Some people are dedicated to catching fish, while others are dedicated to eating fish. Lower Keys artist Kim Workman, however, has dedicated much of her adult life to rubbing fish to create unique images.

The Lower Keys' Kim Workman is a master of the art of gyotaku. (Photos courtesy of Kim Workman)

Rubbing fish? Though mind-boggling to most in the Western world, this technique, known as gyotaku, is well known in the Japanese culture. Named combining the words gyo meaning “fish” and taku meaning “rubbing,” the art form originated in the mid-19th century as a way for Japanese fisherman to record the size of their catch.

Typically, the gyotaku process begins with placing the fish on a wooden bench and painting it with black sumi ink. White rice paper is then pressed over the fish and rubbed gently. When the paper is lifted, an exact black ink positive image is revealed. Kim enhances her fish images by adding watercolors.

In fact, Kim and her late husband Ian evolved the traditional art form into a process they called Kimian.

“Although both of us could print and paint, Ian did most of the fish rubbings and I did the paintings in bright bold colors,” Kim explained. “Because we created the art together we signed it combining our first names, Kimian. We called it ‘two arts beating as one’.”

Gyotaku artists take freshly caught fish and make trophy art prints from them.

The daughter of a marine conservationist and descendant of pioneer shrimpers, Kim grew up on America’s Gulf Coast.

“That great love of the sea was passed on to me,” she said. “Whether it was from childhood experiences or genetically inherited, the sea flows through my veins as it did my ancestors’.”

Kim discovered her talent for art as a child, but pursued another career as an adult. She owned a health club for 20 years and focused her time and energy on fitness.

Kim’s husband Ian was a marine biologist who shared her love of the sea and fitness. He even proposed to her while they were scuba diving in Cozumel, Mexico.

“Ian drifted past me holding a slate with the written words ‘will you marry me?’” Kim recalled. “Surrounded by beautiful coral and breathtaking tropical fish, I nodded yes.”

The couple married and opened a dive shop adjacent to Kim’s health club, while Ian also worked as a fishery biologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Kim and Ian Workman, shown several years ago, work with a team installing their “Back Country” gyotaku on hand-made paper, mounted on canvas panels, in the airport terminal.

Kim rediscovered her love of art in the early 1990s when Ian introduced her to gyotaku, a process he studied in college for scientific purposes. The couple’s gyotaku paintings became so successful that they opened a gallery in 1992.

Subsequently, they began making frequent trips to the Keys — Ian for his work as a marine biologist, and Kim to print and paint fish.

“The Keys are so different from the Gulf Coast,” Kim Workman said. “I had never seen water so beautiful in the U.S. as it is in the Keys.”

The couple bought a home on Cudjoe Key in 2000 and relocated permanently in March 2003. Word quickly spread that they were taking freshly caught fish and making trophy art prints from them. Soon, Kimian art could be found in local galleries among other places, and in private collections.

In 2008, the Workmans were commissioned to create a large piece for the Key West International Airport terminal. It was the last piece they created together, and remains dearest to Kim Workman’s heart. Ian fell ill in October 2008 and died July 4, 2009.

The Workmans' large piece in the Key West International Airport terminal remains the one dearest to Kim's heart.

“I took a break from painting and printing for six months and wondered if I could ever paint again. I found I could and I did,” Kim said. “I knew Ian would be angry with me if I didn’t.”

Kim rediscovered her artistic passion in 2010 on a trip to Japan where she studied with master gyotaku artist Mineo Yamamoto. She also taught a gyotaku class to schoolchildren in Singapore and traveled the region with paper and ink.

Since returning home, Kim has expanded beyond prints and says she enjoys creating gyotaku-inspired sculptures and more. Today, her art can be found at several Keys galleries.

“I love traveling, but there is no place like home in the Keys,” she said, “with water that is the color of lime Jello and those beautiful reefs that can only be described as indescribable.”

Topics: Arts, Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Local Color, Profiles, Voices Main Archive

He’s known as Lighthouse Larry. The Islamorada-based artist has fashioned his passion for lighthouses into creating exact scale replicas of six historical beacons off the Florida Keys — three of them built before the Civil War.

