(Editor’s Note: Occasionally we receive articles about the Keys that are too good NOT to share, like the piece here. It’s penned by writer/editor Buck Banks, veteran of the in-flight magazines for USAir and United Airlines among others. He has an offbeat sense of humor and a fondness for off-the-beaten-path explorations — as you’ll see when you read on.)

Want some instant decompression on your way to the Keys? Take Card Sound Road. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

By the time Kathy and I head to the Keys for a respite, we REALLY need it. We’re stressed, tired and cranky. Thank goodness we’re just an hour’s drive away from relief.

Actually, we’ve discovered we’re closer to decompression than that. Once Miami and the Florida Turnpike are behind us, we hang a left just past the Last Chance Saloon — and the vacation begins.

We take less-traveled, less-direct Card Sound Road to the Keys rather than the 18-Mile Stretch of U.S. Highway 1 that often seems like it should be named the Florida Keys Speedway.

While U.S. 1 is the route of choice for people who have to get to the Keys RIGHT NOW, Card Sound Road offers a slower, laid-back and scenic route that feels like the Keys even before you get there.

Welcome to Alabama Jack's, the laid-back heart of Card Sound. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

The two-lane CSR has no passing zones, so you have to travel at the prevailing speed, whether you’re behind a car towing a boat or a dump truck from the nearby quarry. But slower means you have time to look around.

There’s not a lot to see at first — sawgrass, a roadside canal, mangroves and assorted shrubs — but it’s easy on the eyes and restful.

Soon we come to what passes for civilization on the CSR — a patch of trailers and ramshackle dwellings that are home to the few denizens of Card Sound, complete with fishing nets, floats and crab traps along the road.

The social, victual and libation center of the place (the sign says “Welcome to Downtown Card Sound”) is Alabama Jack’s, an open-air bar, restaurant and honky-tonk that overhangs the mangrove-lined canal on the southern side of the road.

The Card Sound Bridge offers an unmatched view of clear water and mangrove islands. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

What the joint lacks in physical charm it more than makes up for in friendly, attentive service, live music and good food.

The seafood platter, featuring real conch fritters, dolphin filet and crab cakes (all fried in a light batter) with sweet Southern coleslaw pairs well with an ice-cold bottle of Swamp Ape India Pale Ale.

After lunch, we pay the $1 toll and set off up Card Sound Bridge, which provides a panoramic view of the sound’s emerald waters dotted with countless mangrove islands.

After the bridge we enter Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge, home to indigenous North American crocodiles (though we’ve never seen one there). On the left are open vistas of Atlantic Ocean, and on the right thick mangroves.

At the intersection of State Road 905 we turn right and enter a new ecosystem — a tropical hammock of gumbo limbo, mahogany and poisonwood trees, and native shrubs.

Blog author Buck toasts his Card Sound experience with an icy brew. (Photo by Kathy Banks)

The woods look impassable and are interrupted only occasionally by white-sand roads that meander off into their dim depths.

The 905 rather abruptly empties into U.S. 1 at the north end of Key Largo. While it’s an adjustment to go from a quiet two-lane to a bustling four-lane road, it’s all right — because now we’re in the Florida Keys.

Topics: Environment, Key Largo, Local Color, Quirks, Voices Main Archive

In Key Largo, it’s all about the world beneath the sea. Key Largo has been dubbed the dive capital of the world — with good reason, since it draws underwater enthusiasts from around the globe to experience its diverse, fascinating coral reef ecosystem alive with sea life and unique corals.

Something's fishy about this jack-o'-lantern -- it's being carved underwater! (Photo by Bob Care, Florida Keys News Bureau)

It’s the home of America’s first undersea preserve, 50-year-old John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park — and to one of the largest vessels ever sunk as an artificial reef, the 510-foot Spiegel Grove.

But Key Largo can boast another oceanic claim to fame: its weird and wonderful array of lighthearted underwater events.

