The annual Ladies, Let’s Go Fishing! seminar, at Islamorada’s Postcard Inn at Holiday Isle resort, gives beginning and intermediate female anglers a chance to learn saltwater fishing — or improve angling skills they already have.

Intrepid angler Maria Newman, left, fights her "lionfish" prey under the direction of LLGF founder Betty Bauman. (Photos by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

It’s called the “No-Yelling School of Fishing,” and includes instruction on how to rig baits, tie knots, gaff fish and even boat handling. One session teaches effective and comfortable ways to battle gamefish.

For several years Larry Kahn, editor of the Florida Keys’ “Keynoter” newspaper, has played the role of the gamefish target. This year, swimming in a resort pool with a fishing line tied to his belt, he portrayed an invasive lionfish.

Selected students reel, while the fish tries to swim away. The process teaches students not to allow slack line, to follow the fish as it moves in the water and, ultimately, to wear out their quarry.

That’s what happened to Larry at the hands of a savvy Miami student (and middle school teacher) named Maria Newman. Here, in detail, are her thoughts and his on the experience.

Musings From Maria, the Angler

Larry the lionfish doesn’t know there’s a hook instead of the morsel of bait. He simply thinks opportunity just knocked, and he swallows.

On the surface, I wait to feel his slightest tug. I jerk the line to set the hook, and he takes me for a big run of line.

Larry the lionfish attempts to escape the tenacious angler.

I smile and patiently let him take it. He wins this run.

Now it’s my turn. I pull my rod back and crank the reel faster and faster. I get back what I lost.

His turn. He takes a left turn and runs again — pulling, tugging, trying to survive. He thinks, “If I don’t pull harder, I’m a goner.”

All I know is, if I don’t get this fish up close to the surface, I lose. It’s him or me. Hook, line, rod, harness, fish-fighting belt … don’t fail me now!

I’ve got him now (I always assume the fish I catch are boys. Why is that?).

I’m tired. He’s tired and I can feel him struggling, trying to get free.

There he is close to me, at the surface. He’s mine.

I win! That’s my fish. That’s my Larry — my wonderful Larry the lionfish.

Reflections From Larry, “The Fish”

Sometimes the greats hang on too long.

There was Willie Mays in 1973, capping his baseball career with a sad six home runs and a .211 batting average with the Mets after a Hall of Fame career with the Giants.

An actual lionfish, unlike Larry, sports venomous spines instead of a wetsuit.

Then there was Michael Jordan, closing out his basketball career in a Washington Wizards uniform in 2002-‘03 after redefining, as a Chicago Bull, how NBA basketball is played.

And there was me, at the end of a fishing line, being reeled in so easily that a minnow would have been more challenging for the angler.

This was my fourth year depicting “The Fish” at Ladies, Let’s Go Fishing!

I had retired after three years, having portrayed an acrobatic dolphin (mahi-mahi), tenacious tuna and powerful grouper. I came back for a fourth year as a lionfish, monofilament line tied my body, to swim away from student Maria Newman — while she tried to reel me to the side of the “classroom” pool.

After the epic battle, predator and prey might have stopped at Key Largo's Fish House Encore for a tasty appetizer of ... lionfish.

But like Mays and Jordan, I was past my prime. I thought I could coast as a lionfish, a relatively small fish with little fight, and wouldn’t need much spunk. Boy, was I wrong.

I was at the end of Maria’s line for only about five minutes as LLGF founder Betty Bauman instructed other students in what Maria was doing right and wrong. There was much right … little wrong.

I kept trying to swim away, but Maria kept hauling me in.

Finally, I gave up. I exited the pool gasping for air, a shell of my former fish self, and retired. Again.

Four years as “The Fish” was a pretty good run.

Just one year too many, that’s all.

Wait, is that Betty calling again for 2012?

Topics: Environment, Islamorada, Local Color, On the Water, Quirks, Voices Main Archive

In 1993 Jimmy Johnson had just won his second consecutive Super Bowl, and was celebrating with his Dallas Cowboys team in the locker room, when Cowboys owner Jerry Jones jammed a phone in his ear.

Former NFL football coach Jimmy Johnson stands at the wheel of his "Three Rings" fishing boat off the Upper Keys at sunset. (All photos by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

The caller was Bill Clinton, then president of the United States.

“He said, ‘Coach Johnson, I want you to come to the White House, and congratulations on winning the Super Bowl’,” recalled Jimmy, who also coached the Miami Dolphins and led the University of Miami to a national championship. “I said ‘I’m sorry, Mr. President, I’m going to the Florida Keys. I’m going fishing’.”

Jerry Jones, standing next to him, was shocked to hear him refuse an invitation from the president.