Larry Herlth's lighthouse replicas, such as Alligator and Sombrero lights, inspire others to learn more about the Keys' historic beacons. (Photos by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Born in Chicago, 50-something Larry Herlth has lived most of his life in the Keys. As a Keys kid, he was amazed at a local lobster fisherman’s ability to carve a dolphin from coral rock — and discovered that he too was adept at the craft. Soon, people were asking him to carve coral rock dolphins.

When he returned to Islamorada after spending his high school years in California, Larry continued developing his talent for sketching and creating sculptures in stone and coral rock.

But it wasn’t till a friend requested him to build a dock jetty light that Larry became inspired by lighthouses. He first created a replica of Alligator Lighthouse off Islamorada, which dates back to 1873, and his enthusiasm snowballed from there.

Now, having forged replicas of the 160-year-old Carysfort Lighthouse located off the northern end of Key Largo and Sombrero Lighthouse off Marathon, as well as Alligator Light, Larry hopes to re-create each of the once-lived-in and manned lighthouses along the Florida Keys island chain — in several sizes.

In crafting his lighthouse replicas, Larry pays great attention to detail, recreating each feature of the original to scale.

He plans to include Fowey Rocks off Key Biscayne, the ornate Victorian-era American Shoals, the last lighthouse that was built in 1880 off the southernmost tip of Big Pine Key, and Sand Key, built in 1853 off Key West.

His passion earned him his Lighthouse Larry nickname. He finds it a bit comical, but accepts it for a serious reason.

“In building the lighthouses, learning their history, talking about them around the community, I have taken on a true desire to get the word out to save them because of the historical value,” Larry explained. “If that leaves me with the name Lighthouse Larry, so be it. I am proud to wear that name.”

Larry creates his replicas from photographs of each lighthouse, using copper and brazing techniques to heighten and achieve the visual effects of smaller details. He spends an average of 200 to 300 man-hours on a single replica (depending on the size). For pieces more than 20 feet tall, he uses stronger welded steel.

“I strictly go by picture(s) and my eye. I don’t use blueprints,” said Larry, whose work is considered expressionism blended with realism. “There’s no challenge in using plans — if it feels right, that’s what I do.”

Larry doesn’t use blueprints or plans, but instead plans his projects with photographs and the naked eye.

Today, Larry and his wife Keira have two daughters, 23-year-old Lacy and 15-year-old Kyia. An avid triathlete and spear fisherman, he’s a soft-spoken man whose influence on his daughters is apparent. Both are artistically inclined and Lacy is destined for a graphic arts career.

Lighthouse Larry’s sculptures are publicly displayed outside Upper Keys banks and restaurants, including a 20-foot replica of Alligator Light at Islamorada’s Kaiyo Grill. His intention is to create a lighthouse park where people can stop, read the entire history and see what stands just offshore of the Florida Keys.

“I do want to bring attention to the actual beauty of these lighthouses in their design and incredible architecture and strength,” Larry said. “They have held up to the wind, the oceans for 160 years, through many hurricanes, and they are still standing — and hopefully will always be standing.”

Topics: Arts, History, Islamorada, Local Color, On the Water, Profiles, Voices Main Archive

Chocolate’s rich, dark history dates back 2,000 years according to historians, but visitors to Key Largo are discovering a newfound love of cocoa confections thanks to the talents of Kristie Thomas. As well as being the culinary creator behind Key Largo Chocolates, she’s currently the only chocolatier in the Florida Keys.

A passionate chocolatier, Kristie makes many appearances at Keys festivals with her truffles. (Photos courtesy of Key Largo Chocolates)

Kristie has a passion for baking Key lime cakes and crafting chocolate shells into a creative niche for truffles, each handmade from natural ingredients including the best chocolate from around the globe.

Much of the world’s cacao comes from areas within 20 degrees of the equator, she reports, and one of her favorite cacao products is Machu Picchu from Peru.

Kristie’s husband Bob oversees the company’s marketing, handling custom orders and special events. He refers to his wife’s superbly sweet talents as having “panache with ganache.”

Key Largo Chocolates, located at mile marker 100.5 bayside, grew out of Kristie’s success with her first love — Key lime cakes. Not a professional baker, she attended cake school for cake design and decorating, and dabbled in making her daughter’s Key lime wedding cake in addition to decorative and delectable chocolate seashells.