Planning to carve a pumpkin for Halloween this October? Do it underwater in Key Largo.

Surrounded by spectator fish and a coral reef backdrop, divers will plunge beneath the sea to transform hollowed-out pumpkins into jolly jack-o’-lanterns during the annual Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest — set this year for Sunday, Oct. 16.

Contestants submerge to a depth of less than 30 feet with only their creative imaginations and dive knives as tools. Prizes, including a dive trip for two, await the top three pumpkin sculptors at the contest presented by Amy Slate’s Amoray Dive Resort.

Santa listens to an undersea denizen's Christmas list in the waters off Key Largo. (Photo by Bob Care, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Craving a good poker game? Experience it underwater in Key Largo, where the most popular “suits” are wetsuits. Generally in late fall, watched by goliath grouper and other marine species, costumed pirates in scuba gear play free-wheeling hands of five-card stud beneath the sea. Their wacky Underwater Pirates Poker Tournament is part of the annual Key Largo Pirates Fest.

But pirates aren’t the only costumed characters known to immerse themselves in island waters. Want to catch a glimpse of Santa Claus before he embarks on his round-the-world sleigh ride? Look for him (where else?) underwater in Key Largo.

The jolly red-garbed guy appears every year before Christmas, seeming perfectly at home in the underwater environment. Beneath his bushy white beard, he looks a little like Captain Spencer Slate of Key Largo’s Atlantis Dive Center.

It's "egg-stremely" unusual to see an Easter bunny beneath the sea ... except in the waters of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. (Photo by Bob Care, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Wearing scuba tanks and a dive mask, Santa glides over shipwrecks and reefs in Key Largo waters, offering holiday wishes to fishes as part of a fundraiser for a local children’s charity.

And let’s not forget Easter, when a long-eared bunny hides brightly colored eggs for eager egg-lovers to find — you guessed it, underwater in Key Largo. Captain Slate typically hosts the annual Underwater Easter Egg Hunt shortly before the holiday.

Donning an extra-large bunny suit and dive gear, he hides eggs (real eggs decorated with non-toxic colorings, to prevent any negative ecological impact) in a secret location on one of the Keys’ pristine shallow reefs. Egg-seeking divers hop aboard the Atlantis boat, head to the secret site, and submerge in search of the sunken hard-boiled treasure.

Unlike the above, there’s one underwater event planned for Key Largo that didn’t quite happen: a world-record bid for “extreme underwater ironing.”

Florida Keys ironing fans are ready and waiting, with their equipment prepped, for a new world-record attempt.

Yes, ironing. In 2010, event organizers hoped to draw approximately 100 divers to perform the unpopular domestic chore — ironing items simultaneously within a 10-minute time limit — at a shallow dive site in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

They were trying to break a world record held by an 86-person group of British scuba divers (and by the way, participants had to provide their own ironing boards and irons).

Sadly, a forecast of rough seas and strong winds forced the event’s cancellation — even though many ironing fanatics wanted to “press” on.

For additional wrinkles on Key Largo’s wonderful underwater world, click here.

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

It’s hard to believe that it’s the middle of August and Key West is just as busy as ever. I drove along Duval Street early this week and there were cars parked on either side for block after block. Despite the stock recent economic challenges, our visitors keep on coming.

Blog author Steve Smith grins as three drag queens "ambush" him during a recent Key West event.

And believe me, there’s plenty going on to keep all of us entertained! This past Sunday, Schooner Wharf Bar hosted its 18th annual Battle of the Bars. The event raises money for the Cancer Foundation of the Florida Keys and featured “mixologists” from the island’s favorite watering holes. I’m proud to announce that our own Bourbon St. Pub took this year’s first-place trophy.

Bourbon St. hosts many fundraising events throughout the year in its outdoor garden bar. Starting at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27, is BSP’s annual Golden Plunger Awards, which gives locals and visitors an opportunity to vote for their favorite “best and worst” of Key West. Ballots are available from now until the afternoon of the awards at Aqua, Bobby’s Monkey Bar, Kwest, and 801 Bourbon Bar.

