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

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

(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