At a flavor university, Kristie trained among researchers for Kellogg’s, Quaker Oats and candy companies to detect flavor notes and tastes. That training helped develop her ability to balance the cocoa with yummy additions of Ké Ké Key Lime Liquor, bourbon, whiskey and secret spices.

Kristie’s neat-as-a-button chocolate factory and store delight the senses.

In addition to her numerous “everyday” truffles, Kristie concocts seasonal treats that include a dizzying array of flavorful fudges, toffees and specialty barks made with peppermint, cream, pralines and hazelnuts.

A while back, her “pumpkin-pie-less” spiced truffle even won first place in the dessert category at the annual Key Largo Cookoff. However, there’s no pumpkin in it — just secret spices.

The Key Largo kudo is not the only award Kristie has won. Her Key lime truffles placed second in a nationwide taste competition in Atlantic City, behind an offering from the Ruth’s Kris steakhouse conglomerate.

“We’re just a little chocolate company,” Kristie said modestly. “We’ve grown in leaps and bounds, and we enter contests and festivals as often as we can to help our growth spurts.”

Her Key lime confections include freshly squeezed, locally grown limes. With the help of a pastry chef, she creates six- and eight-inch Key lime cakes and cupcakes in addition to rum cakes, a flavor favorite. Her passion for working with chocolate runs as deep.

Kristie says keeping the chocolate for her truffles tempered, or at a temperature ideal for its sheen and consistency, is a challenge in the humid climate of the subtropical Florida Keys since chocolate can absorb moisture.

Kristie has mastered how to temper her chocolate and create beautifully flavored seashells with an attractive sheen.

“To make up to 300 truffles a day, the chocolate needs to be perfect,” she said. With air conditioning and dehumidifiers, she manages to keep her kitchen near a cool 68 degrees.

Entering Kristie’s vibrant store, visitors are greeted by a daunting display of aromatic chocolates to choose from — each a shiny melt-in-your-mouth nugget of heaven. Packaged in lovely boxes, the truffles tempt customers to sneak a sample even before they make it out the door. Plus, the emporium offers ice cream.

In addition, some Upper Keys hotels as well as Key Largo and Islamorada retail stores carry Key Largo Chocolates. Patrons at Key Largo restaurants might also be fortunate enough to find a mousse-filled chocolate seashell on the dessert specials menu.

No matter where her morsels are found, Kristie Thomas aims to please. She delights in the satisfied faces of her customers that testify how irresistible her creations can be.

“People like to treat themselves,” she summed up. “People love chocolates.”

Topics: Food, Key Largo, Local Color, Profiles, Voices Main Archive

Key West is a truly friendly place. One of those rare places, in fact, where you might be a stranger when you arrive on vacation, but you certainly won’t be one when you reluctantly depart. (That is, if you DO depart. Some people, like me, come down for a brief “escape from the real world” and never leave!)

"Wench" Julie and her husband Captain Finbar of the Schooner Wolf are among Key West's warmhearted "friends you haven't met yet." (Photo by Rob O'Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)

I have a simple theory about the reason for that friendliness: people who live on this tiny coral island, with its funky hotspots and century-old architecture and lively creative community, do so because they CHOOSE to — choose to embrace the offbeat, wonderful, close-to-nature lifestyle and make it their own. And when you’re where you choose to live, your contentment spills over into a good-natured, genuine friendliness.

While it’s easy to make Key West friends virtually anywhere, from the beach at Fort Zachary Taylor to the aisles of Fausto’s Food Palace, some potential friends are well worth seeking out in their own surroundings. Here, spotlighted in a few sentences each, are four of them.

Will Soto: Widely known as one of the guiding spirits behind Key West’s famous nightly sunset celebration in Mallory Square, tightrope walker Will Soto has lived on the island for decades. In fact, he’s a guy who took the art of street performing to new heights! Will’s blend of comic patter and daredevil wire-walking makes him a favorite with crowds at the festival-like gathering. Most evenings — unless the wind is too strong for safety — he can be seen balanced high above his audience, silhouetted against the setting sun.

