Wreck of British Warship Off Florida Coast Identified as HMS Tyger That Sank in 1742

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

Using Antibiotics & Probiotics to Save Diseased and Dying Coral Reefs

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

Project NEPTUNE 100 — Researcher Spending 100 Days Underwater at the Jules Undersea Lodge

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

Sargassum and Icebergs — Threats Warm & Cold

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

“Gasparilla Pirate Fest,” Panther John Gomez, & the Fictious Pirate Jose Gaspar

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

Remembering Charley Morgan — Legendary Sailor, Sailmaker, Yacht Builder, and Designer

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

Update: Stinky Sargassum Threatens Post Pandemic Tourism in Mexico and Across Caribbean

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

Repost: Snorkeling With Manatees in a Murky Crystal River

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

Aftermath of Norwegian Escape Grounding — ‘a Freaking Madhouse’

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

Judge Allows Norwegian Cruise Line to Require Proof of Vaccination in Florida

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

Cruise Line Threatens to Pull Out of Florida — When Politics and Policy Collide

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

Old Three Toes — The Giant Penguin of Clearwater Beach, Florida

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