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

Twenty-five cents can buy a gumball, 15 minutes at a parking meter or a phone call on a pay phone. But for world-renowned underwater photographer Stephen Frink, a quarter led to a profession, a passion and a lifetime of success.

Stephen Frink is captured here on the other side of the lens -- off the coast of the Red Sea. (All photos courtesy of Stephen Frink)

Stephen always wanted to be a scuba diver, but his ultimate motivation was the offer of a part-time job cleaning yacht hulls that required him to be dive certified.

“I always say I got certified as a scuba diver for 25 cents a linear foot, because that’s what I got paid for cleaning boats,” he joked.

Stephen grew up a landlocked Midwesterner, but constantly fantasized about what it would be like to scuba dive. He took his first and only photography class while getting his master’s degree in experimental psychology at California State University at Long Beach.

“Seeing the black-and-white darkroom and the alchemy coming up in the tray, I just knew that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” he said.

Stephen bought his first underwater camera from a surfer, and initially enjoyed underwater photography as a hobby. Once he finished school he spent six months in Hawaii working as a tourism photographer, shooting what he described as “drunk people at luaus at night,” and diving and shooting underwater photos during the day.

Stephen shot this brilliant photo of Key Largo's iconic Christ of the Abyss statue.

Subsequently he gave up the island life and scuba diving for “coat weather” and a darkroom job as a custom color printer in Colorado.

Competitive swimming had been a big part of Stephen’s youth, and coincidentally it’s what brought him to the Florida Keys. An old friend from his swimming days, who was living in Key Largo and working as a treasure hunter, invited him to visit.

He arrived in Key Largo in April 1978 and immediately realized he could make a living processing film and renting camera equipment.

He rented a small space in what was then the Ocean Divers building, eventually buying the building and creating what is now the Stephen Frink Gallery and his working office.

Surprisingly, he has never taken an underwater photography class. Instead, he perfected his craft by trial and error.

“Underwater photography is so unique,” Stephen said. “Each day you dive is going to be a little different, and there’s always the challenge to photograph even a familiar subject in a better way.”

Stephen captured this manta ray and the remora fish tagging along with it.

On a rainy winter day in 1979 — a day he remembers distinctly — he began his work as an educator.

“A guy drove up in a brand new Cadillac and asked me if I taught underwater photography,” Stephen said. “I thought the guy looked like he could pay for it, so I said, ‘Of course I do,’ and I’ve been teaching ever since.”

Today, he teaches master photographers through the Stephen Frink School of Photography, hosting two underwater photography seminars in Key Largo each summer.

His photojournalism career began in 1982 when a Miami–based magazine needed underwater photos of Marathon. Although Stephen had never used a wide–angle lens, he borrowed one from a friend, took a model down to Marathon and got the shots. Two weeks later, he was called to hit the road and travel to the Cayman Islands to shoot for the magazine.

Since then, Stephen Frink has traveled the globe as a photojournalist and worked with publications including Skin Diver magazine, Scuba Diving and Alert Diver magazine. He also authored a coffee-table book titled “Wonders of the Reef.”

Stephen's photo of his daughter Lexi, swimming with a dolphin when she was only 3 years old, remains close to his heart.

An active environmentalist, Stephen sits on the board of directors of the Sanctuary Friends Foundation of the Florida Keys — a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and sustainable use of the area’s coral reef ecosystem. He finds himself in constant awe of the world that lies just offshore in the Keys.

“Sometimes I’ll be out with my buddies and we just shake our heads with disbelief,” he said. “So many places I go just don’t have much marine life anymore, and we have this legacy of conservation here — it is such a big deal. I truly enjoy diving and living here.”

Topics: Environment, Key Largo, Local Color, On the Water, Profiles, Voices Main Archive

It’s not just human visitors who come to the Florida Keys for rest and relaxation — marine mammals in need come calling, too. Some arrive with health problems, while others are orphaned or lost.