On a more serious note, one of Key West’s last “big-shoulder broads” has joined the stars that look down on this small island. Mary Jo Da Silva arrived in our community some 12 years ago and quickly became a fixture at our theaters and piano bars — and was usually the first one on the dance floor at La Te Da’s Sunday Tea Dance.

Key West's Mary Jo Da Silva will be remembered for her zest for life -- and vivid red lipstick. (Photo by Larry Blackburn)

If you had the chance to meet her, you won’t forget her great smile, bright red lipstick, and zest for life.  Given three months to live in August 2007, she set out to prove that gloomy diagnosis wrong. Our Mary Jo was at Tea Dance only a week before cancer took her from us. Rest well, Mary Jo, and have fun with the Key West characters up there. We will miss you down here!

Speaking of being down here, those of you who dive the Hoyt S. Vandenberg artificial reef can now view an underwater art exhibit on the former Air Force missile tracking ship that was sunk in May 2009.  The second largest artificial reef in the world, the Vandenberg now displays a dozen images along 200 feet of its starboard side some 93 feet below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. The 20-square-foot images were created by Austrian art photographer Andreas Franke.

Have you ever thought about diving for lionfish? For the second year, the Keys’ Reef Environmental Education Foundation partnered with the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary to host a Lionfish Derby for divers to capture and remove the invasive species from Keys waters. The popular aquarium fish wreaks havoc on the indigenous species and has become a challenge to contain.

A diver examines art photos created by Austrian photographer Andreas Franke on the Vandenberg artificial reef. (Photo by Andreas Franke)

On the positive side, the strange-looking fish are a delicious delicacy and REEF has released a cookbook full of recipes. (If you’re not experienced with catching this critter, be sure to use caution since lionfish are quite a challenge to handle.)

Note for upcoming visits: Key West’s Island House, internationally renowned as an all-gay men’s guesthouse, is celebrating its 35th anniversary by offering all 39 rooms at $13 — the price the guesthouse charged when it opened in 1976 — for the night of June 25, 2012.  Island House’s “35 & Fabulous” sweepstakes runs until Sept. 5, so be sure to enter!

And while we’re on the subject of upcoming visits, here are a few important dates: Tropical Heat kicks off Aug. 18 with a party at Big Ruby’s, and Womenfest kicks off Sept. 6 with a big party at the Southernmost Hotel.  Mark your calendars and join me in Key West!

Topics: Environment, Key West, LGBT, On the Water

According to divers at the annual Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival, held recently in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Elvis Presley never died. He simply took his act underwater.

"Eel-vis Presley," portrayed by diver Eric Rolfe, strums on a colorful faux guitar during the Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival. (All photos by Bob Care, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Divers costumed as “Eel-vis,” “Bob Marlin,” “Joss Stone Crab” and other rock-and-rollers “performed” beneath the waves for an audience of more than 500 divers and snorkelers at the offbeat festival.

In addition to brightly-painted underwater guitars, their undersea jam session featured “fishy” instruments such as a “sax-eel-phone,” “clambourine,” “trombonefish,” and “wahoo kazoo” sculpted by talented Lower Keys artist August Powers.

Not only did participating divers and snorkelers enjoy watching the iconic “rockers” in action — they also had the opportunity to view the colorful marine life that inhabits the continental United States’ only living coral barrier reef, which parallels the Florida Keys.

“I’ve never had a snorkeling experience like this,” marveled first-time festival participant Gail Coad of Sarasota, Fla. “It’s just like a magic show with the different beautiful tropical fish.”

Samantha Langsdale, dressed as a mermaid, blows air through a "musical instrument" sculpted by Lower Keys artist August Powers.