Will Soto takes street performing to "new heights" as he walks a tightrope at Key West's sunset celebration. (Photo by Bob Krist, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Peter Anderson: Peter came to Key West in 1985 and in 1990 was appointed the first Secretary General of the Florida Keys’ alter ego, the Conch Republic — sometimes called “the world’s first fifth-world nation” and “a sovereign state of mind.” An author, event coordinator, raconteur, and self-described “debonair devil-may-care dude,” he has represented the Conch Republic on diplomatic missions to Europe and the Caribbean, and at then-President Clinton’s 1994 Summit of the Americas. Coordinator of the annual 10-day Conch Republic Independence Celebration, he ably carries out the republic’s philosophy of “mitigating world tension through the exercise of humor.”

Nance Frank: Nance operates the Gallery on Greene, a unique and colorful enclave of contemporary fine art on Key West’s Greene Street. The gallery offers an extensive collection of locals’ art — including lighthearted paintings by the late Pulitzer Prize-winner and island resident Jeff MacNelly, and the late Cuban-American folk artist Mario Sanchez, whose vibrant painted woodcarvings depict the Key West of his early 1900s boyhood. (FYI, Nance has written books interpreting Mario’s engaging and often slyly humorous artwork.) Also a master sailor, Nance captained the U.S. Women’s Challenge in the Whitbread Round the World Race, and was the first woman skipper of the classic Newport-Bermuda Race and Soviet/U.S. Women’s Sailing Summit.

Sir Peter Anderson, secretary general of the Keys’ Conch Republic, pauses for a frosty libation with master Keys musician Howard Livingston.

Buddy Owen: A Conch (Key West native), Buddy is a true local character. He’s the proprietor of B.O.’s Fish Wagon, a tiny, old-fashioned thatched-roof restaurant that looks like something out of “Robinson Crusoe” or “Survivor.” Its funky atmosphere and weathered tables are uniquely Key West, and Buddy himself is a terrific observer of the island’s rhythms and life. His emporium’s specialties include fabulous fresh fish sandwiches (ask him about how the infamous Square Grouper sandwich got its name — trust me, it’s quite a tale!).

Of course, the more time you spend in Key West, the more intriguing people you’ll get to know. Like Jimmy Weekley, a beloved former mayor (and current city commissioner) who can usually be found behind the meat counter at Fausto’s, his family’s grocery store. Or Julie McEnroe, a special event planner and self-proclaimed “wench at heart” who lives aboard the magnificent Schooner Wolf built by her husband. Or Sushi, the elegant drag queen who has become internationally famous for her New Year’s Eve “guest shots” on CNN.

But don’t take my word for it. Make plans now to head for Key West — and discover for yourself an island full of warmhearted, quirky, creative and genuinely welcoming “friends you haven’t met yet.”

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

Ken Nedimyer, a Florida Keys coral restoration expert, was recently named a CNN Hero for his pioneering efforts to develop techniques to preserve coral reefs and motivate the public to get involved in the cause.

Ken Nedimyer displays juvenile coral cuttings in his foundation's coral nursery. (Photo by Kevin Gaines, Coral Restoration Foundation)

Ken is the founder and president of the Key Largo-based Coral Restoration Foundation — an organization that’s doing remarkable work and providing tremendous hope for the future of coral reefs.

According to CNN officials, CNN Heroes are everyday people changing the world — dedicating their lives to giving back to communities, defending the planet by protecting the environment, helping others overcome obstacles or solving problems in a unique way. And Ken Nedimyer certainly meets those criteria.

More than 10,000 “heroes” are nominated each year from about 100 countries around the world. Approximately 25 to 30 heroes are profiled, and the top 10 are chosen at the end of the year by CNN’s editorial board to appear in a special CNN presentation — with each finalist receiving a $50,000 grant.

One of the honorees, to be voted by fans across the globe in the fall, is to be named CNN Hero of the Year, and will receive an additional $250,000 grant.

Ken’s nomination came from Gary Yoss, a diver from Wellington, Fla., who had seen his coral plantings on Molasses Reef off Key Largo.

Ken has been named a CNN Hero for his dedication and pioneering efforts in saving corals. (Photo by Kevin Gaines, Coral Restoration Foundation)

“I had to pinch myself; I’m pretty excited,” Ken said after learning about the honor. “It’s a huge endorsement not just for me, but for the foundation — and this really puts us on the radar.”

Now 56 years old, Ken began coral restoration research efforts about 10 years ago after being involved in tropical fish collecting and aquaculture.