Marine mammal rescuers tend to pilot whales at the Marine Mammal Conservancy in Key Largo shortly after a May 2011 stranding. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Whatever brings them to the Keys, dolphins, whales and manatees that need help find a willing and dedicated group of rescuers. Caring professionals and volunteers try to provide whatever these creatures need, so eventually they can be returned to their pods or home territory.

One of the top rescue organizations grew out of Key Largo’s Dolphins Plus, which was founded in 1979 and offered the first dolphin swim program in America. Over the next 20 years, it expanded and opened Dolphin Cove just a mile away. Both centers support the activities of two nonprofit organizations — Island Dolphin Care, where the staff works with high-risk people, wounded veterans and special-needs children; and the Marine Mammal Conservancy.

Established in 1995, the conservancy operates under a permit from the National Marine Fisheries Service as a response and rehabilitation center for stranded marine mammals. In fact, it often takes the lead in efforts to save their lives.

The conservancy is one of 12 teams in the U.S. authorized under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to rehabilitate dolphins and whales. MMC personnel have been involved since 1987 — when the first federally authorized attempts were made to rehabilitate marine mammals.

A Marine Mammal Conservancy expert attempts to help two stranded whales in May 2011. (Photo by Mariela Care, Florida Keys News Bureau)

But that’s not all the organization does. The conservancy’s research program is working to develop a science-based model program for marine mammal rehabilitation and release. Plus, it provides important data to environmental researchers to help them understand the causes of strandings.

Working with other organizations, individual researchers and the National Marine Fisheries Service, MMC rehabilitates survivors of a stranding event — and, whenever possible, releases them back into their ocean home.

Another nonprofit, Dolphin Research Center on Grassy Key, promotes peaceful coexistence, cooperation and communication between marine mammals, humans and the environment through research and education. A group of dolphins lives at DRC, including descendants of “Flipper” from the 1960s film.

DRC also is the Florida Keys’ licensed manatee rescue team, authorized by state and federal governments. Specially trained assessors, rescuers and medical personnel respond to sick, injured or orphaned manatees.

Mary Stella gets a kiss from one of Dolphin Research Center's resident dolphins. (Photo courtesy of DRC)

According to DRC’s Mary Stella, the response begins when a call comes in from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission that a manatee is in trouble.

“DRC-trained personnel can perform an on-site assessment of the animal’s condition,” Mary explained. “Based on their report, if the decision is made that the manatee needs treatment, the DRC team can mobilize to help.”

One well-known manatee, Bonnie, is considered a “serial entangler” for her repeated encounters with monofilament fishing line. DRC’s first rescue, treatment and release of Bonnie occurred in April 1999. In 2003, she required a flipper amputation because of a deeply embedded and irreparable entanglement. She later recovered and was released.

Bonnie can navigate without a problem and has even raised manatee “kids,” but she has suffered additional entanglements over the years that led to more rescues and treatment.

Sea turtles too find help and healing in the Keys -- at the acclaimed Turtle Hospital. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

As well as getting tangled in improperly discarded monofilament line and other marine debris, manatees can be hurt in collisions with boats.

“It’s up to each of us out on the water to properly collect and dispose of any trash, and to slow down and look around for manatees when we’re on our boats,” said Mary Stella. “The public is the first line of defense — humans cause many of the problems encountered by manatees, so it’s incumbent on us to help them.”

FYI, marine mammals aren’t the only creatures that receive help in the caring Florida Keys. People and groups provide food, compassion and treatment for sea turtles, wild birds and even feral cats.

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Environment, Key Largo, Marathon, On the Water, Voices Main Archive

The fastest woman in the underwater world lives in the Florida Keys. In fact, the fastest woman in the underwater world, Kelly Friend, is an exuberant blonde who’s proud to be a seventh-generation Keys resident.

