Elbow Reef, Carysfort Reef and Dry Rocks (Key Largo) pics

[aquavista99]

A few more elkhorn coral pictures from my trip. A lot of small reef fish call these corals home.

[aquavista99]

Turtle Beach (Siesta Key)

[JCTewks]

Tim, thanks for the link....looks great!

The worm in question is a fireworm. it is like the bristle worms we all have in our tank, only it is primarily a coralivore.

[aquaman7]

We vacation to Siesta Key... I love that area. Thanks for sharing the awesome photos!

[todd]

simply amazing. Im heading down towards miama/ft. lauderdale next year--any snorkelling down there?

[aquavista99]

Thanks for the nice compliments, Jeff (JCTewks), aquaman7 and todd. I spent the last three vacations (2007, 2008 and 2009) snorkeling and diving in the Florida Keys. Many people do not realize that The Florida Barrier Reef is the third largest reef system on the planet (it stretches from the east of Florida, through the Keys and extends to the south west). The largest reef system is the Great Barrier Reef followed by the Belize Barrier Reef.

Todd- You can book snorkel/dive trips by boat on Ft. Lauderdale beach. Most tours operate out of the Bahia Mar marina. If you have your own gear, you can also snorkel/dive straight from the "Lauderdale-By-The-Sea" beach .... there is a natural coral reef system just a few hundred feet offshore that is pretty popular among the locals. Lauderdale-By-The-Sea is located just north of Ft. Lauderdale beach.

But the best action is in the Florida Keys. Key Largo is just a few hours south of Ft. Lauderdale and is considered the Dive Capital of the World . If you make it to Key Largo, book an afternoon snorkel trip with Keys Diver ... you will have a blast!

http://www.keysdiver.com/

[aquavista99]

Here are a few pictures I took from my 2008 trip to Sombrero Reef in the Middle Keys (Marathon). Sombrero Reef is one of the largest coral reefs in the Middle Keys. It is located 8 miles offshore of Key Colony Beach.

[todd]

wow...i can't get enough of those pictures; I've snorkeled Riviera maya, Mex and Jamaica and Punta cana and none of them come close to those shots...love the school of tangs...i only saw one large colony of elkhorn and that was in Mexico...i'll follow your advise concerning Florida...I never knew the reefs there were that nice...so close to home...(relatively speaking, that is....)

[Coral Ranch]

Tod, aquavista is right you can't beat the keys But if you are unable to make it try John Loyds State Park beach.It is in Hollywood Fl. minutes from Lauderdale.You will wan't to go to the beach at the last three parking areas and you will have to go out about 150-200 yards.Also in Pompano there is a artificial reef made of scrap concrete. It has been colonized very nicely but has more reef fish than corals.

[Coral Ranch]

By the way aquavista you are making me home sick for Florida.

[aquavista99]

By the way aquavista you are making me home sick for Florida.

Glad you enjoyed the pictures, Rich. What part of Florida do you call home?

[Coral Ranch]

Hollywood Fl. I really miss it when the cold weather moves in here. Nothing like 72f on Christmass day

[aquavista99]

Hollywood Fl. I really miss it when the cold weather moves in here. Nothing like 72f on Christmass day

We visited Hollywood beach back in 2007 or 2008. Kind of reminds me of the East Coast boardwalk beaches. Very nice.

[aquavista99]

Most of the reefs in the Florida Keys are 6 to 8 miles offshore. Here are a few behind the scenes pictures of the inshore canals of Key Largo (MM 100).

[aquavista99]

Open ocean (6 to 8 miles offshore from the Florida Keys) reef pictures.





Caribbean Reef Squid (Key Largo, Fla) picture



Various Florida Keys reef pictures - all photographed by Aquavista99