It’s been just over six months since the USS Vandenberg was sunk.  Our artificial reef is coming along nicely- not everything is stark white any more, but covered in growth at this point.  We were out snorkeling and freediving recently, and the vis was about 80 feet.  No current, and hardly any wind.  Perfect Key West snorkeling conditions!  Here are a few photos.

You can see the growth

 

Key West Wildlife

This is a tiny island, and resources are strained.  It’s crowded, especially during winter.  There aren’t a lot of wild animals on land, so when I see some, it’s exicting.  For anyone who’s not from Florida, it’s pretty strange to walk outside and find yourself staring into the beady eyes of a giant neon green lizard.  Where I’m from, the biggest lizards or salamandars are maybe a foot long and dark colored, and they scurry away when you get near. 

So it’s not indigenous.  Iit’s still wildlife!

This iguana is eating lettuce, and he’s accompanied by a larger one, who lurks in the background of these photos.  These shots were captured with a Canon S3 IS, which has a great 12x optical zoom feature.