The Everglades

I really like the drive through the Everglades in the southern part of Florida. There are alligators lying about sunning themselves everywhere! And unlike the northern states in the U.S., the birds are much larger and more colorful.

I drove 2.5 hours one-way just to dive at a location called Phil Foster Park. I was told that it wasn't the most pretty of dive sites, but had some pretty interesting critters. Well, I didn't see much more than the usual suspects, but I could tell that the site probably would have more 'interesting' creatures than people find out on the reefs. This is primarily because the dive site, for the most part, was sandy and there wasn't much for cover. That, of course, calls for fauna more adapted for exposed sandy substrate, such as jawfish, batfish (Ogcocephalidae, not the pelagic silver and black banded types), shrimp gobies and their pistol shrimp partners, etc. I did see both gobies and jawfish, but sadly no batfish. They are much rarer though. It was a good dive, a bit chilly in February, but still well worth it.

Water fowl hunting in the Everglades -


Some type of bristle worm -