Staged by Keys radio station U.S. 1, the quirky Underwater Music Festival featured melodies broadcast into the undersea realm via speakers suspended beneath boats at the reef. It took place at Looe Key, a part of the marine sanctuary about six miles south of Big Pine Key.

“Sound underwater is incredible because you can sense it with your entire body,” advised festival director and founder Bill Becker of U.S. 1. “You can feel it coming through your head and your chest — it actually comes from all directions.”

The broadcast playlist included ocean–related tunes such as the Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine,” Jimmy Buffett’s “Fins,” and even familiar themes from the film “Jaws” and television’s wacky “Gilligan’s Island.”

FYI, it wasn’t just human participants who appeared to be rocking at the sub-sea songfest.

“The fish seemed to enjoy the music as much as I did,” said Gail Coad. “They almost were dancing in unison to the melody — and the music just kind of surrounds you.”

"Eel-vis" and his mermaid backup singer jam beneath the sea during the offbeat underwater songfest.

Veteran festival participant Samantha Langsdale, who wore a vivid green mermaid costume and jammed with “Eel-vis,” reported that she made some undersea “friends” during the festival.

“I believe the parrotfish family has accepted me,” Samantha confided after returning to the surface. “We have similar colors.”

As well as being a one-of-a-kind event for divers and snorkelers, the Underwater Music Festival included diver awareness messages promoting preservation of the Keys’ unique coral reef ecosystem.

“We have a lot of fun, we dress up in costumes, but there’s a serious side,” said Bill Becker. “Coral reef conservation is the message.”

To all the divers and snorkelers who take the festival’s lesson to heart, and pledge to protect the Keys’ underwater wonderland, “Eel-vis” might add his own message: “Thank you … thank you very much.”

Topics: Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Environment, Events, Festivals, Highlights, Local Color, On the Water, Voices Main Archive

Summer is here in the Keys and it’s the time of year we look to the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico for refreshing adventures. While most of South Florida experiences daily showers, the Keys are so far removed from the mainland that the rains usually pass us by.

Knowing how to "cook the catch" is a skill ... though it leaves you dependent on those whose skills center on boating the catch.

Many people don’t realize that Key West lies around 156 miles southwest of Florida’s mainland (and only about 90 miles from Cuba). And, no, we can’t see the lights of Cuba on clear nights — but we can catch the fun on Duval Street after the sun goes down.

One of the many questions I’m asked is if I enjoy fishing. Fish is one of my favorite foods, but I rarely do the fishing myself.

Captain Karen and Captain Debra run Venus Charters, one of our gay-owned excursion boats, and would love to have you join them on a fishing trip. Captain Karen’s reputation for fishing is equaled by her skill in leading snorkel and dolphin-watching trips. And if you’re looking for a commitment ceremony, both captains Karen and Debra can fulfill your wishes for a wedding on the water.

I love the girls of Venus Charters, but will enjoy my fish at one of the local restaurants like Seven Fish, a small and intimate eatery on Elizabeth Street.  There they serve the best fresh catches daily. (Reservations are a must as the restaurant has limited seating for their renowned, palate-pleasing meals.)

A group of friends prepares to embark on a fun-filled Blu Q cruise in Key West waters. (Photo courtesy of Blu Q)

A new fun waterfront spot is the Boathouse Restaurant, owned and operated by the same people as Duffy’s Steak and Seafood, Pisces, and Abbondanza. The Boathouse is on Key West’s historic harbor beneath the Commodore, another seafood and steakhouse from the same group — a casual restaurant totally open to the water.

Take a stroll along the harbor walk before or after dinner, and you will pass Sebago Catamarans, the Blu Q, and the Yankee Freedom Dry Tortugas Ferry. For many years Sebago has hosted a “Women Only” sunset champagne cruise every Thursday, as well as daily “Island Ting” adventures and sunset and snorkel trips.

The Blu Q offers snorkeling and kayaking trips with picnic lunches for guys, as well as sunset sailing trips for all every day. Join them on a 40-passenger catamaran and experience the Keys as never before (clothing optional, of course).

