Last week, the National Park Service announced that its archeologists have identified the remains of HMS Tyger, an 18th-century British warship, within the boundaries of Dry Tortugas National Park, off the south coast of Florida. Built in 1647, the fourth-rate, … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Florida
Encouraging news! Following a devastating record year of manatee deaths in 2021, a record number of manatees was counted at Central Florida’s Blue Spring State Park on Sunday. Staff there counted 932 on Sunday, which is nearly 200 more than … Continue reading
When we went on a family scuba diving trip to the coral reefs of Roatan, Honduras, we took the antibiotic amoxicillin as a prophylaxis for malaria. Scientists are now using the same antibiotic to combat stony coral tissue loss disease … Continue reading
The Jules Undersea Lodge is the only underwater hotel in the United States. Located 30 feet (9 m) deep at the bottom of the Emerald Lagoo in Key Largo, Florida, guests have to scuba dive to get to their rooms. … Continue reading
In recent years we have posted about the impact of massive mats of sargassum in the warmer waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic. The brown buoyant seaweed has had a devastating impact on beaches across the east … Continue reading
Last Saturday, a ragtag pirate band calling itself Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla invaded the port of Tampa, FL, kicking off the Gasparilla Pirate Fest, notionally in honor of Jose Gaspar, a brigand reputed to be the “Last Buccaneer.” The festival … Continue reading
Charles Eugene Morgan Jr., 93, known to all as Charley, passed away last weekend, just a few hours after his wife Maurine died. It has been said that Charley Morgan is the only person to ever single-handedly design, build, and … Continue reading
The scope and scale of the property damage and loss of life resulting from Hurricane Ian to Florida and the Carolinas are still being assessed. The hurricane is likely to rank among the most destructive storms to strike to state … Continue reading
Climate change is threatening the future of sea turtles. Whereas the gender of most animals is determined at fertilization, the sex of most turtles, as well as alligators, and crocodiles is determined by the temperature of the developing eggs. The hotter … Continue reading
In 2019, we posted about an 8,850-kilometer Atlantic sargassum belt from the Gulf of Mexico to West Africa. The floating mat of the brown buoyant seaweed had a devastating impact on beaches across the east coast of Mexico, the Caribbean, … Continue reading
Yesterday, we posted about Florida manatees that are starving because pollution in Florida waterways has decimated the sea grass that manatees rely on as food during the winter months. I was reminded of a post from 2017 about snorkeling with … Continue reading
A cruise on the Norwegian Escape that sailed from Port Canaveral, Florida last Monday didn’t go well, and for a change, had little to do with Covid 19. On the second day of the cruise, the ship ran aground in … Continue reading
Last May, we posted about a threat by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) to pull its ships from Florida ports after the Florida legislature passed a law prohibiting businesses from asking whether employees or customers have been vaccinated against Covid-19, contradicting certain CDC … Continue reading
We recently posted about the latest round of red tide to hit the Gulf Coast of Florida. Florida red tide is caused by the blooming of the dinoflagellate Karenia brevis. K. brevis produces neurotoxins that can cause respiratory problems in … Continue reading
A recent editorial headline in the Tampa Bay Times read “In St. Petersburg, climate change smells like rotting fish” and was subtitled “A massive fish kill reminds us how climate change can suddenly wash up on our shores.” The latest … Continue reading
This seems like a good video for a summer Sunday — two 60-foot long whale kites flying over Delray Beach, Florida, flown by Randy “the Kite Man” Lowe. Video by Larry Richardson. When Whales Fly — Giant Kites Soar Over … Continue reading
Florida politics on Covid-19 vaccinations threatens to disrupt the cruise industry restart in Florida. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced guidelines for trial cruises with volunteer passengers to test safety measures, which will be required for … Continue reading
This seems like a suitable post for a Sunday in 2020. On a morning in February 1948, a local beachcomber was walking the beautiful white sand beach in Clearwater, FL, and was shocked to find large three-toed footprints in the … Continue reading
Just before the New Year, 21-foot-tall, 8-foot-wide Coast Guard red navigation buoy #8 washed up out of the fog in New Smyrna Beach, Fla. — its light still blinking — nearly 200 miles away from its mooring at the entrance … Continue reading
The US Navy is sending six ships from the Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida into the Atlantic in an attempt to get out of the path of Hurricane Dorian, which is expected to strengthen to a category 3 and … Continue reading