Key West Photoblog » Key West Diving

Coral Is King

Caty — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:08:48 +0000

I love Key West for all sorts of reasons, but what drew me here and what keeps me on the Rock is the coral reef in our waters. The coral in Key West is what makes Key West special, unlike any other place in the United States. Where else do you find living coral reef only six miles from shore? North Carolina has rocks with a marine ecosystem living around them and perhaps there are bits of coral on the rocks. But it’s not a coral reef system like ours, and plus it’s twenty miles out with almost constant high winds. In other words, you only get to dive a few times a year.

So for me, coral is king. Our coral reef system might not hold up to that of the Abacos but it’s pretty good nevertheless.

Vandenberg Pics

Caty — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 01:44:58 +0000

Current on the Vandenberg was strong today, so for freediving it was a quick drift and that was it, all over in a minute. Here are a few pictures from today.

The Vandenberg, 6 Mos. Later

Caty — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:57:48 +0000

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

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Freediving the Vandenberg

Caty — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 12:05:38 +0000

You Can See Scuba Divers Below this Freediver

After all those months of anticipation for the Vandenberg sinking, we finally got to dive it last week. Freediving the Vandenberg is definitely the ultimate wreck experience for freedivers. When the vis is good, you can see the Vandenberg from the boat! That’s because the top decks, satellite dish, and almost all other parts of the ship are painted white. They’re not covered with growth yet, either. You can look down from the surface and see a barracuda outlined against the floor of the top deck.

In fact, barracuda seem to be the only major fish that have shown up yet, at least ones you can see while freediving the Vandenberg. The top deck is about sixty feet down. I can get down to 45 feet if I crunch my eardrums a little, which means it’s my limit for now. One guy we were with swam under a beam (no tanks, remember) but I’m not there yet!

The fun part was freediving down, tankless, and seeing scuba divers nearby with all their bubbles streaming out behind them, all that gear, oy! In some of the pictures below, you can see the scuba divers. The Vandenberg is exciting for everyone, including Key West scuba enthusiasts. But for me, freediving the Vandenberg was the ultimate experience. I can’t wait to go back.

Freediver Sitting on the Vandenberg Crane

First to Dive the Vandenberg

Caty — Sun, 31 May 2009 13:59:35 +0000

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A spearfishing friend of ours who works for FWC was among the first to dive the Vandenberg, the day after the sinking. He took some amazing pictures, so here they are. The satellite dish did come loose in the sinking process, but not totally loose. It’s still attached via a huge cable, and sits on the deck of the ship, where it will remain. Thanks for the awesome pics, Mike!

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USS Vandenberg Artifical Reef

Caty — Sat, 16 May 2009 22:23:17 +0000

This is big, really big. A 528 foot ship will be sunk south of the Cayman Wreck this month, to become the world’s second largest artificial reef. It’s the former troup transport ship from World War II, the USS Vandenberg. Everyone is excited, and here are some pictures of the ship, which is now docked at Truman Waterfront while workers clean out debris and make it ready for sinking.

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Vandenberg Sink Date!

Caty — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:57:55 +0000

The Vandenberg Sink Date has been Set!

The Vandenberg sink date is May 27. That’s a Wednesday, just four days before the June 1 deadline, or the start of hurricane season. We are so excited, and plan on going out to see it happen. We know that there will be a perimeter around the sink spot, of a one mile radius. And it will be patrolled by FWC (Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission), backed up by Key West police patrol boats. It’s going to be sunk south of the Cayman wreck, perfect spot for Key West diving boats already heading out to dive that salvager wreck. Nice and convenient.

Ten Fathom Bar

Caty — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 13:13:47 +0000

Ten Fathom Bar is very popular spot for scuba divers, but it’s great for Key West snorkeling too. Especially if you can dive down. The visibility is usually pretty good, and the shallow end of the Ten Fathom Bar is only about 35 feet deep. If you can get down far enough on one long breath, or if you’re tank diving, look for all sorts of coral down there, plus of course fish. Here’s a shot of some friendly bar jacks snapped on the Ten Fathom Bar. These fish move around the reef a lot, and they are very curious so sometimes you’ll have them swimming right up to you. The occassional bar jack will just come at you head on to check you out but don’t worry, no injuries from a head-on collision have ever been recorded in Key West waters.

Bar Jacks on the Ten Fathom Bar

Key West Vis Report

Caty — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 13:03:32 +0000

March is windy in Key West. Winds probably average almost 20 knots some weeks and you have to be hale and hardy to get out on the water. We’ve had our share of seasick visitors on the boat this month and we’re ready for calmer days already. The past week, with winds from the South and Southeast, even the shallow lobster spots we frequent on windy days when we can’t get out to the reef and the Bar, are stirred up. A short walk out to the end of White Street Pier gives us a good idea of what the vis is like on those spots. Take a look:

Really Bad Vis in Key West Shallow Water

People were fishing from White Street Pier. If you look closely, you can see where the vis changes from pure mud to pure milk.

Bad Vis at White Street Pier