REDDOG DIVING – KEY LARGO, FLORIDA

Key Largo Underwater Scenes

 

Doug Cook’s Website for Scuba Diving Adventures

and Underwater Photography

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 

 

Doug graduated from the University of Michigan in December, 1976 with a BS in Biological Oceanography and a NAUI Scuba Instructor Certificate.  Prospects in oceanography were not open with a BS so the lure of warmer climates and coral reefs took him to Key Largo.  Doug worked as a scuba instructor and dive shop manager with American Diving Headquarters until he borrowed enough money to buy the boat “Mary Metro” and scuba charter business from the legendary dive guide Steve Klem, “the Pied Piper of Pennekamp”.

 

Music that defined Doug’s Key Largo “early retirements years”:

(play but please do not copy)

 

MARGARITAVILLE

 

FINS

 

 

Doug was a free lance photo journalist and underwater photography instructor (PUBLICATIONS). His arsenal of photo equipment included four Nikonos cameras, a RolleiMarine housing and RolleiFlex camera, 

and an ancient Bolex 16mm movie camera and housing.

Today life is simple and easy with just a Cannon SD-800 in a WD-PC5 housing: 

Still and video with automatic focus, exposure, and white balance!

 

The ‘Christ of the Abyss Statue’ at the Key Largo Dry Rocks is the renowned symbol of Pennkamp Park and is one of the most commonly visited dive sites.  At this spot, Doug has seen turtles, bull sharks, hammerhead sharks, eagle rays, and a playful manta ray. 

 

 

 

Beautiful branching Elkhorn coral used to attest to the health of a Caribbean reef…

 

In his tenure in the Keys from 1969 to 1982, Doug witnessed very substantial decline of these beautiful and fragile reefs.  Some of this is documented below:

 

A DYING REEF

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful coral caves of Pennekamp Park

 

 

Schools of millions of silverside minnows inhabit the coral caves in the summer months.  They envelope you in a shimmering cloud but your motion causes them to stand off in a wall about three feet from you as if you have an invisible force field.  Doug’s wife Elizabeth models with the camera.

 

 

 

Divers and snorkelers on the City of Washington wreck at the Elbow

 

Exploring the City of Washington wreck

 

Elizabeth exploring the ‘steamer wreck’ at Molasses Reef.

 

Elizabeth finds a 1700’s era ship’s anchor near North Key Largo Dry Rocks.   Spanish treasure nearby?

 

Water spouts are a common sight in the summer around the Keys.  They can be powerful enough to toss boats around and so should be respected.  Doug once surfaced from a dive knowing that a storm had moved in but was surprised to see four water spouts in the area with one bearing down on the boat.  He got all his divers in the boat and quickly pulled anchor to veer away from the spout.

 

 

One of the things Doug misses most about the Keys are the beautiful sunsets he used to take for granted.

 

Feeding sharks, barracuda, moray eels, and most everything swimming around the coral reefs.

 

Key Largo Marine Life

 

TOP INDEX

 

 

 

 

 

In his tenure in the Keys from 1969 to 1982, Doug witnessed very substantial decline of these beautiful and fragile reefs.  Some of this is documented below:

 

A DYING REEF

 

DON’T TOUCH OR ACCIDENTALLY BUMP OR BREAK CORAL!

 

This is the largest brain coral Doug has ever seen- over ten feet in diameter and only a short distance from the Christ of the Abyss Statue. It took hundreds of years to grow this large!  In a short time, poor health allowed invading algae and parrotfish (coral eaters) to threaten its destruction.  Please email Doug Cook if you can give a recent report on the condition of this massive coral head.

 

Anchor damage from careless boaters can invite fatal coral disease.

 

 

Star Coral bleaching (losing its symbiotic zooxanthellae that provide food and characteristic coral color)

 

This once majestic stand of Elkhorn coral contracted white band coral disease and died in a short time.  The poor health of coral has many causes some of which may be pollution from development, stress from too many divers, hurricanes, and temperature extremes.  Normal reef temperatures range from 69 to 86 deg F. A few degrees too cold or too warm can be catastrophic but if normal conditions return a reef can recover.

 

White band coral disease (bleaching followed by invasion of algae).

 

Contrast this to the beautiful scenes of Elkhorn coral above and weep!

 

 

Feeding sharks, barracuda, moray eels, and most everything swimming around the coral reefs.

 

Key Largo Marine Life

 

TOP INDEX