If you’re a history buff, you can tour Fort Jefferson, a Civil War fort that lies 70 miles west of Key West in the Dry Tortugas — reachable via the Yankee Freedom high-speed ferry. This day trip starts at 8 a.m. and returns at 5 p.m.  Enjoy a continental breakfast before you depart and a buffet lunch at the fort.

Fort Jefferson, lying on a tiny island in the Dry Tortugas nearly 70 miles west of Key West, is a favorite spot for visitors eager to snorkel the cool, clear waters. (Photos by Rob O'Neal)

All you need is a towel, camera, and sunscreen as the Yankee Freedom provides all the gear AND freshwater showers. Tour the largest brick structure in North America and imagine being a Union soldier during the Civil War, stationed on this rock. Swim and snorkel around the fort, catch some sun, and head back to Key West for dinner and unique nightlife.

Have you ever wanted to fly?  Key West now offers a “James Bond-style” jetpack flying experience. After a brief training with the crew learning how to take off, fly, hover, and land, you will soar over the ocean, powered by jets of water!

Look for me at San Diego Pride July 15-17 in Balboa Park, and at Northalsted Marketdays in Chicago August 13 and 14.  I’ll be looking for you with all the information you need to plan your next visit to the Florida Keys!

Topics: Environment, Food, Key West, LGBT, On the Water

I admit it — I’m spoiled. And the Florida Keys are to blame. These islands have rewarded me, a scuba diver for 20-plus years, with numerous fortunate encounters with wild marine life that occasionally intertwines with human life here.

Post author Julie Botteri (second from left) volunteers her time to help the Marine Mammal Conservancy care for three pilot whales. (All photos by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Front-row seats to view giant whale sharks, leaping dolphins, sea turtles being returned to the ocean after recovering from illness or injury? Yes, I am spoiled.

Recently, I had an enviable opportunity to give back — give my time, myself and my energy — as an in-water volunteer for the Marine Mammal Conservancy’s efforts to save three female pilot whales. The whales are recovering in Key Largo after surviving a mass stranding on May 5 in the Lower Keys shallows.

The four hours I spent helping those whales were some of the most precious of my life.

I joined a group of 20-plus volunteers at MMC for the 8 a.m. “shift” after a briefing about the whales’ condition, how to properly place our hands on their delicate dorsal and pectoral fins, and their expected behaviors.

Marine Mammal Conservancy veterinarian Pamela Govett (left) applies an antibacterial solution on the sunburned skin of a pilot whale during the whale's recovery at MMC's Key Largo headquarters.

Rarely seen by humans, pilot whales are deep divers, unfamiliar with shallow water — and with humans supporting them to make sure the blowholes they use to breathe are free of saltwater.

As we waited to enter the shallow pen, chatter among the group was hushed yet excited and full of positive energy. I wondered what personal motivation had brought us all together on this morning.

Quickly it became clear that everyone’s intention was the same, and unselfish — pure healing.

Some spent their week’s vacation doing several shifts. A woman who splits her time between Boca Raton, Fla., and California heard about the volunteer opportunity through the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and joined because she loves the Keys.

Hannah, a student in Miami, took time away from her job performing hearing tests on infants to be in the Keys. She admitted she was afraid of the water — but had been so inspired by the whales that she helped make “Please Volunteer” flyers to post around Miami, and displayed them on her car that she parked “in crazy ways” at the beach and elsewhere so people would notice them.

Brandon Paquin (left) holds the tail of a pilot whale while MMC veterinarian Micah Brodsky (center) draws blood. Assisting (at right) is Alexandra Epple.

Evans Raveneau, who stood beside me helping support the smallest of the female whales, said he’d recently lost his corporate job and was looking for a new direction, re-evaluating his purpose in life.

He was deeply moved from the first time we held the whale. “This is unbelievable,” he said, near tears.

