On the North American continent between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean is the Florida peninsula. At the southern tip of the peninsula, sweeping in a gentle south-westerly arc is the famous Florida Keys, a coral cay archipelago that forms the southernmost point of the continental United States.
Made up of a series of islands, Florida Keys was originally only accessible by water until industrial tycoon Henry Flagler founded the Florida East Coast Railway company and constructed the Overseas Railway in the early 1910s. Significant portions of the railway tracks were destroyed in 1935 when a hurricane with winds blowing at 200mph (320km/h) hit the Keys. Since the tracks were too expensive to repair, the railway infrastructure was sold to the state of Florida. Using large sections of the former railway, the state built the Overseas Highway that now carries US Route 1 all the way to Key West. The highway connects this chain of islands with 42 bridges, one of them seven miles (11km) long.
The stunning turquoise blue water surrounding the Keys is a magnet to sun loving beachgoers, anglers, and water sport seekers. Divers and snorkellers flock to the only living coral reef system in the continental United States. Food lovers are spoilt for choice with fresh seafood caught daily. Anyone with a sweet tooth must try the locally invented Key lime pie.
Birdwatching is a fabulous pastime as the Keys is located on the Atlantic Flyway and spotting migratory birds is akin to a look-and-find game. Beneath the ocean, maritime history abounds from shipwrecks and legendary pirates to sunken treasures and artificial reefs.
The Keys is divided into five regions: Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, Pine Key and Key West. Each region has its own characteristics and according to lore the further south one travels, the more laid back the location becomes. The idea ties in very nicely with Florida Keys’ catchphrase “Come as you are” and I sure intend to.
There is so much to do, it’s almost a relief there is only one major road to travel through. On that note, I embark on my journey starting in Florida City heading south until I reach an isthmus that connects mainland Florida to the Florida Keys. As I think of my first stop in Key Largo, I have Bertie Higgins’ 1980s song of the same name playing in my head.
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Key Largo
About a mile (1.6km) before Key Largo is Jewfish Creek, the location where the Keys is said to officially begin, leaving the mainland behind. As I travelled over Lake Surprise, the highway arched southwest leading me into town.
Key Largo is widely regarded as the Diving Capital of the World because divers from around the world come to explore the living coral reef a few miles from shore in some of the world’s clearest waters. The reef is federally protected and in the 1960s the John Pennekamp State Park was established, creating the first underwater park in the United States.
One of the major diving attractions is the 570 pound (260kg) bronze statue of Christ of the Abyss. It is attached to a 9-ton concrete platform in about 25ft (7.6m) of water. The statue is a copy of an original casting that is located in the Mediterranean Sea in Italy. Divided by the ocean, it is said that the two statues are facing each other.
As a shipwreck enthusiast, I always want to know what happened and Key Largo has a few interesting vessels. For instance, USS Spiegel Grove is the largest ship sunk to create an artificial reef. It is so big that divers have to take multiple trips in order to explore it in its entirety. SS Benwood was a steam cargo ship that in 1942 collided with another because both were travelling at night without lights to avoid detection by German U-boats. Benwood’s bow broke and swiftly sank but because it was high in the water it was deemed a navigational hazard. As such the Navy used it for target practice, bombing it until it was no longer a danger. The last story is of the merchant steamer City of Washington which in 1889 rescued 100 men from USS Maine when it exploded in Havana’s harbour in Cuba. Its fate, however, was sealed when in 1917 it was being towed in the shallow waters of Key Largo and it ran aground, immediately breaking up. The steamer was unrecoverable and hence left where it sank.
Today, each one of these ships and many others in the area provide a wonderful diving playground filled with artificial and natural reefs, marine flora and fauna, and lots of nooks and crannies to discover.
I’m no diver, that’s for sure, but I’ll put on my snorkelling gear and splash into the water for some exploration.
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Islamorada
My splash in Key Largo was very rewarding. I saw corals that were lacy and fan-like and others shaped like the antlers of an elk, aptly named elkhorn. The fun ones are the brain corals and their cerebral shapes. Amazingly these corals can grow up to 6ft (1.8m) and live a whopping 900 years. Corals may be static, but they brim with marine life such as yellow snappers, wrasses, damselfish, and parrotfish with their parrot-like beaks.