Kelly Friend enjoys a victory lap after powering her DPV to an amazing underwater speed record. (Photo by David Sirak)

Kelly’s roots run so deep in the island chain that her family dates back to 1820, just after Key West’s settlement.

“The romance of the ocean is genetically imprinted within me,” she says. “I remember swimming and boating all the time as a kid — my parents used to take me to Higgs Beach when I was barely even two years old. Snorkeling and exploring the reef was simply what we did back then.”

Kelly didn’t earn her speed title for swimming, boating or snorkeling. Instead, in early October at Florida’s Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, she set the world’s first underwater speed record for driving a DPV — also known as a diver propulsion vehicle or underwater scooter — propelling it at a remarkable 2.58 mph.

But that’s not all. The day after setting the record, Kelly was forced to defend it against a challenger who temporarily bested her — and trounced the challenger by reclaiming the record with an amazing top speed of 4.55 mph.

Kelly earned her first racing triumphs on land. (Photo courtesy of Cope's Creations)

Her first racing triumphs, however, were achieved on land. After high school in Key West and college in Texas, Kelly took up motorcycle road racing in the early 1990s. She finished the 1995 season with a regional championship and a twelfth-place ranking in the national finals.

In 2000 Kelly began working for Key West’s Audio Video In Paradise and eventually bought the business. She quickly rediscovered free diving and spearfishing as both competitive and contemplative sports.

Then, in May 2009, the 523-foot-long General Hoyt S. Vandenberg was sunk as an artificial reef about seven miles south of Key West in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Affectionately nicknamed the Vandy, the former Air Force missile tracking ship was the second-largest vessel in the world ever scuttled to become an artificial reef.

Kelly steers her DPV around the Vandenberg artificial reef. (Photo by Digital Island Media)

The Vandy is so huge that its hull rests on sand in about 150 feet of water, but its superstructure begins about 45 feet below the surface. And that’s where Kelly’s need for speed and love of the underwater world combined into a whole new adventure.

“I caught a segment on CNN about underwater scooter racing around the Vandenberg and immediately called the co-founder of the sanctioning body, the Wreck Racing League, who was my friend Joe Weatherby,” she explains. “I had finally found my true love — back on the race course and underwater!”

In May, Kelly participated in the Vandenberg Underwater Grand Prix, where divers using DPVs sped around the ship’s superstructure. Demonstrating both speed and style, she took top honors in the Wreck Racing League’s recreational class with two first-place victories and a third-place podium finish.

Now Kelly hopes for more underwater challenges and triumphs. (Photo by Mike Hentz)

Founded to inspire greater awareness about artificial reefs, the Wreck Racing League is the organization that recognized and recorded Kelly’s recent speed record in Weeki Wachee.

Despite earning the title of the fastest woman in the underwater world, she’s not planning to rest on her laurels any time soon. Instead, she’ll continue to compete in her chosen sport.

“The spirit of competition and camaraderie of racers is a great mix,” she says, “both above and below the water line.”

Chances are, as DPV racing gains fame among divers drawn to exhilarating adventures, you’ll be hearing plenty more about speedy Key Wester Kelly Friend.

Topics: Highlights, Key West, On the Water, Profiles, 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

Truth be told, I can’t remember the first time I met Richie Moretti. I know it was pre-1985.

Television nature host Jack Hanna (left} and Hanna's wife Suzi help Richie Moretti examine a loggerhead sea turtle. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

He had a small “Mom and Pop” motel in Marathon called Hidden Harbor. Richie and his girlfriend, Tina Brown, had begun filling the motel’s saltwater-fed pool with fish. There were tarpon, snappers, jacks, triggerfish, a small goliath grouper, Florida lobsters and a blowfish that followed Richie as he walked around the pool’s perimeter.

I asked why.

“Because I like getting up in the morning and going swimming with the fishes,” Richie replied.

I shook my head in wonderment — but what the heck. Even back then, I had begun to understand that the Florida Keys are a place of character and characters. Certainly Richie was (and still is!) a character.