No matter where we were from, our experience was equally memorable. As soon as you feel a pilot whale draw a full breath and its body shudder beneath your fingertips, it’s magical.

The whales’ musculature is pure power, with a presence and awareness in every fiber. My practice with Reiki energy makes me more attuned and sensitive of its abilities — but regardless, the amount of force that these whales use for propulsion is unmistakable.

MMC still needs volunteers to help with the whales' recovery. Here, vet Micah Brodsky (right) listens to one of the whales' gastrointestinal tract while volunteers support them.

As veterinarians and staff drew blood, applied antibiotics, tested respiration, heart rate and hearing, we held the whales firmly yet steady and calm. For the first time in my life, I saw a pilot whale eat from a tube, fart underwater and take a poop. Twice.

And I watched as the still-weaning youngster we cared for stretched and bent her tail to play “footsie” with her neighbor — just for the touch and reassurance that another of her kind was close by.

I recommend that everyone, scuba diver or not, take a moment and pay it forward. Give of yourself unselfishly to help another living thing survive, if only for a flicker in time. Reap the rewards of volunteering — they are huge.

To learn more about the Marine Mammal Conservancy’s efforts, and to volunteer your time, visit www.marinemammalconservancy.org.

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Environment, Highlights, Key Largo, Voices Main Archive

Last week I witnessed the strength of the human spirit’s resolve to maintain the delicate balance between man, mammal and nature in these islands.

Bob Coakley of the Marine Mammal Conservancy attempts to help two of the whales shortly after they were discovered stranded off Cudjoe Key. (Photo by Mariela Care, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Thursday, May 5, a massive stranding response team of skilled veterinarians, and volunteers — more than 500 strong — joined forces with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) and Marine Mammal Conservancy (MMC) staff to save survivors of a pod of weakened pilot whales stranded in shallow Gulf of Mexico waters among mangroves near Cudjoe Key.

The nation’s eyes were trained on the people working feverishly to save survivors, who, among shifting sand bars, coral heads and changing tides, faced tenuous futures.

By Friday morning, seven live whales were safely corralled in a sea pen, a containment area functioning as a triage site.

Marine mammal rescuers begin to load one of the soon-to-released whales onto a barge for transport to the release site. (Photo by Bob Care, Florida Keys News Bureau)

A makeshift tent camp bustled with wetsuit-clad men and women charting vital signs, fielding calls from search and recovery boats (sadly, 14 whales perished), stockpiling food, water, trucks, transportation vehicles, boats, personnel and equipment.

Soon, there was a mobile veterinary laboratory.

During the flurry of activity, the whales remained calm.

Volunteers worked tirelessly in four-hour shifts, day and night, buoying the whales at the surface to breathe, keeping them wet and covered from the sun, hydrated and tube-fed with Pedialyte and a liquid chum.

Saturday, after collecting and analyzing blood and tissue samples, morphometrics (body measurements) and tagging dorsal fins with tracking devices, veterinarians deemed two male pilot whales viable to be released.

Watching the crane-laden barge gingerly hoist each of the two whales into slings was a breathtaking, nerve-wracking blip in time.

The first of the pilot whales is released into deep water off the Lower Keys. (Photo by Julie Botteri, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Slowly settling the whales on the barge’s deck, careful not to crush their heart and lungs beneath their own weight, teams kept them wet and covered in zinc to prevent blistering in the afternoon sun.

Zooming my camera within inches of the first-loaded whale, my breath caught — his giant doe eye rolled up at me, looked into me. I was awash in guilt over the strange situation he was in, amazed and blessed I could be so close.

“It’s going to be okay, buddy. Hang in there,” I said quietly.

Under way, volunteers sponged water over the whales’ delicate skin, while veterinarians monitored vital signs and respiration. The survival of these mammals was paramount.

Two of the five whales transferred to Key Largo's Marine Mammal Conservancy for rehab prepare to begin their journey in a refrigerated truck. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Finally, we reached 523 feet of water, nine miles offshore.

