Happy 2015 everyone!

I kicked off the new year by making a quick run down to the Dry Tortugas National Park. About 70 miles west of Key West lie a small group of seven islands that make up the park, and thanks to Jim Nimz, the Park Dive Officer, and the rest of the folks that work aboard the MV Fort Jefferson –  I got to visit!

All kinds of research goes on at the Dry Tortugas, including seabirds, marine communities, plants, invasive species eradication, and as the name suggests – turtles. On this trip, Karen of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was doing some Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) surveys and I made myself useful hunting for the previously surveyed coral colonies.

Our trip was cut short due to some fast approaching foul weather, but I was glad that we managed to get some diving in! It was great to get to know this park and am excited to come back and visit again sometime when there’s no strong winds to outrun! 🙂