“Jerry Jones grabbed the phone and he says, ‘Yes, Mr. President, we will be at the White House’,” Jimmy said, laughing. “I wasn’t even thinking, but that was my mindset: I wanted to go to the Florida Keys.”

Jimmy displays a nice dolphin fish he caught while trolling off Islamorada.

Jimmy Johnson has had a residence in the Keys since just after that second Super Bowl victory. He moved to his current home in Islamorada 11 years ago and his name graces Jimmy Johnson’s Big Chill at Fisherman’s Cove, a dining and entertainment complex as well as a private residence club in Key Largo.

Jimmy began visiting the Keys in the mid-1980s while he was head coach at the University of Miami. Toward the end of that period, he earned his dive certification and developed a lasting love for the subtropical island chain.

“I came down to the Keys (for) my final open water dive and just fell in love with the place, the people and all the things you could do down here,” he said.

While he was the Cowboys’ coach, he decided he eventually wanted to live in the Keys. When he retired from Dallas, he sought a home that offered specific benefits.

Jimmy is happiest at the wheel of his fishing boat.

“I wanted to get away from all of the hustle and bustle and autograph seekers, and go to an area where I could just lay back and enjoy life,” he said. “{In the Keys} I can go out anywhere and not be bothered.”

Although Jimmy still dives and loves to catch Florida lobster, these days Florida Keys sportfishing is his primary passion.

Behind his Islamorada estate he keeps a 39-foot SeaVee center console boat named “Three Rings,” after his three coaching championships. A dedicated room houses a large collection of rods, reels and boxes of lures and other tackle. Photos in the room and on his iPhone showcase past notable catches including a big bull dolphin (mahi-mahi), a large wahoo and an estimated 235-pound blue marlin he caught while fishing alone.

In fact, Jimmy usually fishes alone — a testament to the real reason he enjoys the sport.

“I fish for fun and for relaxation,” he said.  “I don’t fish for meat. I don’t fish to brag to everybody what I can catch.

Shown here heading home aboard "Three Rings," Jimmy has traded the pressures of coaching for the tranquility of Keys living.

Jimmy particularly enjoys the freedom of solo fishing, without a schedule or pressure to catch anything.

Sometimes he doesn’t even put a line in the water.

“When I was coaching, everything about my entire life was so regimented,” he said. “Now, going out by myself fishing, I load the boat and I go out and stay as long as I want to stay.”

That’s where he usually can be found — except during the NFL season, when he travels weekly to Los Angeles to help anchor “Fox NFL Sunday.”

“There’s only two things that get me away from the Keys,” said Jimmy Johnson. “The Fox TV show, and if someone gives me a big check.”

Topics: Islamorada, Key Largo, On the Water, Profiles, Senior Adventures, Voices Main Archive

Ever since marine researchers discovered dolphins just might rival humans among the world’s most intelligent mammals, people have been fascinated by the lively marine creatures.

At Dolphins Plus, dolphins Bob (left) and Jessica provide an affectionate Keys welcome.

In the Florida Keys, where dolphins are studied year-round, visitors to each of five centers can have a unique and wonderful encounter — sharing an in-water experience with these gentle animals while learning about them.

Before any in-water encounter, the facilities provide in-depth briefings that cover dolphin behavior, facts about the engaging creatures, and how to safely and respectfully interact with them. (FYI, during your encounter, don’t be surprised if the ever-curious dolphins use their sensitive bottle-shaped noses to give you the once-over — or present their chins to be scratched or even kissed.)

So where can you have an intriguing dolphin experience in the Keys?

Mandy Rodriguez, the guiding spirit behind Dolphin Research Center, shares some quality time with his buddies. (Photo courtesy of Dolphin Research Center)

Dolphin Research Center, mile marker (MM) 59 bayside on Grassy Key near Marathon, specializes in presenting marine mammal education and research programs to the public. Founded in 1984 as a nonprofit facility, DRC is home to a family of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions — most of whom were born there.

Enjoy daily narrated dolphin and sea lion behavior sessions and educational presentations to learn about marine mammals and the environment — plus interactive programs like Trainer for a Day, Researcher for a Day, swim and wade sessions and even the fun-filled Paint with a Dolphin.

At Dolphins Plus in Key Largo, Ocean Bay Drive at MM 100 oceanside, you can experience natural or unstructured swims with other participants and dolphins, structured swims or one-on-one interactive sessions with dolphins and sea lion encounters. Natural swim participants revel in the natural beauty and behavior of dolphins while snorkeling; structured swim participants follow a trainer’s instructions for hands-on interaction.

