Looe Key
Looe Key is an amazing reef.
Looe Key is about 6 miles offshore from our home on Big Pine
Key. The "Key" is not an island anymore, although it was hundreds of years
ago. It is a “spur and groove” reef and part of the reef system that parallels
the Atlantic side of the Florida Keys.
This reef got its name from the HMS Looe which ran aground
there in 1744. When hitting the reef, the HMS Looe hit hard in only 25 feet of
water and broke off it's rudder. All efforts to stay off were in vain.
The men gathered all they could from the ship and huddled on the low lying sand
island, very afraid of the Indians that inhabited the Keys. The next day a
ship was sighted on the horizon and Captain Utting ordered his marines into the
longboats to give chase. The next day they returned with the small sloop,
which did not have proper ownership papers, so the marines sent the crew off in
a longboat to Cuba. Wood was taken from the Looe to made the sloop more
seaworthy and the crew set off for safety. As much was salvaged as
possible and the ship was burned to prevent the capture of her guns. The
ship was partially salvaged in the 1950's and again in the 1960's. Many of
the items sit in the archives at the Smithsonian in DC. Most of the guns
we unfortunately salvaged in WW2 as iron was scarce.
The reef at Looe Key, roughly 200 yards wide and 800 yards
long is generally “U” shaped, and is comprised of both patch and outside reefs.
It became a National Marine Sanctuary in 1981 due, in part, to the success of
the Key Largo Sanctuary created in 1975. This “sanctuary” designation means that
there are absolute restrictions on spear fishing, tropical fish and shell
collecting and wire fish traps. The Florida Wildlife Commission patrol the reef
and keep a close eye on activities there.
Because of its unique shape and varying depths, Looe Key is an
excellent SCUBA and snorkeling site for people of all skill levels. Water
clarity is mostly excellent and sea conditions are generally moderate. The reef
is home to over 150 species of fish including yellowtail, angelfish, parrotfish,
barracuda, sergeant majors, and moray eel. The lucky diver can also see several
shark and ray species. After 7000 years of coral growth, about fifty species are
present, many named for the shapes of their namesakes on land. These corals
include stag horn, Elkhorn, star, brain, and fire corals.
I have over 600 dives on this reef and am constantly amazed at
the Tarpon, Shark, Turtles, Spotted Eagle Rays (I have seen 1 Manta Ray), Huge
Groupers, Barracuda, Parrots and huge schools of Yellowtail snappers, just to
name a few...
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