One day he called me to say he was trying to get a Fish and Wildlife permit to keep a sea turtle. Again, I asked why.

Richie (center) displays a proclamation honoring The Turtle Hospital on its 25th anniversary. Shown with him are Florida Keys Mayor Pro Tem David Rice and Mayor Heather Carruthers. (Photo by Larry Benvenuti, Florida Keys News Bureau)

“We’re bringing in school groups now to teach kids the importance of preserving their marine environment,” Richie said. “I’ve had several requests to see one, because of this new cartoon that’s out there.”

I said he must mean the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

“Yeah, that’s it,” he agreed. “Those martial arts-fighting reptiles.”

Richie got his first turtle and then another.

Later, someone called to report a turtle that had been hit by a boat.

“Bring it here,” said Richie. “I’ll take care of it.”

Now, you must understand that Richie had no veterinary experience. He made his money in Orlando restoring Volkswagen Beetles. But that didn’t stop him. He managed to convince local vets to help out.

In September 1986, The Turtle Hospital was born.

One day, Richie was brought a turtle that had hideous cauliflower-like tumors over its head and flippers. He tried to find out what the problem was, but no one knew.

Sandy, shown here, was flown in to be treated at The Turtle Hospital after being injured by wild dogs. Eventually she was released back into her home territory.

He did learn that sea turtles around the world were washing up on shorelines with the same disease. Determined to do something about it, Richie contacted the University of Florida School of Veterinary Medicine. Vets there agreed to begin a research project.

Several years later the disease was identified as fibropapilloma, a herpes-like virus. It was discovered that, in many cases, the tumors could be removed and the turtles released back into the wild.

A place to do surgery was needed, so Richie purchased Fanny’s, a closed-down strip club next to his motel. He used his own money to gut the place and build a surgical suite, examination room, commons area, classroom and an upstairs apartment for visiting vets. The one item that didn’t get torn down was the dance pole in the middle of the building.

Since its opening, the hospital has treated and rehabilitated more than 1,200 sick or injured sea turtles and assisted tens of thousands of hatchlings gone astray after exiting their nests.

Sara, "the world's luckiest sea turtle," undergoes a final checkup by Richie (right) and other Turtle Hospital staff members before her release. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Among the most memorable patients was Kincaid, a sick 80-pound loggerhead sea turtle that managed to find its own way to the hospital. Kincaid swam near a dock just 20 feet from the hospital’s rehabilitation pools for several hours without leaving. Upon close examination, staff determined he had a bacterial infection, treated him and released him 10 weeks later.

It was a lucky coincidence that Kincaid found The Turtle Hospital. But one thing’s for sure: turtles don’t need health insurance when they come in. Each gets treated.

Turtles have arrived from all over the eastern seaboard and Caribbean. Sandy flew in on an American Airlines jet after getting attacked by wild dogs on a Virgin Islands beach. Less than a year later she was flown back, good as new, and released to lay her eggs.

Not long ago, Richie and everyone at The Turtle Hospital celebrated a very special moment. A loggerhead turtle named Sara was released, less than six weeks after she arrived with a diver’s spear in her head.

Former President Jimmy Carter (left) grins delightedly as he holds a juvenile green sea turtle at Marathon's Turtle Hospital. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Why anyone would want to do that is unfathomable. Loggerheads are endangered and federally protected. People in the Keys are not happy. They’ve raised a reward of more than $16,000 in cash, plus complimentary services — like eight hours of welding — for the tipster who provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of the imbecile that launched the spear into Sara’s head.

“This has to be one of the luckiest turtles in history,” said Doug Mader, the fulltime volunteer vet who works with the hospital’s staff of 12. “The spear went in just behind the ear, crisscrossed over the windpipe and lodged against the jaw on the other side. Quarter of an inch in either direction and that animal would be dead.”

