpet Fish with a bit more of an idea of how they like to hide.
This spotted eel was a bit shy, and actually it was surprising we found him.
This is a self portrait taken in my sister's bubbles. If I remember correctly, there was a nasty thermocline about ten feet off the bottom, so I spent a portion of the dive above everyone, trying not to get frozen.
You can see a bit more of my reflection in the bubble.
Okay, I guess I was bored and really wanted to make sure I got the shot.
Snappers
A Green Moray Eel.
Blennys (blennies?) are also good subjects for macro photography. This is the best I can do with the camera I have (since it's meant for video).
Spotted Moray Eel.
This is a Yellow Ray hiding in the sand.
Every time I see these Damselfish I'm amazed at the brightness of the blue spots.
A Flamingo Tongue - if I'm not mistaken, a kind of snail.