You’ll also find extended education programs, including Trainer for a Day and a three-day Dolphin Exploration Lab, that focus on a general study of dolphins and their habitats.

As well as dolphins, lively parrots and other creatures delight visitors to Islamorada's Theater of the Sea. (Photo courtesy of Theater of the Sea)

In addition, dolphin therapy programs are offered on the premises to individuals with disabilities and their families. Coordinated by the not-for-profit Island Dolphin Care, these remarkable programs involve educational, recreational, and motivational activities.

Islamorada-based Theater of the Sea, MM 84.5 oceanside, offers dolphin, sea lion and stingray swim programs, along with bottomless boat rides, parrot shows and continuous marine shows featuring dolphins and sea lions. Plus there’s a guided marine life tour that features tropical fish, sea turtle, alligator and crocodile exhibits — and don’t miss Theater of the Sea’s four-hour adventure boat tour, which includes a bay ride and snorkel time.

Dolphin Cove is a marine education and dolphin swim facility at MM 102 bayside in Key Largo. There you can choose from natural or structured swims, shallow water encounters in waist-deep water or Trainer for a Day programs that include dolphin interactions and a glimpse into marine mammal care and training.

Even small children can safely participate in magical dolphin encounters in some Keys centers.

Based at Hawk’s Cay Resort, MM 61 oceanside on Duck Key, Dolphin Connection offers a group of appealing dolphin encounter programs. Dolphin Discovery allows supervised contact with dolphins from a submerged platform, while Dockside Dolphins offers interactions without entering the water. You’ll also find a fascinating three-hour Trainer for a Day session that includes a behind-the-scenes look at dolphin training.

Of course, all five centers maintain high standards for safeguarding the physical and emotional health of the dolphins under their care, and the environment these creatures call home.

There’s no substitute for an unforgettable firsthand dolphin encounter at one of the places described here. But if you can’t make it down to the Florida Keys quite yet, click here for webcam previews from Dolphin Research Center, Dolphin Cove, and Island Dolphin Care.

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Highlights, Islamorada, Key Largo, Marathon, Voices Main Archive

Life’s lessons present themselves unexpectedly, and this week mine came via the smiling face of a U.S. Army Special Operations Command soldier whose physical body was marred by war but whose positive outlook is as big as the ocean. His unflagging spirit reminded me what a great blessing family togetherness is.

Just seven months after he lost both legs and full use of his right arm following an attack in Afghanistan, Army Chief Warrant Officer Scott Schroeder was reintroduced to scuba diving with his wife and son who were learning to dive in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Scott, his wife Laura and teenage son Zach — all from Clarksville, Tenn. — were part of a trip coordinated by Task Force Dagger Foundation, a Texas-based nonprofit organization. Established in 2009, the nonprofit provides opportunities for wounded warriors to become certified to scuba dive after sustaining life-altering injuries during military service.

“The Task Force Dagger Foundation is unique in that it allows the families to bond together by letting them participate in all the events,” Scott said. “A lot of foundations out there are very good at taking care of us wounded warriors, but not all of them include the family — and this one does.”

Scott, who’s 45 years old, sustained his injuries last December when his vehicle rolled over a hidden roadside bomb (which he described as 50 pounds of homemade explosives) in a rural province of Afghanistan.

Scott Schroeder, a U.S. Army Special Operations Chief Warrant Officer severely wounded in Afghanistan, examines a brain coral while scuba diving in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. (Photo by Bob Care, Florida Keys News Bureau)

“When I was hurt, it wasn’t just me that was hurt,” he said. “It impacted the entire family.”

Before his injuries, Scott had contacted Task Force Dagger Foundation’s managing director Keith David, with whom he’d served in the early 90s, about donating his time and energy to the organization to help wounded comrades.

“I said I want to be a part of {the foundation} monetarily, with my time, with everything. I think about retiring, and this is one way for me to give back after a 24-year career,” Scott recalled.

He never thought he would be on the receiving end of the foundation’s mission.

“I originally thought I was going to be on the giving end,” he said. “I’m blessed that they were there to help me … help us recover together as a family.”

Keith David said Task Force Dagger Foundation’s family focus sets it apart from other organizations.

Scott Schroeder, center, scuba dives with his son Zachary, left, and wife Laura in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. (Photo by Bob Care, Florida Keys News Bureau)

“We try to assist when there’s a need,” he said. “One of the things we try and do is help them heal as a family unit.”

This trip to the Florida Keys was a first for the Schroeder family.

Despite being scuba certified in the late 1980s, Scott had to take a refresher course — primarily to adapt his knowledge to his new capabilities. Special hi-tech prosthetic “swim legs” helped propel him through the water during his dive on a shallow reef with his wife and son.

