Visit the Florida Reef at Fort Jefferson aboard the 100' Ocean
Catamaran |
The Florida Keys
boast the largest living coral reef in the Western Hemisphere. This unique phenomenon
lies about six miles offshore in only 20 to 30 feet of water and stretches from
near Miami in the Atlantic Ocean southwest along the Keys in the Florida Straits
and out to the Dry Tortugas In the Gulf of Mexico. The shallow waters surrounding
the Tortugas, warmed by the Gulf Stream, provide snorkelers with an almost unparalleled
view of the phenomenon that is the reef.
We have all heard about the reef,
its fragility and its beauty, but just exactly what is it? Where did it come
from? Why do we call it a "living" reef? The reef, properly named
the Florida Reef, is made up of layers of calcium carbonate secreted by coral
polyps over a period of several thousand years. The polyp is tiny and soft-bodied.
New polyps are constantly being grown by the reef, but at the rate of only about
one-half inch per year. Each polyp contains an algae called zooxanthellae, which
gives the coral its color. The zooxanthellae takes in carbon dioxide, processes
it, and gives off oxygen that the polyp needs to stay alive and to create coral.
Touching the coral can destroy the polyp and leave the coral susceptible to
bleaching and disease. That explains why a ship going aground on the reef is
such an ecological tragedy. Today's snorkelers and scuba divers are cautioned
to "look but don't touch".
Seagrasses and mangroves are important
to the coral ecosystem that includes the reef. Mangroves have roots that sink
to the bottom of the ocean and provide a brooding ground for birds and marine
life that migrate to the reef. They also provide nutrients and filter pollutants
from the landbase. Seagrasses provide foods and serve as a nursery for pink
shrimp and lobster, among other sealife. They also release necessary oxygen.
The course of the Yankee Freedom II follows the reef past tiny keys
with such names as Man Key, Woman Key, Boca Grande, and Mule Key. Then on to
the Marquesas Atoll, site of the wreck of the Nuestra Senora de Atocha,
where In past centuries pirates lay in wait for galleons filled with gold and
other valuables. Passing through the Quicksands and past Rebecca Shoal, the
Yankee Freedom II arrives at the cluster of tiny islets that make up
the Dry Tortugas.
More information can be found on www.drytortugas.com
[TORTUGAS
FERRY] [YANKEE
FREEDOM II ] [TRIP
INFORMATION] [FT. JEFFERSON] [BIRDING]
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