The Mooring Buoy System started with an idea, was implemented on a small scale, and grew to become a world dominating practice. John Halas told me that as an employee of the Key Largo National Marin……続きを見る
First published in English in 1996. 2nd Edition translated into English, French, Italian and German in 1998. 3rd Edition in English, French, Italian and German published with additional information ……続きを見る
"Spadefish are the only species of its family that reside in the Western Atlantic. In the Pacific there are at least six species of spadefish, where they are also commonly known as batfish. While th……続きを見る
I want to spend more time watching redlip blennies. They mate beginning at first light in two week cycles that start ten days before the full moon. The mating sessions last about three hours each mo……続きを見る
"An interesting aspect of the snook population is documented in the telemetry study from the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. They acoustically tagged 30 snook in the 9-square mile Banana R……続きを見る
"How aggressive are damselfish, pound for pound? As it turns out, divers invading their space is not the only thing damselfish exhibit aggression over. I don’t blame them for defending their territo……続きを見る
One of the most popular charismatic mega fauna in our waters is the spotted eagle ray. Kim Bassos-Hull, from Mote Marine Laboratory, has been studying spotted eagle rays (SERs) since 2009. Her work ……続きを見る
Cleaning stations are an essential element in reef ecology. All three parties - cleaners, clients and parasites - are part of a big matrix that runs the gamut from mutually beneficial to intrusive o……続きを見る
There are a few places in the outer edges of the Florida Keys reef tract that are a whole different world. Deep French, Deep Elbow and Deep Molasses are quite different than the shallower namesakes.……続きを見る
I always try to photograph angelfish. My image inventory probably has more angelfish photos than any other group. They are the most colorful and beautiful animals on the reef, in my opinion. Some ar……続きを見る
I have always had a fascination for Goliath groupers. When I first met them, they were called jewfish. Itʼs common knowledge that Goliath groupers were nearly wiped out by overfishing up through the……続きを見る
Today’s thoughts are primarily for all the folks I see with compact camera systems on dive boats. If you are new to underwater photography, I applaud your entry into the submerged imaging realm. It’……続きを見る
There’s one thing I can guarantee I’ll see on every dive. They seem to be in every nook and cranny on the reef. Some sort of butterflyfish will be wherever I’m going. They remind me of those tiny se……続きを見る
Filefish have a protruding mouth with some very sharp teeth, similar to a triggerfish. They have narrow, compressed bodies with rough spiny scales and a front dorsal fin that can be raised or lowere……続きを見る
"Orange cup coral is an invasive species. While lionfish get all the attention, are subjected to extraction derbies and are appropriately placed on a platter, orange cup coral silently keeps on grow……続きを見る
"Hogfish got their name because they root around the sea floor, like a hog roots around the barnyard. They are opportunistic feeders, like their barnyard counterparts, but feed mostly on crabs and m……続きを見る
"As I stood on the boat with my morning coffee and watched the people pile in the boats and head out to the whale sharks, my immediate reaction was “we are in a whale shark theme park”. Pop in a rol……続きを見る
"Puffers are a group of species I like to shoot, especially the larger varieties. They have a shy, but jovial personality. At least they always look like they are smiling. Sometimes they won’t turn ……続きを見る
"Classified as a “nuclear” species, goatfish truly play a leadership role. Other species are attracted to the substratum-disturbing foraging. And when several goatfish are involved in the fray, the ……続きを見る
"While I was researching goatfish for the last column, I realized there is another group I have not paid enough attention to in my reef travels. Wrasses. This is a large and diverse family. Wrasses ……続きを見る
There is good news and bad news about our coral reefs. The bad news is: reefs around the world are in trouble. A host of factors contribute to the decline of reef ecosystems. The good news is: there……続きを見る
The Spiegel Grove has a wealth of opportunity for great diving. Not only because it is an icon of Key Largo, it’s just plain fun, sprinkled with a bit of a challenge at times. I have been on the Spi……続きを見る
One topic that caught my eye was a study about the changes in the population of yellow stingrays in various parts of the Caribbean. Why should we care about yellow stingrays? In this study, publishe……続きを見る
There literally is no other place like this on earth. It is the only operating undersea research laboratory in the world. As a dive site, it’s sensational since the animals that live underneath and ……続きを見る
At Atlantis Dumaguete, I saw a whole host of things I’d never had the opportunity to photograph before. The mandarin fish mating dance, a pregnant mantis shrimp, a blue ribbon eel and sea snakes are……続きを見る
Don’t get me wrong - there are many, many places I’d love to see. But coming home to the Florida Keys is an exotic destination in itself. Just look at our statistics. Millions of visitors a year com……続きを見る
There has been a debate for decades on how many species of hamlets exist. The original classification was for one species (Hypoplectrus unicolor), and color variations didn’t matter enough to differ……続きを見る
When I’m on the reef and I want a chuckle, I look for a fish in a box. Not a cardboard box of fish like you find in the bait shop, but a body box that fits perfectly and is color matched to its occu……続きを見る
Lots of reasons are given for the collective behavior of schooling. There is a whole host of scientific literature to study on the topic. Schooling occurs in up to eighty percent of species at some ……続きを見る
Trumpet fish are part of the Syngnathiformes family. Don’t fret, I can’t pronounce it either. It’s actually quite a large group. Cousins include seahorses, pipefish, sea dragons, shrimpfish, and sea……続きを見る