“It was so cool, like you’re in an aquarium,” Laura Schroeder said of the reef fish, barracuda and conch they spotted on their first ocean dive. “I thought the Keys were all about margaritas and salt.”

Although the diving is rehabilitation for him, Scott said he gets to do things he wouldn’t normally do while stuck in a hospital — getting on and off boats, walking up and down the beach and the dock — activities that I, and probably most of us, take for granted.

“Any ‘first’ we get to do as a family is a big event, and to be out here and to be able to dive with them on their first time is just great,” Scott said with a beaming smile. “You can see their eyes light up inside their masks while they’re down there.”

Topics: Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Highlights, Islamorada, Key Largo, Key West, Marathon, On the Water, Voices Main Archive

(Editor’s Note: This week’s Keys Voices, honoring the late Clarence Clemons, was written by Larry Kahn, editor of the “Florida Keys Keynoter.”)

"Big Man" Clarence Clemons, shown here onstage in the Florida Keys, was an unparalleled musician who loved the island chain. (Photo courtesy of Redbone Celebrity Tournament Series)

Saxophone player extraordinaire Clarence Clemons, 69, for nearly 40 years Bruce Springsteen’s No. 2 man in the E Street Band, was well known in the Keys for playing gigs at various bars, sitting in with whatever bands were playing.

They include the Schooner Wharf in Key West; the Brass Monkey Lounge, Castaway, Dockside Lounge and the Hurricane Grille in Marathon; and Woody’s, the Lorelei and Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada.

Clemons, who died June 18, was also a staple fixture at a group of Florida Keys fishing tournaments that raise money for cystic fibrosis treatment and research.

“He always showed up with his sax and played, even though I never was presumptuous that he would play,” said Gary Ellis, founder of the Redbone Celebrity Tournament Series.

Ellis said that even though it wasn’t widely known, Clemons had an affinity for sportfishing.

“He was totally taken by fishing,” Ellis said. “He was all about Keys fishing … for tarpon and bonefish.”

Shown here releasing a bonefish, Clemons found great enjoyment in fishing Keys waters. (Photo courtesy of Redbone Celebrity Tournament Series)

In the Keys, Clemons’ special place was in Marathon. His Stirrup Key home overlooks Florida Bay.

Clemons’ 2009 autobiography, “Big Man: Real Life and Tall Tales,” has a chapter called “Marathon Key.” In it, he writes following back surgery:

Most of my time lately has been spent in Florida healing. It’s a slow process but I’m doing well. I feel strong every day and look forward to dancing across the stage again on the next tour. As I write this, I’m sitting on my porch looking out at the bay toward the horizon where the ocean meets the sky.

The book also has a chapter called “Looking Back from Islamorada.” That recounts his chance meeting with singer Jimmy Buffett, who was signing books at an Islamorada bookstore, likely Hooked on Books.

Clemons went into the bookstore and saw a bunch of Parrot Heads {as Buffett fans are called}.

Clarence plays the Brass Monkey in Marathon in May 2010 at the Save the Monkey party. (Photo by Ryan McCarthy, "Florida Keys Keynoter")

I walked up to the head of the line and waited for Jimmy to notice me. It’s very hard not to notice me. Especially in a tiny Florida bookstore a few feet off the highway.

“You’ll have to get in line with everybody else, sir,” said Jimmy when he finally looked up.

“I don’t think so,” I said.

“I don’t think so either,” said Jimmy, smiling. “Big Man! Look everybody, it’s Clarence Clemons.”

The folks in line smiled. Two big stars for the price of one in a very unlikely setting. Well, one big star and me. They applauded.

(Editor’s Note: Andy Newman contributed to this piece. An earlier version of it appeared in the Wednesday, June 22, edition of the “Florida Keys Keynoter.”)

Topics: Arts, Highlights, Islamorada, Marathon, Profiles, Voices Main Archive

In the late 1960s, Sally and Joe Bauer made a road-trip pit stop that changed their lives forever. Driving back from diving in the Florida Keys, they stopped at a store near the Miami airport called Stone Age Antiques.

Sally Bauer stands beside a diving bell after a dive in Norway in 2005. (Photos courtesy of the Florida Keys History of Diving Museum)

There they found an old diving helmet selling for $500, and bought it because they thought it was attractive. That simple act set them on a path that, years later, led to their founding the Florida Keys History of Diving Museum in Islamorada.

“When we purchased that helmet, we caught the collecting bug,” Sally admitted. “Like any incurable disease, it can’t be treated. You can suppress the strength of it a little bit — in this case by adding to the collection — but you never quite get over it.”

Under the influence of the “disease,” the Bauers eventually assembled the world’s largest collection of diving artifacts, antiques, books and prints related to the history of diving.

