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to rebuild, what remained of the railway was sold to the
state. Following a bit of creative thinking, a two-lane
asphalt road was built on top the existing trestles 15 feet
above the old tracks, making it possible for automobiles
to drive all the way to Key West for the first time.
We arrive at Big Pine Key, the gateway to the lower
Keys and just 22 miles from Key West, at 7 a.m., too early
to check in at the dive shop, so we go hunting for deer
— Key deer to be exact, the islands’ miniature version of
whitetails, not much larger than Irish setters. We follow
Anna’s GPS to a suburban crossroads where they are
reported to hang out. And sure enough we spot three
does and a fawn nibbling grass by the road. Quinn lowers
his window and takes a photo.
The high-profile spur-and-groove reef inside Looe
Key National Marine Sanctuary has long been one of my
favorite dives. Even though fishing is allowed, wire traps,
spearfishing and fish collecting have been banned for
three decades, allowing the marine life to grow large and
plentiful. Almost before the bubbles clear Quinn becomes
part of a parrotfish school passing under the boat. A
diver-friendly angelfish nips the bubbles about his head as
he kneels on the sand. Around a bend he sees a reef shark
in the distance. He swims after it to get a better look — a
good sign. Even more surprising, a 5-foot, 450-pound
Goliath grouper makes a slow pass — a beneficiary of
1990 legislation protecting the species. An encounter
with such a large fish would have been unheard of four
decades ago when I first dived the Keys.
KEY WEST AND THE VANDENBERG
We arrive in Key West mid-morning and stop at the new
Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center. The state-of-the-art
educational center offers an opportunity to learn about
the area’s wildlife, habitats and conservation efforts — a
message we want Quinn to hear. We begin by learning
about the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
(FKNMS), which is one of 14 underwater parks
managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA). The FKNMS, established in
1992, covers nearly 4,000 square miles from south of
Miami to the Dry Tortugas (an additional 70 miles by sea
from Key West). Two previously established preserves,
the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary and the Looe
Key National Marine Sanctuary, were enveloped by the
larger and more empowered FKNMS.
These days diving Key West almost has to include
a visit to the
USS Vandenberg
, a 523-foot missile-
tracking vessel that now towers 10 stories off a 140-foot
hardpan bottom seven miles south of Key West. Since its
deployment in 2009 as an artificial reef, the massive ship
has attracted divers and fish by the tens of thousands.
With his new advanced certification and by diving with
an instructor, Quinn is allowed to explore the vessel’s
superstructure that rises to within 50 feet of the surface.
Our only worry is current, which occasionally sweeps
the Vandenberg with significant force.
Quinn’s luck keeps running. On the morning we
arrive at the site along with a boatload of volunteer
fish surveyors from the Reef Environmental Education
Foundation (REEF), barely a ripple stirs around the
mooring line, and visibility hovers near 80 feet. The
Vandenberg seems to go on forever, even after a
20-minute trek from radar dishes to stacks, kingpost
and masts with crow’s nests attached, we are only able
to take in half of the sights. As a bonus, an immense
30- by 40-foot American flag was attached to the
forward antenna mount on July 4. It usually blows with
the currents, but now in the calm it cascades down in
billowing folds of red, white and blue.
Observing the fishwatchers in action made the idea of
fish identification even more appealing. The surveyors
made up of staff, interns and volunteers are monitoring
the Vandenberg as part of a multiple-year fish-
A M E R I C A ’ S
R
E
E F
From far left: Key deer feed at Big
Pine Key. A resident goliath grouper
of Looe Key reef parades past with an
entourage of bar jacks. Quinn swims
over one of the two giant radar dishes
on the Vandenberg.