Education remains a priority at The Turtle Hospital and tours are offered daily at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., with tour fees funding ongoing treatment programs.

Many famous folks have visited the hospital — including former President Jimmy Carter, who toured in 2010 and helped release a recovered turtle.

I watched in amazement as President Carter hung on Richie’s every word as he was shown the facility. He was unbelievably interested in the entire operation.

Jimmy Carter (right) and Richie help carry Danger, the loggerhead sea turtle, just before Danger's release. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

I credit that to Richie. He cares so much about sea turtles, and that concern is so infectious, that it’s impossible to walk away without getting “the fever.”

Recently, Florida Keys county commissioners declared Sept. 24, 2011, to be “Richie Moretti and The Turtle Hospital Day,” honoring 25 years of serving the marine environment.

“I don’t have grandchildren,” Richie told the commissioners. “These turtles are my grandchildren.”

No doubt about that.

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Local Color, Marathon, On the Water, Voices Main Archive

September is a languid, laid-back month in the Florida Keys. On most days, a light breeze tempers the sun-drenched temperatures, and room rates are enticingly low at most resorts and bed-and-breakfast properties.

The Lower Keys' small pristine islands are a great place to "unplug" and enjoy the natural world. (Photo courtesy of Strike Zone Charters)

In fact, it’s the perfect season to spend a lazy interval on the water in the Lower Keys, discovering the intriguing natural environment while treating body and mind to some “unplugged” relaxation.

For example, Big Pine Key’s Strike Zone Charters is well known for dive and snorkel trips to places like Looe Key Reef and the 210-foot Adolphus Busch shipwreck. But they also offer an island excursion and picnic that’s a great way to unwind with family and friends.

The excursions begin at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. daily on Strike Zone’s 40-foot glass-bottom catamaran — and even kids as young as toddlers can enjoy the experience with their families.

Attractions include snorkeling in shallow protected waters, the chance to glimpse aquatic birds, spotting stingrays and sometimes dolphins in the wild, a sample of light-tackle fishing and entertaining narration about the Keys’ history and environment.

Strike Zone passengers travel on a comfortable catamaran during their island excursion and picnic. (Photo courtesy of Strike Zone Charters)

Trip passengers learn how the individual Florida Keys got their names, the history of the railroad that first connected the island chain with the mainland and facts about the Keys’ birds, wildlife and marine life.

But that’s not all. The highlight is Strike Zone’s popular fish cookout on an uninhabited island — surrounded by shallow water ideal for wading. (For kids who don’t eat fish, the captain/chef grills hotdogs cut into octopus shapes.)

Excursions include snorkel and fishing gear, soft drinks and the fish cookout. Trips depart from Strike Zone’s headquarters at mile marker (MM) 29.5 bayside.

For reservations and details, visit www.strikezonecharter.com.

To benefit both mind and body, try paddleboard yoga classes. (Photo by Romi Burian)

What combines mind and body relaxation, healthful exercise and an eco-experience in Florida Keys waters? Paddleboard yoga classes from Lazy Dog, a unique outdoor adventure company located at Hurricane Hole Marina, 5114 Overseas Highway on Stock Island.

The two-hour classes are divided equally between paddling time and yoga practice. Participants first paddle out to the calm backcountry waters, spotting sea life and wading birds along the way.

The yoga experience is designed to still the mind and increase flexibility and strength through chanting, breathwork and seated and standing postures — all using the board as a “mat” while connecting with nature in a tranquil mangrove setting. The class ends with a paddle back to the dock.

Beginners through experienced yoga practitioners are welcome. For more information, including costs, visit www.lazydog.com.

And speaking of Lazy Dog, it may be a dog’s life — but in the Keys, that life can include a dog’s-eye exploration of azure waters by kayak, while the humans do all the paddling. As well as paddleboard yoga, Lazy Dog offers Doggie Paddle guided kayak excursions for people and their pooches.