Sally wasn’t always interested in the underwater world. She grew up in a rural area near Youngstown, Ohio, and later studied medicine. She first met her husband of 42 years, the late Joe Bauer, when she showed up at his office seeking a summer job while in college.

“I started working for him, and then I worked for and with him all of the rest of his life,” she said. “We did everything together — that was my joy through life and my great tragedy when he died.”

Sally displays a wooden Griswood helmet underwater.

Sally and Joe began diving as a hobby that helped them disconnect from the world and escape the stresses of the medical profession. They kept diving because of their fascination with the marine biology of aquarium fish.

The Bauers took dive trips to the Keys to study the spawning behaviors of fish and bring them back to their Cleveland home for further research. As well as making important scientific discoveries, they also were the first to raise clownfish and peppermint shrimp successfully in captivity.

By the 1980s, their collection of artifacts was so vast that they helped found the Historical Diving Society of the United States and the United Kingdom. Concerned that the collection, and the history it represented, would be scattered and lost after their deaths, they approached the Smithsonian Institute, Disney’s Epcot Center and others — but got little response.

“When we moved to the Keys full-time in 1997, we realized that the Keys are the only place that you can drive and dive on a coral reef,” Sally said. “It just seemed natural that this is where we should have the museum.”

That realization sparked their creation of the world-class Florida Keys History of Diving Museum, located at mile marker 83 — which contains artifacts and other items covering an incredible 4,000 years of diving history.

The museum's highlights include an exhibit dedicated to Upper Keys treasure hunter Art "Silver Bar" McKee.

Highlights include an exhibit of dive helmets from around the world, and one dedicated to legendary Upper Keys treasure hunter Art “Silver Bar” McKee.

“The museum is not just for divers — it’s for anyone who wants to know more about man’s quest to explore under the sea,” explained Sally, who was inducted into the prestigious Women Divers Hall of Fame in March 2011. “Joe used to say, ‘It’s a little jewel that has not quite been discovered,’ and when people come in they’re astonished.”

Joe Bauer died suddenly in April 2007, but his legacy and knowledge of diving history live on through Sally.

“My challenge for the rest of my life is to put this history down so it’s not lost,” Sally said. “There are many more stories we want to tell about diving history.”

Topics: Highlights, History, Islamorada, Profiles, Senior Adventures, Voices Main Archive

On Jan. 22, 1912, when Ruby Whitlock was eight years old, she watched the arrival of the first train that ever traveled down the Over-Sea Railroad from mainland Florida to Key West.

A train crosses the Long Key Viaduct, a vital stretch of the legendary Over-Sea Railroad. (Photo courtesy of the Monroe County Library Collection)

Eighty-eight years later, when she was an energetic 96-year-old, “Miss Ruby” reminisced about the arrival that changed the Florida Keys forever.

These days, when it’s possible to drive from Key West to Miami in four hours on the Overseas Highway, it’s hard to imagine the Keys not being comfortably linked to each other — and to the mainland.

But they weren’t until Henry Flagler, called a visionary by some contemporaries and a madman by others, conceived and built the miraculous “railroad that went to sea.”

Construction began in 1905. The railroad’s track ultimately stretched more than 100 miles out into open water, requiring trailblazing techniques and unbelievable effort by a crew that sometimes numbered more than 4,000 men.

The Over-Sea Railroad was conceived by visionary millionaire Henry Flagler. (Photo courtesy of the Monroe County Library Collection)

Flagler had made his fortune as John D. Rockefeller’s partner in Standard Oil, and he gambled most of it on the venture — a venture so extraordinary that many outsiders thought it was impossible.

It was officially named the Florida East Coast Railway’s Key West Extension, but it quickly became known as the Over-Sea Railroad. Its bridges and viaducts linking the Keys, including the astonishing Seven Mile Bridge at Marathon, earned it another title: “the eighth wonder of the world.”

“That was a great day when that train came in here,” recalled Miss Ruby, who was believed to be the last remaining Key Wester to witness the historic arrival.

“I was going to Harris School, and the Harris School kids went down to meet the train,” she said. “Everybody was hollering and whooping, throwing bouquets, hoisting up flags and singing, saying, ‘There’s the train! There’s the train!’ All of Key West was happy that day.”

Key West had every right to be happy. The debut of the railroad transformed it from an isolated outpost, reachable only by boat, to a destination easily reached by both passengers and freight.

Henry Flagler and Key West's Mayor Fogarty greet crowds after the arrival of the first train on January 22, 1912. (Photo courtesy the Monroe County Library Collection)

“I remember it like it was yesterday,” said Miss Ruby. “Dr. Fogarty was the mayor, and he made a speech when the train came in. I can see him now, and I can see old Flagler with his straw hat on.”

