Day 6 Islamorada

   Darlene and I slept in just a bit. We were finished with our southern part of The Florida Keys. We had the northern portion left the next 2 days. First up we were heading to Islamorada. We had booked a glass bottom boat tour for 3:00 PM. We knew Islamorada was famous for its fishing charters, snorkeling and scuba tours, and crystal clear waters. While we were enjoying our morning coffee, our tour called. They did not yet have enough people signed up to go out at 3 o’clock. They said they were still trying, but wanted to know if we could get there in time to join the noon trip. We said yes and began getting ready.

   We drove the short 14 miles north on the Overseas Highway and turned into Robbie’s. This is a huge marina with an almost carnival like atmosphere. It has 4 or 5 souvenir and tee shirt shops. There are 3 tiki bars, a few ice cream and snack trucks on site. The Hungry Tarpon Restaurant is located there and is open air so the good smells filled the entire area. There is a pier for patrons to feed tarpon by hand. A person lays down on the pier, extends their hand over the water holding a bait fish about 3 feet above the surface and the fish jump almost completely out of the water to grab the bait. The people feeding are cautioned to watch their bait and the buckets it is in because of the pelicans. Those thieves wait for their opportunity and then quickly strike. They swoop in and grab the bait fish. It looked entertaining but we were afraid if we laid down we would not be able to get back up. LOL.

   We moved closer down to the dock and noticed all of the  charter boats of various sizes and set ups for fishing, snorkeling, or scuba diving. There was our glass bottom boat, the Transparensea. This is a 46 footer and their newest boat. Darlene and I got checked in and went aboard.

   We met our first mate Abigail and our captain Jenna. Both ladies were very personable. I had booked this trip and paid for it including tips back in April. This makes excursions like this easy. We pulled away from the docks and headed into the channel leading into the Gulf Of America. Abigail showed us a couple of islands that have event houses on them. You can rent the whole island for 25K a week, 35K with butler and chef services. The only way to get to them is by boat. She explained some of these islands originally sold for less than $225. Great buy; who knew? She also point out a long row of “poop sticks.” These are polls for gulls and other sea birds to sit on to poop in the water. It helps keep them away from the docks. Captains also place rubber or ceramic dogs on their boats. This keeps the birds away while the boats are not in use.

   Our first stop was yellow reef. Abigail and Captain Jenna took turns talking and showing the different reef formations.

The first thing we noticed is how clear the water is. You can see through the glass bottom panes very clearly but pictures are hard to see due to the glare.

The water is so clear you see the bottom in detail yet it is 25 feet deep. It is always amazing to me to see God’s creations. Just as we were leaving this reef and heading to our next stop, we saw a baby Tiger shark. The ladies were excited stating what a rare sight this was. That little shark was fast but we followed it and everyone got a couple of good looks at it. The next reef had more fish and more of a variety than the first one. We saw several Blue Tang, Hogfish, Yellowtail Snapper, Mangrove Snapper, and Pufferfish. We also spotted a Stingray and a Moray Eel.

   We left and headed to Alligator Reef where the Captain hoped to show us some sea turtles. This reef is named for the SS Alligator. It was a wooden schooner used to combat pirates. The schooner sank in 1822 in only 6 to 12 feet of water. The shallow water is the reason today it is a very popular natural reef used for scuba diving and snorkeling. There was a lighthouse constructed on site and was manned until 2015. The lighthouse has survived 2 Cat 5 Hurricanes. The popularity of the reef (notice all the boats) on a late Sunday afternoon is what kept the sea turtles in hiding.

   We then headed back to the docks at Robbie’s. Darlene and I both enjoyed this trip and highly recommend to anyone going to Islamorada.

   We got back and decided to go on to dinner since it had only been a day of a few snacks. We chose Wahoo Bar and Grill. It was just a little down the road and also on the water. We split a salad with house made blue cheese. Darlene then had Yellowtail Snapper Francese style served with seasoned rice and mixed vegetables. I chose the Blackened Red Snapper over onions, potatoes, and spinach covered with Shrimp Key Lime Sauce. Both dinners were very good.

   We looked around Islamorada for a while and then headed back to our rooms. It was a very enjoyable day. Check back on this blog in a day or so to hear about our trip up to Key Largo.