Leaving diving and shipwreck stories in Key Largo, I moved on to Islamorada, the Sport Fishing Capital of the World where “backcountry sport fishing and saltwater fly fishing were pioneered”. Long-term resident and Hall of Fame baseball player, Ted Williams, was an iconic fishing figure in Islamorada. He retired there so he could spend all his time fishing and practicing casting off from his backyard. He was so good at it that the International Game Fishing Association inducted him into their Hall of Fame. Ted believed the triple crown of fishing was catching tarpon, bonefish, and Atlantic salmon and although he caught thousands of them, he practiced catch and release because releasing was his greatest thrill when fishing.
Islamorada is abundant in marine life and variety. Anglers don’t have to wander far for a catch. A favourite spot just west of Islamorada is Channel #2 Bridge where barracudas may hover under the bridge and fish like yellow snappers, tarpons and groupers may get hooked. Going a little further offshore a keen angler may tie fishing with kayaking. It would be hard work spotting them and reeling them in whilst tied in a kayak, but the reward would be great exercise and maybe a snook or a permit on the end of the hook. Lastly, charter fishing is great for exploring the waters, heading into the Everglades northwest of the Keys, cruising through mangroves, or alternatively heading out into the Atlantic looking for deep drop-offs in search of blue marlins, mahi-mahi, blackfin tuna and a swag of other species.
Another amusing experience is tarpon feeding at Robbie’s Marina where they leap out of the water to snatch the fish snack. Just have to look out for the resident pelicans crowding around hoping to snag a piece of bait straight out of the feeding bucket. They are quite cheeky and can cause quite the stir when snacks are around.
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Marathon
Marathon is the halfway point in the Keys. It gets its name from the crews who worked day and night laying the railroad declaring at one point “this is getting to be a real marathon…”. It seems that the name stuck.
A fully developed location in the Keys, Marathon has its own airport, a plethora of fishing charters and plenty of beaches. Coco Plum and Sombrero are the most popular beaches with white sandy shores that are also nesting grounds for loggerhead turtles.
Curry Hammock State Park boasts the largest undeveloped piece of land that is home to both marine and bird species. Finding a spot on the shore, I keep my eyes towards the sky hoping to spot a peregrine falcon whilst simultaneously sneaking a peek in the water for a potential sighting of stingrays or tarpons. At night there is no light pollution making for a great place to stargaze.
Before exiting Marathon, I stopped in at the Turtle Hospital to check in on current turtle residents who are being rehabilitated after injury. The hospital has been operating since 1985 and has its own special turtle ambulance. Their main objective after rehab is to release the turtles back in their natural habitat. To date, the hospital has released more than 2,000 turtles who often get hurt either from boat collisions, ingesting plastic or getting caught in fishing gear. Although the majority are successfully released there are a small number that cannot return and have become permanent residents.
One of the major attractions in Marathon is the Seven Mile Bridge, “one of the longest segmental bridges in the world”. Besides vehicular traffic, the bridge also carries water to the west via an aqueduct as well as fibre optic cables. Each year, since 1982, the bridge is host to the 7 Mile Bridge Run, commemorating the Florida Keys bridge rebuilding project. It is the only run that is completely surrounded by water from start to end.
Adjacent to the new bridge is the old one, a remnant of the defunct railway line. Beneath the bridge is the historic Pigeon Key, a small island, which used to house the railroad workers in the early 1900s. Today it is a museum exhibiting railroad artifacts and memorabilia.
About 3mi (5km) along the Old Seven Mile Bridge is a tall, lush Australian pine tree growing out of the roadbed. A passer-by might think it insignificant but to the local residents this tree, affectionately nicknamed Fred, signifies hope and resilience. When hurricane Irma swept through the Keys in 2017, wreaking havoc and devastation, Fred stoically stayed rooted in place, surviving the Category 5 disaster. As residents returned home and began restoration, they saw Fred as a symbol of strength and was promoted to leafy mascot. Perhaps this comment says it best: “If Fred can survive, we can all survive and prosper.”