Flagler himself, however, never saw the joyful crowds.

When the first train from the mainland pulled into the Key West terminal, its elderly creator stepped out his private car. He was greeted by dignitaries, citizens and hordes of schoolchildren — all cheering his fantastic accomplishment.

By then almost blind, he stood with tears streaming down his face.

“I can hear the children,” he said, “but I cannot see them.”

Less than 16 months later, at age 83, he died.

Over the next two decades, Henry Flagler’s Over-Sea Railroad carried half a million visitors across the miles separating mainland Florida and Key West. Unfortunately, it only lasted for 23 years before being severely damaged in a 1935 hurricane.

Sand sculptor Marianne Vandenbroek's creation, located at the Casa Marina Resort, celebrates the historic Over-Sea Railroad. (Photo by Rob O'Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Today the Overseas Highway is the link between the mainland and the Keys. But many of the original railroad bridges can still be seen, massive and stark, stretching beside the highway’s bridges.

Other reminders can be found on Pigeon Key, a five-acre island that housed workers building the original Seven Mile Bridge. Pigeon Key’s buildings have been carefully restored, and one features an intriguing museum dedicated to the railway and its builders.

Currently, events are being planned throughout the Keys to honor Flagler’s historic railroad — with the festivities culminating on Jan. 22, 2012, the 100th anniversary of the first train’s arrival.

Henry Flagler and Ruby Whitlock are both gone now. But, chances are, those attending the centennial celebration will feel the echo of their long-ago joy.

Topics: Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Highlights, History, Islamorada, Key Largo, Key West, Marathon, Voices Main Archive

The romantic Florida Keys appeal to both landlubber lovers and those who can’t wait to get into the water to explore the undersea environment. The Keys’ clear, warm waters even attract scuba aficionados ready to tie the knot at the continental United States’ only living coral barrier reef — often with exotic sea creatures in attendance.

Couples in love can have a dolphin for their "best man" at Islamorada's Theater of the Sea. (Photo courtesy of Theater of the Sea)

In fact, in North America’s most popular dive destination, brides and grooms and their attendants can don gowns, tuxedos and scuba tanks to “take the plunge” into matrimonial adventure.

Scores of saltwater ceremonies are performed by Captain Spencer Slate of Atlantis Dive Center, a self-proclaimed “Justice of the Pisces” who has officiated at underwater weddings in the waters off Key Largo for more than 30 years. One of them even landed in the Guinness Book of World Records — and featured 110 divers, all wearing Halloween costumes!

Probably the Upper Keys’ most popular underwater nuptial niche is the nine-foot-high shrine of “Christ of the Abyss.” The 4,000-pound bronze statue stands in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, within the boundaries of Key Largo’s John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. (FYI, Pennekamp was the first underwater preserve in the United States and recently celebrated its 50th birthday.)

The compelling statue is one of the most photographed underwater sites in the world. Its timeless features and welcoming arms, seemingly lifted in eternal benediction, make it a perfect place to exchange “I do’s.”

Tuxes, wedding gowns and discreet scuba gear are the proper attire for those diving into matrimony in the Florida Keys.

At Amy Slate’s Amoray Dive Resort, love is in the name. Yes, the resort’s moniker is a tongue-in-cheek blend of  “amore,” the Italian word for love, and “a moray” eel — one of the dive instructors’ friendly reef pets often seen on dives and during wedding ceremonies. If you’re ready to dive into matrimony, chances are you’ll fall in love with Amoray’s private charters, onboard parties and imaginative approach.

But you don’t have to be UNDER the water to have a unique water-themed wedding in the Upper Keys. At Islamorada’s Theater of the Sea, marine mammal fans can plan a ceremony with dolphins as part of the wedding party! Couples in love can reserve the park for an evening, and Theater of Sea’s trained staff will help choreograph dolphin behavior shows to their choice of wedding music.

For a real cetacean celebration, the bride can even arrive at the ceremony in a floating chariot accompanied by dolphins.

Of course, a unique marine-themed wedding deserves an equally unique honeymoon — and what better place than the world’s only underwater hotel?

Following an underwater wedding, consider honeymooning at the world's only underwater hotel -- located in Key Largo.

Located in Key Largo and called Jules’ Undersea Lodge, the fascinating honeymoon habitat has even been featured on television’s “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” Honeymooning dive enthusiasts can spend the night there, with amenities including a gourmet meal prepared by a “mer-chef,” among the marine life of the Keys.

Imagine waking up on the first morning of your married life five fathoms beneath the sea, with vivid-colored tropical fish peering in the wide windows to share your happiness.

