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The abundance and diversity of life in the
Dry Tortugas sets them apart. Lying 70
miles west of Key West, these small cays
have two distinct advantages: remoteness
and the protection afforded by the
research and conservation programs of
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
The result of this protection is evident
as I cruise slowly along the back of the
reef and come face to face with a 4-foot
goliath grouper lolling in a coral ravine
as cleaner gobies graze on his big lips
and flared gill covers. Nassau, tiger and
black grouper watch me pass. These
larger reef predators, along with the reef
and blacktip sharks occasionally spotted
here, distinguish the Tortugas from other
Caribbean destinations that are rarely
visited by big animals.
Many Tortugas dive sites are actually
small seamounts that rise as high as 40
feet above the sandy, 80-foot bottom. On
a typical dive I might follow the mooring
line to the sand and work my way up the
coral monadnock as glass gobies dance
around crevices, and dark blennies
watch from the safety of their little holes
in the rock. Gray and French angelfish,
princess parrots, banded butterflyfish,
hamlets and damselfish patrol the
reef, munching on coral and sponges
or defending their small territories.
Barracuda hover at the perimeter like
sentinels. Large tube and barrel sponges
festooned with tiny zoanthids provide
shelter for small crabs and groupers.
Because of the distance from Key
West, liveaboard is the most efficient
way to dive the Tortugas. From morning
through the late afternoon, the Dry
Tortugas are magical; creole wrasses
and blue tangs congregate around
colonies of brain and star coral and
arched swim-throughs, spotlighted by
the sun’s sharply angled rays. After
dinner it’s time to take lights down
and watch the effects of darkness on
the reef. The night belongs to lobsters
and morays and spectacularly elaborate
basket stars. My first trip coincided with
the coral spawn after the August full
moon, and I watched as star and brain
coral released millions of eggs and
sperm into the water column. On the
way back to the boat, I found horse-eye
jacks gathering in the light under the
boat and a lone squid swimming boldly
toward me to check out my lights.
A PROTECTEDOASIS in the Dry Tortugas
By George Cathcart
Aquarius Reef Base, in addition to supporting saturation-diving science, provides habitat for marine creatures such as this Queen Angelfish, Florida Keys NMS.
Below: A diver comes face to face with a 6-foot goliath grouper in the Northern Ecological Reserve of the Florida Keys NMS.
STEPHEN FRINK
CHRIS PARSONS