This canine quartet is clearly ready for a kayak adventure. (Photo courtesy of Lazy Dog)

Dog-loving kayak guides lead the two-hour excursions, and paddlers travel through the mangrove shallows to a sandbar where two-footed and four-footed friends can frolic together in the warm saltwater.

Or, to enjoy a completely laid-back afternoon, take a languid swim at Bahia Honda State Park — where the beach has earned repeated kudos as one of America’s top 10.

The park is located on Bahia Honda Key at MM 37. For info, click here.

In fact, with so many ways to unplug and relax in the Lower Keys, this tranquil subtropical area just might have inspired the phrase “low key.”

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

In the 1700s sailors with the British Royal Navy brought fine goods to the Caribbean colonies, sailing the seas and earning the nickname “limey” for their practice of sucking limes to prevent scurvy on long voyages.

Captain Tony Murphy, who skippers the aptly-named Key Limey, displays a substantial prize.

Today, Tony Murphy is a limey who brings fun and laughter to the Florida Keys — both with his light-tackle guide business on his boat Key Limey, and at Captain Tony Murphy’s Saltwater Angler fishing outfitter.

“I always want to have fun; it’s all about having fun,” Tony said. “When it comes to guiding, if you’re having fun, your equipment is fantastic, your boat is clean and you present yourself … then the fish are just extra.”

Tony attributes his success as a guide to his passion for fishing and unconditional ability to have fun.

He caught his first chub fish at age 4 in the Thames River, and he’s been hooked on angling ever since. The self-proclaimed fishing fanatic grew up in London, and spent every weekend fishing with his uncle 30 miles away in Henley.

A two-week teenage holiday turned into a life change for the Londoner when he met a third-generation Key West native, fell in love, got married and moved to the Keys.

Tony began living in the Keys in 1986 and took his first job on a boat in 1988 as the first mate on the Lucky II. Later, with two days’ instruction, he learned commercial fishing and spent four years pursuing the profession.

Angling has been Tony's passion since the Londoner captured his first fish at age 4.

“Down here when you actually show up for work, word gets around,” Tony advised. “You get a lot of opportunities, and sometimes lucky things just happen to you.”

Even as a young man in his 20s, however, Tony found that commercial fishing took a toll on his body — so he transitioned into guiding. In an era when Key West boasted some of the pioneers of angling, his youth and attitude enabled him to reel with the best of them.

“What was a little different for me, early on, was that the guides who were around at that time were a little bit older and a lot grumpier,” Tony said. “I really like to make people laugh, feel comfortable and relax.”

The limey’s lively persona and guiding expertise earned him the limelight on many television shows over the years.

He was one of the expert anglers who worked with ESPN to put together the Madfin Shark Series Tournament, also a top-rated television series, and participated in and won the event for three consecutive years. In addition, he was the guide of three television shows based on shark fishing for the famed Bill Dance of “Bill Dance Outdoors.”

Tony's engaging personality and extensive angling experience made him a natural choice for more than one of television's notable outdoors shows.

Tony’s most challenging catch came in 2008, when a client offered him the opportunity to purchase a premier Key West angling outfitter called the Saltwater Angler.

Today he guides a few days a week, primarily for repeat clients, but spends most of his time running the Saltwater Angler. There he oversees 24 employees and refers business to 32 flats guides, 15 light-tackle guides and eight offshore boats. He hopes to make the Saltwater Angler an iconic shop that’s a must-see for all visitors to Key West.

“In the Florida Keys, we have so much going for us,” he said. “By the time we get people down here, it’s our job as guides to make sure they have a ‘Florida Keys experience,’ and I love being a part of their experience.”

These days Captain Tony Murphy is remarried, raising two sons and devotes his free time to his family. Happily settled in the subtropical Keys, he never wants to live in the cold hustle and bustle of London again — but, like a true limey, will forever have a passion for soccer, rugby and cricket.

Topics: Key West, Local Color, On the Water, Profiles, 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