Want more info on wedding opportunities — underwater, offbeat or even traditional — in the romantic Florida Keys? Just say “I do” and click here.

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Environment, Highlights, Islamorada, Key Largo, Local Color, On the Water, Quirks, Voices Main Archive

It’s not called the silver king for nothing.

There is simply no other acrobatic fish on the inshore fishing scene more coveted by anglers than the tarpon.

A tarpon seemingly stands on its tail after being hooked in the Florida Keys. (Photo by Pat Ford)

Known for their high-leaping ability, tarpon are powerful and tenacious. It’s sometimes easy to get them to bite a bait, but often they have lockjaw and can frustrate anglers and captains alike.

I had caught and released a number of tarpon, but those achievements always came under the tutelage of a professional Florida Keys fishing guide.

I wanted to do it myself.

So late last Friday afternoon, I armed myself with the necessary fishing gear, including two conventional reels spooled with 25-pound-test line, two new Key Largo graphite rods, 80-pound test leader and a few 7/0 Owner hooks. I purchased a few live crabs and took off from Islamorada with my wife in our 14-foot Panga with a 40hp Yamaha outboard motor.

(It should be noted that I did tap the expertise of several guides at Bud ‘N’ Mary’s Fishing Marina. Hey, local knowledge is always important.)

We motored to a location close to Lignumvitae Key on the bay side of the Florida Keys Overseas Highway in Islamorada. Just as we arrived on location, a huge tarpon, weighing at least 140 pounds, leaped in front of the boat.

“Did you see that, Maria?” I screamed to my wife.

She had missed it, but it was a good omen. We set the anchor and floated our lines back behind the boat, and it didn’t take long to get that first bite.

In April 2008, former President George H. Bush, left, caught and released a 135-pound tarpon while fishing with guide George Wood, right, in Islamorada. (Photo by Andy Mill)

First, it was just a slight twitch of the rod tip. Then a more pronounced movement. I looked at it, thinking something wasn’t just right and perhaps some seaweed had entangled in the line. But seconds later, the rod doubled over and the reel began screaming as line stripped from the reel.

This was no seaweed for sure.

I remembered previous instructions and held the rod up and started reeling. You never, ever want to jerk the rod back to try to set the hook in a tarpon. Just keep a bend in the rod and, if the tarpon jumps, simply bow to the fish while it’s in the air to loosen up the pressure.

I tried to hand the rod off to my wife because she had never caught a tarpon before.

“No, you need to catch this fish,” she said.

With Maria driving the boat (it was the first time she had piloted a boat to follow a fish), we took off to get some line back, because the tarpon was headed to the open ocean.

Blog author Andy Newman gets ready to go out tarpon fishing. (Photo by Maria Newman)

The fish jumped a half-dozen times, shaking with those big silver scales glistening in the setting sun like hundreds of tiny mirrors. Every time it came out of the water, we reacted with a scream or an “Oh, my God.”

We chased that fish trying to get the leader to the boat because, in order to score an official release, the angler or the captain needs to touch the leader. We came close at least a half-dozen times, but my wife just couldn’t reach out far enough to tap the leader.

The fish took us into shallow water, then into deep water around navigation aids and around stone crab trap buoys. I thought for sure were going to lose it, but about 40 minutes later Maria was able to touch the leader and hold it long enough for me to grab it and break it close to the hook.

We estimated the fish’s weight at about 80 to 100 pounds. It swam away, none the worse for wear (most hooks left in fish eventually corrode away), and we were ecstatic.

Although the sun had set, we figured we should give it one more try. We went back to our location and put out the crabs again. Unbelievably, five minutes later we were on again to another tarpon.

Richard Stanczyk, mentor to Andy and scores of Keys anglers, shows off a nice Spanish mackerel caught on fly off Islamorada. (Photo by Andy Newman)

This time I insisted that Maria take the rod. This was a different fish and, incredibly, I was able to touch the leader after a 10-minute fight. We had officially released two tarpon for the evening, she got her first and we were elated.

I reported the news the next morning to my professional guiding friends.

“So can I book you for a tarpon trip tonight?” my friend Richard asked with a grin.

I politely declined, laughing at the thought, even though I knew Richard was kidding. After all, I’m an amateur when compared to the pros in the Keys who have years of experience under their belts.

Besides, I would have never been able to have caught those fish without the previous experience of fishing with a pro and without “local knowledge.” Not to mention the fact that, for the past few weeks, the tarpon fishing action in the Keys has been simply phenomenal. The fish are seemingly everywhere around the bridges and channels between the ocean and bay.

It reminded me of the very first tarpon I caught and released back 21 years ago.