Today, his goal — shared by his small but committed staff of marine scientists — is to restore, cultivate and plant staghorn and elkhorn corals, and hopefully reverse their endangered status.

The Coral Restoration Foundation’s one-acre coral nursery, located in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary off Key Largo, is possibly the world’s largest. It contains nearly 23,000 coral clippings that range from the length of a knuckle up to 15 inches.

The clippings are eventually transplanted to nearby reefs to grow and become independent structures, serving as habitat for a variety of tropical fish, and to subsequently reproduce to add further reef growth on the ocean floor.

“We can be proud hearing ‘Key Largo’ and ‘Florida Keys’ are taking measures to protect resources here,” Ken advised.

Overall, he has leveraged common-sense techniques and worked with scores of volunteers to succeed in an effort that some scientists thought was impossible.

Divers work in the Coral Restoration Foundation's coral nursery off Key Largo in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. (Photo by Tim Grollumund)

It’s an effort that dive-certified Keys visitors can assist — by joining Ken’s “workforce” for coral restoration. Several times a year, coral restoration workshops are based at Upper Keys inns and resorts, attracting visitors who learn about coral reefs and participate in working dives to help out at the nursery.

But it’s not just the Keys’ coral reef that can benefit from Ken’s work. His groundbreaking techniques are also likely to have positive impacts for coral reefs in other tropical areas.

“We are developing a concept we can take to other countries as well,” Ken said. “Ours is a message of hope — I’m convinced this is the solution that can work.”

For his passionate conviction, pioneering actions and dedication to saving endangered corals, Ken Nedimyer truly deserves his new title of “hero.”

Topics: Environment, Highlights, Key Largo, Profiles, Voices Main Archive

While most kids who visit New York’s Coney Island find themselves enthralled by the rides, sights and sounds of the boardwalk, Pasta Pantaleo found himself obsessed with a large replica sailfish.

Islamorada resident and gallery owner Pasta Pantaleo is internationally acclaimed as a gamefish artist. (All photos courtesy of Art by Pasta)

“I grew up with a love of cars, so I always said that sailfish are like a Ferrari and tarpon are like a four-wheel-drive truck,” Pasta said. “I’ve always been fascinated with the structure of a sailfish, and found myself drawing that sailfish from Coney Island millions of times before I ever saw a real sailfish.”

Today, he’s recognized around the world as a gamefish artist and runs the acclaimed Pasta Pantaleo’s Signature Gallery in Islamorada. And as president of the area’s Morada Way Arts and Cultural District, he helps showcase the creative culture of the Upper Keys.

A native of Italy, Pasta spent most of his childhood in an Italian immigrant neighborhood in Brooklyn, N.Y. As a young teenager, he made his way to South Florida.

"Gimme Shelter" showcases Pasta's talent for capturing the underwater world and its gamefish inhabitants.

Though he was born Roberto Pantaleo, he’s gone by the nickname “Pasta” for many years. He inherited it from his older brother Nick, often called “pasta fazul” by friends because of his Italian accent and their problems pronouncing the name Pantaleo.

He credits his artistic talent to another inheritance — abilities passed down from his artist father.

Pasta Pantaleo spent much of his professional life working as a commercial graphic designer, and indulged in sport fishing and boating as hobbies. His career in gamefish art began in 1999, when he was contracted to produce a poster for a Florida fishing tournament.

“That was when I realized that my fishing life, my marine life and my art life could be put together a little bit more,” Pasta said. “Because the two loves I had were painting and fishing.”

Shown here helping local art students, Pasta (right) was chosen Florida's best artist of 2011 by Florida Monthly Magazine.

During the early years of his fine-art career, he worked with several Keys galleries and fishing tournaments, frequently traveling to the Keys for art shows.

In 2006, Pasta decided to move to the Keys permanently. He opened his first gallery, called Keys to Life, on Windley Key.

Soon afterward he began offering gallery nights, partnering with other local galleries and businesses to create culturally entertaining evenings for visitors.

“In my opinion, the fishing guides, artists, musicians and chefs are the fabric of what holds the Keys together,” Pasta explained. “They all work with each other to make a really great experience in the Keys — they’re what people come down here to experience.”

Eventually, those gallery nights and partnerships led to the formation of the Morada Way Arts and Cultural District, a nonprofit volunteer organization whose mission is to increase awareness, knowledge and support of the arts and unique culture of the Upper Keys.

