reasons to keep your camera out and ready to use. Although, recreational hook and line fishing is permitted within a mile radius of Fort Jefferson, this area is still incredibly rich with marine life. Additionally, the two no-take marine reserves surrounding the mile radius offer some incredible views into a relatively pristine ecosystem. Whether you’re snorkeling in the coal docks, or you’ve chartered a SCUBA trip to the Windjammer wreck (located just off of Loggerhead Key), it’s hard to feel anything but awe in the presence of this healthy reef ecosystem. The area is true testament to the ecological masterpieces that marine protected areas can create in reserved zones as well as in adjacent areas. It was not until diving in the Dry Tortugas that I realized hogfish can travel in schools as opposed to alone, or that red, black, goliath, and scamp grouper could all be seen in one frame of view. The Tortugas’ ecologically rich waters support the idea that marine protected areas are essential for the future of our fisheries and are critical to continued viability of our oceans. Be sure to get in the water for a night snorkel as well: you’ll find feeding squid and basket starfish, bioluminescence, and even brighter octopi.
If you are not visiting to learn about the history or admire the marine life, then the fishing will not disappoint you. Schools of bonefish and permit can be found on the flats southwest of the fort. Try kayaking out this way when they waters are calm and after about half a mile of paddling, the minimal sound from campers and boats at the fort will be long gone, and you’ll settle into a serene silence that will allow you to hear air filling your lungs like wind blowing through trees, as you breath in the feeling of floating at the edge of the world. Time your kayak paddle to be heading in at dusk, a scene that can only be described as otherworldly. On calm days, as the sun is setting and the pink sky is mirrored on the endless Caribbean sea, you’ll suddenly find yourself floating through a Vladamir Kush painting, seemingly steering your kayak through the clouds, back to the brick castle that appears to be suspended in the sky, interrupted only by the occasional nurse shark or bonefish breaking the surface of the shallow flats with their tails. If you find yourself onshore for the sunset of a cloudless day, there is an incredible spectacle to see, often accompanied by someone on the moat wall exclaiming that they just saw “the green flash.” On cloudier days, elaborate colors and patterns are projected into the sky as the sun is sinking, each night its own unique display of Mother Nature.
By now, the unremitting sun has retired and the tarpon are just beginning to feed. They can be seen rolling silently in the remaining reflections. Large schools of tarpon linger around both sets of coal docks during the day and throughout the adjacent deep-water harbors at night. It’s impossible to grow tired of snorkeling with these prehistoric giants as they carve their way through the thousands of baitfish that also seek refuge in the coal docks. Groups of campers voyage to the Dry Tortugas annually just to experience the thrill of fishing for six-foot tarpon from a kayak. However, sunsets and jumping tarpon are just the start of what’s to see, as the Dry Tortugas night sky is the darkest spot on the United State’s East coast. Fort Jefferson’s most famous prisoner, Dr. Samual Mudd once said, “the only escape from the hell of this prison was gazing at the night skies.” Of course, Mudd didn’t own a SCUBA mask. Unscathed by any light pollution, the stars over Fort Jefferson provide the same solace that they once did for civil war soldiers, slaves, and prisoners. And, if the many claims of ghosts at Fort Jefferson hold true, you’re likely to be gazing at those stars with more than one spirit from the 1800s.
Photo Captions:
The Dry Tortugas’ largest island, Garden Key, home to Fort Jefferson.
Views from the west side of Loggerhead Key, 3 nautical miles from Garden Key.
A curious Red Grouper approaches a diver over an extensive field of coral.
Fort Jefferson’s courtyard observed from the top of its brick walls.
A conspicuous parrotfish takes shelter for the night.
The inside glimpse at a migrant boat that found its way to the shores of the Dry Tortugas.
A walkway to Little Africa, an unbeatable snorkeling site off the west side of Loggerhead Key.
Loggerhead Key, known for having an impressive number of loggerhead sea turtle nests and providing an impressive view from Garden Key at dusk.
A typical summer’s sunset from the moat wall of Fort Jefferson.
A night snorkel’s faceoff with a fearless squid.
Under the calm Caribbean waters by Fort Jefferson, an octopus and crab fight to the death.
5-foot tarpon glide in the shallow waters surrounding Fort Jefferson.
A colony of Elkhorn Coral releases its eggs in Dry Tortugas National Park’s coral sanctuary.
Over 4,500 Noddy Terns can be seen nesting on Garden Key.
A basket starfish climbs to the top of a seafan to feed at night.
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