Day in Key West

We just pulled into the lab at around 11:00 pm after a day in Key West. The weather was amazing and everyone had a good time sampling the local fare and browsing the many shops for Florida souvenirs. I don't have any pictures to post at this point as we are all tired and heading to bed. Tomorrow we will be packing up, cleaning up and heading to the airport to fly back to Ontario. It is hard to believe that a week has come and gone here in the Keys. It will be sad to leave, but we are looking forward to coming home and sharing everything that we have learned and experienced.

Snorkelling at Looe Key

Today we drove 1 hour to Big Pine Key (home of the endangered Key Deer) to charter a boat out to Looe Key Reef. But before we left, a manatee paid us a visit at our dock. Once we finally jumped loaded the vans and drove to our dive shop, Underseas Inc, we found that had absolutely beautiful weather with no wind or waves on the ocean. After a bit of engine trouble at the beginning of the trip (our intrepid captain, Sky Rockett, finally got the second engine going) we were roaring past beautiful homes and private islands out to Looe Key. As soon as we made it to the reef, a 200 pound Goliath Grouper appeared beside our boat! Everyone saw multitudes of tropical fish in the warm, clearer water. Some students also saw green moray eels, as well as a couple of reef sharks. We spent an extended amount of time at the reef, as many students wanted to continue snorkelling.
After we finally did return to shore, we stopped in at a restaurant in Marathon for a group meal. Almost everyone sampled some of the local catch of mahi, snapper and even alligator.
Back at the lab, the students shared their group presentations on the topics they have been working on this week. So, after a long but exciting day, we hope everyone will jump straight into bed for a good night's sleep...

Tomorrow is our last full day in the Keys! We will be spending the day in historic Key West. Be sure to check out what we will be up to!

               It's hard to tell without a person beside for scale, but this is a really big fish!!!

Keys Marine Lab and Snorkelling at Coffins Patch

This morning we walked across the road to the Keys Marine Lab research station. This is an active marine biology research facility used by researchers and universities across the U.S.. Tom, our guide, led us through the different research projects going on and what equipment they use. We got to see the tidal pool tank where they have various small invertebrates and fish. Some you could pick up and handle. After a picnic lunch at the station, we boarded the Diadon, the lab's diving vessel. We took a 40 minute ride out to the reef, which is about 3 miles straight off shore. The weather was wavier than what was forecast, which limited our visibility in the water, but everyone saw a number of tropical reef fish. Parrotfish, angelfish, snappers, blue tangs, Sergeant Majors and a green sea turtle to name a few. We stopped at two spots on the reef to snorkel and no one got sick!

Back at the Goshen marine lab, we just finished a barbecue and are now relaxing on the dock before the students finish up their mini presentations for tomorrow night.

Tomorrow we will be heading down closer to Key West to a more extensive reef at Looe Key. This part of the reef is unique, as the coral is laid out like "fingers" under water with alternating shallow and deep sections. This is also were larger animals, like barracuda and reef sharks can be found....

Check us out and see what we see tomorrow!

(I also added some sunset pictures from last night.)

Mangrove canopy kayak and Indian Key

Today we drove 15 minutes down the road to Islamorada and Robbie's Marina. We watched large tarpins and pelicans compete for fish from tourists. After getting into our kayaks, we paddled through the mangrove canopy system around Islamorada. It is like paddling through a living tunnel! On our way back to the marina, we encountered our first manatee and her calf! They were very inquisitive about our boats and everyone got an up close and personal meeting. At the marina, we ate our packed lunch on the beach then jumped back in our kayaks and paddled about 1 kilometre off shore to Indian Key. In the 1800's, this small island was a thriving village that made its living salvaging material from the ships that would wreck on the surrounding reefs. Only the ruins are left and it is surrounded by old coral that we explored. A baby nurse shark, a parrot fish and many needlefish were seen as we hiked around the coast.
We have just finished an excellent spaghetti and meat sauce supper and are about to head out to the end of Long Key to watch the sunset. Tomorrow we are getting a tour of the Florida Keys Marine Biology lab and a chartered boat trip out to an off shore reef.

Mangrove Paddling and Sombrero Beach

Today we explored the mangrove-lined waterways and lagoon of Long Key State Park. We saw thousands of upside down jellyfish that carpeted the lagoon and floated around us. We also saw many fish, including larger species such as parrot fish, a stingray and a nurse shark.

In the afternoon, we traveled to Sombrero Beach in Marathon to relax in the sun. The wind was still up, it was warm enough to enjoy the sun and water. After picking up some more groceries and some ice cream, we are back at the lab getting ready for supper.

Here are a couple pictures of the day. Tomorrow we are off to Lower Macombe Key to do more kayaking in the mangrove tunnels and paddle to historic Indian Key.

Turtle Hospital and Mangrove Snorkel

Today we visited the Turtle Rescue Hospital in Marathon. We got to learn more about the 5 species of sea turtle that inhabit the Florida Keys. Since this is an active hospital, we saw some of the "patients" getting their treatments.\
After lunch we suited up and did a practice snorkel through the mangrove forests that surround our lab. We swam with many fish and jellyfish through a narrow channel in the mangroves. Unfortunately, we swam out with the outgoing tide, which meant we had a VERY hard time swimming back to our dock. (half of us are still asleep from the much needed nap afterward!).
Tomorrow we will be taking kayaks out in the mangroves and heading into Marathon for some time at the beach.
Be sure to check us out on Sunday as we kayak to a small island with the ruins of an abandoned wreck-salvaging village.

Arrival in Layton, Florida!!

Everyone arrived safe and sound in Layton, Florida in the afternoon on Thursday after a long day of travelling. Not long after getting settled in our accommodations for the week, the group headed out to buy groceries.
After bagging then unpacking the large amount of food at the lab, we all relaxed under amazingly clear stars on our dock, then went to bed.

Due to windy weather in the Keys this weekend, we are changing up our schedule. Friday morning we are heading to the turtle hospital and doing our snorkeling Monday and Tuesday next week.

We will try to keep you posted on all our activities.