Videographer Bob Care and I boarded a small boat to record the release, as eight people grabbed the sling’s straps, maneuvering the whales forward to easily slip off the edge of the barge’s foam padding into the blue.

The first whale dived down, surfaced and popped his blowhole like a snorkel, pausing, almost beckoning to the second, “Are you ready? Let’s go.”

Immediately, the second whale entered the water. The pair dove deep and disappeared. It was magical. The group of us left watching at the surface waited a moment, then whooped and hollered. They’d made it!

Marine mammal rescuers tend to four of five pilot whales transported to the Marine Mammal Conservancy in Key Largo. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Exhausted and exhilarated, volunteers returned to the pen area, greeted by the remaining five whales’ squeals and squeaky chatter — a reminder they are not out of the woods yet.

Early Tuesday, experts successfully transported these five to a rehabilitation center 82 miles away in Key Largo, in a temperature-controlled Publix Supermarkets’ semi-trailer. Unfortunately, one of them later got too sick to save.

Rehabilitation of the remaining four could take months, but perhaps Blair Mase, NOAA’s southeast stranding coordinator, best summed up the combined efforts to safely move the animals:

“It takes a village to save some whales.”

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Environment, Key Largo, On the Water, 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 covers only five acres of land, and seemingly houses little more than a sleepy cluster of buildings and vegetation. But when it comes to Pigeon Key, appearances are deceiving.

Tiny Pigeon Key lies beneath the Old Seven Mile Bridge -- but despite its small size, it played a huge role in Keys history.

Surrounded by turquoise water beneath the Old Seven Mile Bridge at Marathon, the tiny island looms large in the history of the Florida Keys.

When visionary Henry Flagler conceived and built the Over-Sea Railroad in the early 1900s — forever changing the face of the Keys by connecting the formerly isolated islands to each other and mainland Florida — the biggest challenge was building a bridge in the Middle Keys across nearly seven miles of open water.

During its construction, tiny Pigeon Key made an indelible mark on history. The island was a base camp for workers building the Seven Mile Bridge, the centerpiece of the railroad known as the eighth wonder of the world.

From 1908 to 1912, more than 400 workers lived in the railroad village on Pigeon Key — and despite its small size, it had a commissary and one-room school. Even after the landmark bridge was completed, maintenance crews continued living on the island.

Easily glimpsed from the contemporary Seven Mile Bridge, Pigeon Key houses a museum showcasing the "railroad that went to sea." (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Tragically, a 1935 hurricane ended the railroad’s reign. But that wasn’t the end of Pigeon Key’s importance. A state highway soon replaced the track, and the tiny island became headquarters to the Florida Road and Toll Bridge District.

Today the original Seven Mile Bridge no longer carries traffic, and drivers travel a newer span that was completed in 1982. The old bridge still stretches alongside it, empty and massive, with Pigeon Key beneath.

Pigeon Key is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a true American treasure — but, even so, it’s far too often overlooked by vacationers driving through the Keys.

Do not even THINK about making that mistake. Instead, spend a few hours exploring this spot whose history transports you back in time … and whose geography means there’s nothing on earth quite like it.

To reach the remote little island, you can hop a ferry from Knight’s Key in Marathon or stroll along part of the Old Seven Mile Bridge — a journey that literally feels like walking over water, with a soundtrack composed of the cries of circling sea birds and the hypnotic wash of waves.

Pigeon Key's restored historic structures and tranquil atmosphere offer visitors a taste of an earlier era. (Photo courtesy of the Pigeon Key Foundation)

Once you get to Pigeon Key, there’s plenty to see. Many of the old railroad buildings are still standing, overseen by the not-for-profit Pigeon Key Foundation.

One of the original 1909 buildings houses a museum dedicated to the railway’s builders, with exhibits including maps, historic photos, models and a picture postcard collection of the railroad. In this spot, where work crews shared the pressure of unrelenting effort, you can really grasp the breathtaking (and nearly impossible) scope of Flagler’s project.

