Key Largo— A Winter Tale
By Alexander Bonecutter
Our students don wetsuits when the water temp dips!
With every new year, MarineLab’s campus cools down. Though the sun continues to shine, the wind blows through the palm trees to bring an extra chill down everyone’s spine. Even the visiting northerners are zipping up their jackets or grabbing an extra hoodie. A question MarineLab instructors hear often once the winter weather finds us is, “Do you guys still snorkel even when it gets… cold?”
It’s a great question.
The air feels crisp with a bit of a bite to it. And yet, just below the surface of both shallow Florida Bay and the world famous Florida Keys reef tract is a tremendous gathering of fishes. One you’ve got to see with your very own eyes to believe. All you need is a wetsuit, some fins, and a snorkel mask (We’ve got those!).
Our wetsuits come in all sizes: large, and very very small!
Of course there is so much more to be found within the unique habitats of the Florida Keys. Alongside the fish and between the mangrove roots; it’s a whole new world that myself and my other MarineLab instructors would love to introduce you to. But wait.. The water’s cold..
It’s true, we might be greeted with quite a shock once we belly flop right into the water. We’re in this together, though. MarineLab’s students and instructors take the leap every winter without missing a beat. Our wetsuits will keep you warm enough to immerse yourself in a brand new world. One you might find takes your mind far away from the cooler waters holding you aloft.
Cozying up under extra towels never hurts during the winter!
So to answer the question, our instructors will always say yes. Winter in Key Largo won’t hold us back from our adventures. Here we learn by immersion, by diving right into Florida Bay even when the thermometer reads an eye-popping number. Every brave soul leaves the water with a wholly new experience under their belt and beautiful new memories in their minds.
I’d like to cordially invite you to join our next adventure. MarineLab’s next family day will take you out to sea on our fleet of catamaran vessels this upcoming February 12th. All things above and below in our beautiful array of marine habitats await you!
Not even our citizen science seagrass surveys stop during the winter!
I hope to see you soon to introduce you to all my fishy friends. Until then, may you have fair winds and following sails, my dear reader.