Pasta's "Daily Special" depicts a light-drenched underwater vista.

On the third Thursday of each month, the organization hosts the Morada Way Arts and Cultural District Third Thursday Walkabout. The 5-9 p.m. cultural stroll features national and local artists and artisans who are showcased in galleries along Morada Way — as well as live music, food and vendors.

“I’ve always been a person who likes to band people together to better the community,” Pasta said.

Each day, he strives to improve his craft of capturing the majesty and beauty of the Keys’ marine life and environment. He sees his life in Islamorada as similar to living in a small Italian fishing village … with a slow pace allowing the time to stop and appreciate the natural beauty that inspires his work.

Topics: Arts, Highlights, Islamorada, Local Color, Profiles, 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

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

Fans of Crystal Ruffo’s artistry don’t just appreciate it on a visual level. Instead, they rub her creations into their skin, savor their tropical fragrances and even lather them into pets’ fur.

Crystal Ruffo crafts all-natural tropical bath products at her Key West store.

That’s because Crystal’s artwork doesn’t consist of paintings, sketches or sculptures — it’s a unique type of “mixed media” composed of natural ingredients, fragrant essential oils, botanicals and ground-up minerals blended into tropical hues.

A friendly and outgoing blonde, Crystal is the artisan and owner of Purely Paradise Natural Bath Products. Her inviting emporium, located at 1108-A Duval St. in Key West, offers all-natural personal-care products that she handcrafts on site.

“Many artists work in the mediums of oils and watercolors; I work in the mediums of soaps and salts and bath products,” says Crystal, a longtime Key West resident who explored fiction writing and Web design before discovering her passion for “potions.”

At Purely Paradise, you’ll find a wide range of artisan wares including body and facial butters enriched with mango, scented shampoo with coconut oil and aloe vera, sea salt and sugar scrubs, revitalizing skin toner made with green tea, handcrafted sunburn relief products and even natural aluminum-free deodorants.

Soaps are crafted in whimsical, Keys-inspired shapes and scented with tropical fragrances.

“We can create personalized facial products based on your skin type and what you’re looking for the product to do,” Crystal says. “I especially enjoy creating things for people with allergies — lotions and soaps that make their bodies feel good.”

But it’s not just people who benefit from her soothing proprietary formulas. Motivated by her dog Nicky’s skin and coat problems, Crystal developed a pet shampoo with goat’s milk, shea butter and essential oils to calm skin irritations.

“We use castor oil to make their coats shine but not be oily, and we use several different essential oils which naturally repel insects,” she reveals. “Several of the vets in town recommend our pet shampoos.”

NIcky's sensitive skin inspired Crystal to create pet shampoos for four-footed "customers."

(Nicky’s skin problems, by the way, are now completely gone and his coat is glossy and beautiful.)

Many customers at Purely Paradise favor the fragrant multicolored soaps, all crafted in whimsical shapes that communicate the spirit of the Keys.

You’ll discover palm trees, two-toned flip-flops that invariably evoke a smile, conch shells, cats inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s famed six-toed feline, roguish pirates, bare feet, manatees, parrots, dolphins and intricately “sculpted” mermaids with flowing hair.

Crystal takes particular pleasure in formulating and blending the unique colors that tint her soaps and lotions.

“None of our products are made with artificial coloring or dyes, so I create all of our colors by mixing ground-up minerals together — playing with the colors until I get the shade and hue I like,” she explains. “I try to stay very tropical with aquas for our water, a light ‘Key lime’ green, pinks and corals.”

According to Crystal, Key West is "purely paradise" -- inspiring the name of her Duval Street emporium.

Since its debut in 2010, Purely Paradise has become a gathering spot for locals and visitors drawn by its inviting atmosphere and personalized all-natural offerings. Nonstop tunes by Jimmy Buffett — Crystal’s favorite entertainer — provide a laid-back soundtrack while customers browse, sample lotions and creams, and watch her craft products behind a pastel-painted counter.

“I’ve done many things throughout my life, and many of them were very satisfying,” says the “artist in residence” with a characteristic smile. “But I think this is the most fun and the most self-satisfying adventure that I’ve ever undertaken.”

Topics: Highlights, Key West, Local Color, Profiles, Voices Main Archive