In fact, you can spend the entire day on the island — exploring the fully restored turn-of-the-century buildings, soaking up subtropical sun and vistas of open blue water, snorkeling along the tidal shoreline, and absorbing the atmosphere of an earlier era.

If you’re visiting the Florida Keys, don’t (and that means DON’T) miss the chance to discover the little island that played such a big role in Keys history. It’s more than unique — it’s flat-out unforgettable.

Topics: Environment, Highlights, History, Local Color, Marathon, Voices Main Archive

Nearly 50 years ago, one of the most popular exports Britain has ever produced, four longhaired musicians known as the Beatles, took the U.S. by storm. Recently, the U.S. has reversed the situation — taking London and Manchester by storm with six taxicabs wrapped bumper-to-bumper in colorful Florida Keys images.

Key Wester Stacey Mitchell smilingly shows off the fleet of four-wheeled Florida Keys ambassadors plying U.K. streets. (Photo by Paul Demuth, Florida Keys News Bureau)

These four-wheeled ambassadors are parading the Keys’ subtropical lifestyle, balmy weather and laid-back atmosphere to an audience of Britishers tired of gray, bone-chilling winter days and nights. The concept, naturally, was dreamed up by the Keys’ tourism council to encourage Brits to escape to the island chain.

But the colorful Keys artistry, pretty well guaranteed to make people smile as the cabs pass by, isn’t just an exterior makeover. Passengers who hail the vibrant vehicles will discover a pair of jump seats decked with Keys logos and imagery, designed to give their cab rides an enticing tropical flavor.

Back in the island chain (Key West, anyway) colorful cabs ply the streets as well. These quirky conveyances are pink — and it’s not a modest pale rose color, either. Actually, they’re so pink it’s a wonder they don’t glow in the dark.

These hot-pink hybrids are a favorite form of transport in eco-conscious Key West. (Photo by Rob O'Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)

In fact, when I first arrived In Key West in the late 1970s and emerged from the then-ramshackle airport, I was startled and amused to discover a pink taxi awaiting me. As it carried me into the historic Old Town district, past blue water and along narrow palm-fringed streets, my love affair with the island began.

But their hot-pink color isn’t the only thing that sets Key West’s cabs apart. They’re navigated, for the most part, by friendly and engaging local drivers who can spin a yarn better that most. And on top of that, they benefit the environment.

The pink cabs went “green” a couple of years back — when Key West’s Five Sixes Taxi debuted 10 environmentally friendly hybrid vehicles as the first step in converting its entire fleet. And according to the Taxi, Limousine and Paratransit Association (who knew such a group existed?), Five Sixes was the first taxi company in Florida to roll out hybrids.

Take a ride through wacky and wonderful Key West with Michael Suib's book, "Confessions of a Key West Cabby."

Speaking of Key West cabbies, probably the best known — at least a few years ago — was Michael Suib. That’s because Michael wrote a column for the “Miami Herald” newspaper about his experiences piloting a pink cab. Eventually he morphed the column into a zany, totally marvelous book titled “Confessions of a Key West Cabby.”

As you might imagine, since eccentricity is widely prized on the southernmost island, Michael’s book includes some pretty wild tales. With offbeat, merciless humor, he depicts Key West’s character and characters … whether real, seemingly unreal or flagrantly stranger than fiction.

Michael is no longer a cab driver, but you can find his book at Amazon.com and many other outlets.

The best place to read the volume is on a Key West beach, before hopping into a pink hybrid to go meet friends for a cold drink (or, secondarily, in a Keys-themed cab on the streets of London or Manchester). But if you can’t do that, just peruse its pages wherever you are — to get a hilarious and genuine glimpse of the Keys.

Topics: Arts, Environment, Highlights, Key West, Local Color, Voices Main Archive