Ft. Jefferson at the Dry Tortugas

Yesterday Katrina and I spent the day at Fort Jefferson at the Dry Tortugas National Park. I didn't have an underwater camera, so I took some snaps of encrusting brain corals and sea fans along the moat wall. This really is a special place that I can't describe here without Matt charging me for server space.

Most of the reefs in the Keys have a lot of dead corals now covered in algae. However, at the Dry Tortugas I saw only living healthy corals with minimum bleaching. We saw four types of anemones, green & blue zoas, loads of encrusting stony's, huge tunicates, enchinoderms, and big schools of juvenile and bait fish, all right there along the moat wall.

Everyone should see this place. The snorkeling was amazing...


Me

Me

Homemade Cuban Refugee Boat

Cuban Refugee Boat

Nesting Sooty Terns


Diadema

Moat Wall

Encrusting Brains






Queen Conch




Cheesy Tourists

 

oh man, it's time to plan my next Caribbean dive trip before the gulf oil spill spoils that enticing blue/green water!

great pics

 

Thanks,
I'm thinking that by the time the oil gets here it will very very diluted, just barely a sheen.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

That looks like an awesome place to see! Thanks for sharing the pics.

 

A few more corals.






Yellow Sea Mat Zoas

Condi Nem

 

Great pics, thanks for sharing

 

those are some great quality images , Whisky Tango
the water looks wonderful , any idea what sort of temp that area might get up to?

Steve

 

Thanks Steve,

Outside the moat the sea varies from 55F to 85F with the seasons, but inside the moat is much warmer. While snorkeling we would go past the culverts that connect to moat to the sea, and I could feel very hot water coming out and I could see the shimmer of the hot water as well. I reckon it gets up to around 100F on some days inside the moat, and there are corals, sponges, anemones and other life that can tolerate those high temps.

 

wow, that sounds great for swimming in IMO
was there much fish life present? if so any species we might see in the hobby?

Steve

 

Oh man so many.

Damsels and Sergent majors left and right....
Cool little filefish, so sure which ones.
Cleaner gobies
Blennies, so many I cant tell. Horseface for sure.
Bluehead Wrasse, Slippery ****s are very common, actually loads of wrasses and razorfish..
Parrotfish: all kinds and different color morphs
Angels: French, Queen, Gray, Rock Beauty
Butterflys: Bank, Reef, Spot fin
Tangs: Caribbean Blue, Black
Cardinal Fish, little small red ones under overhangs.
High Hats.

These are a few I remember off the top of my head.