Key Largo, FL - An Underwater SCUBA Adventure

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I have a confession to make, I love SCUBA diving. SCUBA diving is one of life’s great experiences. It transports you to a world so different it is hard to believe you are still on Earth. I am intrigued by the adaptations and behaviors the organisms that have evolved to be successful in this watery habitat. I brought along my trusty Canon A40 (2 MP) in a Canon waterproof housing to document the animals that I came across. I also captured a few video clips as well. Even though Key Largo is the diving capital of the world, it is mostly shallow (30 ft. max) reef diving which is great for fish watching. Without further ado here are the highlights of my underwater adventure.

1) Scorpion Fish - Can you spot the fish? These guys are the masters of camouflage, which helps them gulp up an unsuspecting fish when it passes by. This fish also has a beautiful orange pattern on the back of its pectoral fins that announces to potential predators that they are poisonous.

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2) Minnow Ball - This huge school of tiny fish was so dense you couldn’t see what was in front of you. There must have been millions of these tiny guys. These fish travel in such huge numbers to protect themselves from predators, and all around this huge ball of fish were tons of large fish like groupers, snappers, and jacks.

3) Crustaceans - Shrimp, crabs and lobsters were plentiful and lobster season started while we were in Key Largo. I saw several barber pole shrimp, loads of lobsters, a few crabs, and a tiny blue shrimp that was living in an anemone.

4) Fish & Eels - I came across loads of different types of fish. Everything from this spotted drum to squirrel-fish and grunts. Even a few morays. The morays look evil with the opening and closing of their mouths, but they have to do it in order to breathe.

5) Assorted Invertebrates - I was lucky enough to cross paths with several nudibranchs, some elkhorn coral and a cool bristle fireworm. The reason it is called a fireworm is because if you rub against the bristles it causes a burning sensation.

If you ever get a chance to make it to Key Largo and go diving I highly recommend it. The town itself is pretty small and quiet, but the diving more than made up for it. Check out the rest of my photos at http://flickr.com/photos/michaeldoig/

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