Dive Team: Dave Miller, Matt Miller
Date: April 10, 2007
It was CJHS Spring Break, so Matt and I headed to the Florida Keys pulling the pop-up camper. We stayed at the Fiesta Key Resort KOA. Our pop-up camper was 25 feet from the edge of the Gulf of Mexico with a fantastic view at sunset. We enjoyed two days of great diving and ate our first ever key lime pie. On the third night, Dave went to the campground bathroom at 2:40am and the weather channel was flashing that severe thunderstorms with 60mph winds would hit the keys in 10 minutes. Dave ran back, lowered the pop-up camper a few feet and hung on as the camper was battered by rain and high wind for three hours. Next morning, tents and camper awnings were scattered around the campground but we were fine. Sadly, due to moderate winds and high swells our third day of diving was cancelled.
We made alternative plans. Matt & I snorkeled the 10 foot deep waters about 50 yards out from our campground and we saw dozens of lobsters. Matt pulled at their antennas. We celebrated at an all-you-can eat seafood restaurant where we tried many things we had never eaten before. We made 8 total dives at Islamorada with Holiday Isle Divers.
Our favorite dive was Ham Reef or Hamasarus Reef, where, at a depth of 34 feet, we saw six nurse sharks, many moray eels, grouper, parrotfish, barracuda, lobster and many more. We also had our first large sea turtle encounter.
