the reef..................... from P

Everything is a different color than "normal." Of course, the first thing you notice is the water: interlocking streaks of aqua blue, cobalt blue, and a very light swimming-pool color. The bottom around the coral is white sand with patches of brown grass. Even the sun looks different - very white.

It was a big decision to navigate through Angelfish Cut and come outside the chain of keys (key chain?) into the Hawk Channel. Hawk Channel is about two to five miles wide and ten to twenty feet deep, running between the keys and the reefs on the ocean side. There are only two other places along the keys to transit between the bay side and the ocean side, so it is a commitment. But it was a good decision. At the North Dry Rocks we tied Senara to one of the mooring balls that have been graciously provided for snorkelers' use by the park service. Even though it extends 6 miles or so off shore, the entire reef is part of John Pennekamp State Park. It was a little nerve-racking to steer Senara up into a reef with waves breaking on the coral not more than 50 yards away, but the moorings are well placed so we tied on and jumped in. Actually, while we were pulling on our wet suits, I noticed the boat was moving - sure enough the mooring ball tether had somehow worked its way off the bow cleat and we were free drifting (thankfully toward the channel, not toward the reef). I thought to myself: self, what would you have done if we were both snorkeling and looked up to find Senara gone? Self could not come up with a good answer. So the second time we caught the mooring ball tether, I cleated it tightly on one bow cleat, then took another line and lashed the teather across to a second cleat. Even while snorkeling I peeked up a few times just to make sure she (the boat) was still there.

Once we settled in the water and cleared our masks, we found that colorful, silent other world. All the colors came toward us. First, a school of small yellow fish hanging around a patch of purple fan coral. Then a big colorful clown fish and a large white flat fish with a purple streak down his back. Then white sandy bottom, and a huge (3 or 4 feet long) silver barracuda looking fish, which I can never remember the name of. That's when K squeezed my hand hard. Later we were back on board sunning ourselves and our gear, wondering if we had just been dreaming again.

K getting ready to go

Mooring balls at the reef