I had reported the accomplishment to the late Jim Hardie, the longtime outdoors writer at the “Miami Herald.” In his column a few days later he wrote, “If Andy Newman is catching tarpon, they must be biting like fleas.”

I’m here to tell you that’s exactly the case.

Topics: Islamorada, Local Color, Voices Main Archive

In 1822, when Key West was a brand-new seafaring settlement, the U.S. government sent Commodore David Porter to banish pirates from area waters. With his “anti-piracy squadron” of small schooners and barges, Porter pursued his prey into mangrove coves and inlets, persisting until the pirate rogues were gone.

Porter tried to banish buccaneers like these, but they can still be spotted at the annual Key Largo Pirates Fest. (Photo by Bob Care, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Yet even Porter couldn’t vanquish the buccaneering spirit of adventure and individuality that characterized the Florida Keys.

Today, that spirit is one of the most intriguing — and enduring — things about the 125-mile-long island chain. You’ll discover the Keys’ renegade seafaring heritage in museums and attractions, shipwreck and treasure tales, dive and snorkel trips, and sailing cruises aboard historic tall ships.

Many early settlers in Key West and Islamorada were wreckers — salvaging goods from ships that sank along the continental United States’ only living coral barrier reef, which runs parallel to the Keys.

FYI, despite popular myths, the wreckers weren’t lawless outlaws interested only in lining their own pockets. They actually became an early Coast Guard, often rescuing crews and passengers off sinking ships.

At the Key West Shipwreck Museum, visitors can meet "wreckers" and learn their fascinating stories. (Photo courtesy of Historic Tours of America)

Admittedly, they also earned a tidy profit. In the mid-1800s, the wrecking industry made Key West the wealthiest city per capita in the entire U.S.

Current-day visitors to the Keys can relive that era — by touring a Key West wrecking museum where re-enactors portray the industry’s colorful captains and crew. It’s also possible (and fascinating!) to visit Indian Key Historic State Park in the Upper Keys. The 10-acre island was once a busy port established by renowned wrecker Jacob Housman.

Long before the shipwreck salvors arrived, fleets of Spanish galleons sailed regularly past the Keys carrying goods and treasures from the New World home to Spain. Many ships sank in the area — including 13 from Spain’s 1733 fleet, which went down in the waters from Key Largo to Grassy Key.

The exploits of treasure salvage pioneer Art McKee are showcased at the Florida Keys History of Diving Museum. (Photo courtesy of the Florida Keys History of Diving Museum)

Today these shipwreck sites (a few in VERY shallow water) represent some of the oldest artificial reefs in North America. Modern seafarers can take dive or snorkel excursions to explore them, and spot their remaining ballast stones and timbers surrounded by protected corals and marine life.

Popular dive sites include the wreck of El Rubi or Capitana, the flagship of the 1733 fleet. In the late 1930s, Art McKee began salvaging the vessel’s remains — recovering cannons, religious medallions, silver pieces of eight, gold doubloons, weapons, navigational instruments, ship’s fittings and so many silver bars that he was nicknamed “Silver Bar McKee.”

You can find out more about his salvage efforts in a remarkable exhibit at the Florida Keys History of Diving Museum, located in Islamorada.

To discover the Keys’ most famous wreck — dubbed “the shipwreck of the century” by the national press — head for the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West. The museum showcases artifacts and treasures from the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha, found off Key West in 1985 by shipwreck salvor Mel Fisher after a 16-year search.

Today, Keys adventurers are still salvaging shipwreck glories -- like this centuries-old gold necklace found by divers from Mel Fisher's Treasures. (Photo by Sharon Wiley, Florida Keys News Bureau)

At the museum, you’ll see priceless objects from the Atocha and Santa Margarita, both lost in a 1622 hurricane — including a 77-karat emerald, gold chains, ship’s fittings, navigational instruments, gold and silver coins, and silver bars as big as shoeboxes.

If you want experience the Keys’ seafaring history for yourself, you’ve got two major choices.

First, you can set sail aboard a tall ship or schooner — and maybe even help the crew raise the sails. Many excursion vessels are docked in Key West’s Historic Seaport, once the heart of the island’s salvaging and commercial fishing industries.

Or, if your daydreams focus on the Keys’ piratical past, join brigands and wenches at Key West’s annual Pirates in Paradise Festival or the annual Key Largo Pirates Fest. With activities ranging from “attacking” unsuspecting landlubbers to savoring tankards of grog, they offer a great chance to celebrate the buccaneering spirit that still rules the Keys.

Topics: Festivals, Highlights, History, Islamorada, Key Largo, Key West, Local Color, Voices Main Archive