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Big Pine Key
Having farewelled Fred, the very stalwart tree on the old bridge, I entered Big Pine Key, the fourth major region in the Florida Keys. One of the highlights in this area is the Bahia Honda Key, an uninhabitable island that is mostly a state park but has one of the finest beaches in all of the Keys. Sandspur Beach is a pristine narrow beach nearly a mile long (1.6km) with the clearest water imaginable. An excellent location for snorkelling.
For bridge enthusiasts, Calusa Beach on the southern tip of the island is perfectly located between the historic and new Bahia Honda Bridges. Tucked under a palm tree or splashing in the shallow water is a great place to study the intricate steel truss construction of the historic bridge and the simple lines of the new one but I like getting up close and really look through those trusses. I followed a short trail along the shoreline that led me underneath the historic bridge where I could wonder at its infrastructure. This truss bridge is the only one in the Florida Keys, as most of the old railway bridges were made of concrete.
Such an example is 2mi (3.5km) further along over the Spanish Harbour Channel where the historic bridge, closely located to the new one, is made of concrete with arches. This bridge has been fully restored and opened to pedestrians, cyclists and anglers. Taking an amble across the bridge, I’m transported to the early 1900s and imagine what it might have been like to travel through the Keys on a train.
Another major highlight in this region is the National Key Deer Refuge, home to Key deer, the smallest subspecies of white-tailed deer. Endemic to Florida Keys, these sweet looking deer, no bigger than a goat, were on the brink of extinction by the 1950s due to poaching and habitat destruction. Whilst their numbers have recovered to some degree, the Key deer remain on the endangered species list. Since their habitat has reduced significantly, even in the Keys, the deer are quite comfortable around humans since they share much of their space with local residents. It’s not unusual to see them wandering in the neighbourhoods. They are also excellent swimmers, making their way between islands searching for freshwater.
Next stop is Key West, the most laid-back region in the Florida Keys.
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Key West
Key West is the southernmost point of the continental United States and regarded as the most relaxed region in the Florida Keys. It is also famous for inventing the Key lime pie, a shortcrust pie filled with custard and topped with a meringue. The specialty of the pie derives from the use of key limes as the flavouring ingredient. Key lime is tarter and more aromatic than regular lime and for a time was grown as a crop throughout Florida. This delicious dessert has no strict heritage nor set rules in how it's made but it is quintessentially American and has earned a spot as Florida’s state pie.
Crowing day and night are the plentiful roosters found all over Key West. Originally bred in Cuba and the Keys for fighting they were eventually released on the island when cockfighting became illegal. Now they are an unofficial mascot and very much part of Key West.
One of the most famous residents was literary writer Ernest Hemingway. He resided in Key West during the 1930s, where he penned some of his greatest works. After renovating his new home, Ernest’s wife installed the first swimming pool in Florida Keys. The price was so exorbitant it cost two and a half times more than the entire house. After his passing, the house was converted into a museum and is home to numerous polydactyl (6-toed) cats.
Running north to south is Duval Street, the bustling shopping, dining and partying strip beautifully lined with Bahamian and Spanish influenced mansions. Northwest of Duval Street is Mallory Square known for the “Sunset Celebration”, a nightly festival where visitors enjoy street performances, live music, art exhibitions and food vendors.
Just south of Mallory Square docked at the Truman Waterfront Park is USCGC Ingham, the most decorated vessel in the US Coast Guard fleet. Launched in 1936, Ingham served in WW2 and the Vietnam War where it acquired two Presidential Unit Citations, the only cutter to ever receive such a distinguished award twice. Ingham was decommissioned in 1988 and converted into a maritime museum. It is one of only two preserved cutters of its kind.
This brings me to the end of my journey, and I couldn’t imagine any better place to wrap it up than on the beach. I pulled up a lounge chair, grabbed an icy drink and pondered my experiences along the Keys. As I gaze towards the horizon, I take in the blueness of the water and the whiteness of the sand as I listen to the swaying fronds of the coconut trees behind me.
I like the catchphrase “Come as you are…” it embodies the spirit of the Florida Keys.
