Tag Archives: Dry Tortugas National Park

Underwater Photos at Garden Key in Dry Tortugas National Park

Conch in Seagrass

This was the first time I’ve seen a live conch scooting across the bottom. The intense red foot was surprising and amazing. Unfortunately I didn’t get a good photograph of that.

A Beautiful Fish With Many Patterns

The color and variety of fish in the ocean is incredible. I love all the patterns on this fish. How do these patterns and colors benefit this species of fish? In the right location it becomes easier to figure out but no so much in this picture.

Squid in the Seagrass

They are a little hard to see but there are several squid watching you. There are a couple of yellow stripes in the center of this photo. That is a squid. There are at least two more, one on each side of the most colorful one. Can you find them? I was surprised by these. At first I saw one swimming in front of me and all of a sudden I noticed a school of them. Once I stopped close enough and they stopped I realized what they were as they would move what appeared to be backwards.

A Piece of the Moat Wall

A piece of the moat wall of Fort Jefferson which has fallen into the water. It is surrounded by fish and coral.

Yellow Coral

A specimen piece of coral. I could have spent a lot of time observing and photographing these corals. Unfortunately time was short.

Another Seafan

Another larger seafan.

A lot of Activity Around This Rock

There is a lot going on around this rock. There are a number of smaller fish searching for food and/or shelter among some smaller corals and algae.

A Brain Coral

Brain coral with feather dusters emerged.

Red Seastar (starfish)

A red sea star or starfish sifting through the sand.

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A large purple seafan moving with the ocean currents. Surrounded by a number of other corals together creating a beautiful underwater landscape.

Dry Tortugas Photo Essay

Yankee Freedom II

The Yankee Freedom II heading out to Garden Key where Fort Jefferson is built.

Fort Jefferson

Inside of Dry Tortugas National Park Fort Jefferson is visible. Loggerhead Key can be seen in the background on the right with a tall lighthouse built on it. Loggerhead Key is not connected to Garden Key. For a map of Dry Tortugas National Park go here….

Loggerhead Key

Loggerhead Key closer up. The only think on this island is the lighthouse.

Garden Key

As Fort Jefferson gets closer you can see the different in brick colors resulting from the different locations materials came from while this was being built. This beach is where we snorkeled from.

Lighthouse Inside Fort Jefferson

The Fort Jefferson Lighthouse. This is built inside the fort walls.

Inside Fort Jefferson

The Courtyard of the fort. Officers quarters are visible at the far end.

A Fort Cannon

Fort Jefferson had many cannons. Here is an example of how they were set up. This fort was never fully armed due to the weight of the cannons which would cause Garden Key to sink even further.

Frigate Birds

Some of the many frigate birds that reside near Garden Key.

Bush Key and Long Key

Bush Key is the closer island with Long Key  further out. Long Key is where the frigate birds reside and is closed to public exploration in order to preserve the bird habitats.

Returning to Key West

As the Yankee Freedom II returned to Key West you can see the people beginning to gather to celebrate the sunset at Mallory Square.

Dry Tortugas

Fort Jefferson with the Caribbean Waters Visable Through the Windows

On our last voyage to Southern Florida the main goal was to visit Everglades National Park. When planning a park trip we look at nearby national parks as well and in the process explored Biscayne National Park which we would never have gone to due to lack of knowledge about it. Another park that came up was Dry Tortugas National Park. This requires a boat ride or seaplane ride to get there as it is 70 miles off the coast of Key West . Due to the difficulty and expense in getting there we took it off the list. Having another opportunity this past winter we decided to plan a trip to Dry Tortugas if the weather was going to cooperate. This means warm, sunny, and low winds.

The Ferry Through a Window

I was in Ft. Lauderdale for a convention and decided to extend the trip for a couple more days. Near the end of the convention I started watching the weather forecasts a little closer and saw expected highs in the upper 70’s with minimal wind. It couldn’t possible get any better so off to Key West to catch the Yankee Freedom II for a 2 1/2 hour boat ride to Fort Jefferson. The morning starts early with boarding at 7:30 am in order to get to the island and back before sunset. We had a beautiful trip with plenty of sun although it was a touch cool requiring sweatshirts. During our voyage out to Dry Tortugas National Park we saw a ship with a long trail of white debris behind it. Turns out this was a crew working to recover items off a Spanish shipwreck. They were out on a weekend because of the calm water from lack of wind. It was certainly interesting to see an actual shipwreck recovery in process.

Arriving at Fort Jefferson

Finally we arrived in the Dry Tortugas! These are a chain of very small islands but extremely beautiful. Docking at Fort Jefferson we quickly got off the boat as there were only 4 hours to explore this place. First we wanted to snorkel for an hour or so in these tropical waters. For being tropical waters it sure took some time to get use to the cool water. There were some great things to see such as a conch slowly moving along the sandy bottom and some squid in the sea grass but very little coral. After swimming for some time we heading in a different direction and discovered the coral. While enjoying the fish swimming in amongst the coral I noticed we were being watched by a barracuda. I get a little nervous around these fish as they have a reputation for being a little aggressive and seeing the rows of teeth covering their mouth just adds to that reputation. Fortunately this fish just continued to move ahead of us. After this short time in the cool water we dried off and got something to eat before touring Fort Jefferson.

The Barracuda

Fort Jefferson was constructed around the civil war and was one of the few southern locations aligned with the Union armies. This fort takes up almost the entire island and was built to house up to 2,000 soldiers however it was never completed. As the construction continued the island began to settle (sink) under the weight of all the bricks and other construction materials used. Prisoners were kept here and the most famous of those were 4 men convicted of helping in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. There is some fascinating history being preserved at Dry Tortugas National Park. I understand why this was placed under the national park system.

Fish and Seafan Coral

After learning about this fort and it’s history and exploring under the surface of the ocean it was time for the journey back to Key West. I would have liked to stay longer and take more time to explore but we did not plan for it on this trip. Camping is possible and would give more time for snorkeling and exploring the fort along with experiencing the peacefulness and solitude of the Dry Tortugas. This is one of the least visited national parks for obvious reasons. If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend this opportunity!

Tropical Waters from Fort Jefferson