Snorkeling & Collecting Discussion Group
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Ron Reefman
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I'm just a casual collector of marine life for my own personal use. All I need is a saltwater fishing license in Florida... in fact, being over 65 I don't even need the license! The limits I live by are only 20 animals per person per day. So between me and my wife, we can collect 40 animals per day.
Day 1 at Bahia Honda State Park they SERIOUSLY discourage collecting, yet allow fishing! Go figure. We didn't collect there. Days 2 & 3 we took our limit. Below is what we took:
First things first, this is how they get home. The bucket has 5+ gallons of saltwater taken the morning we leave. The bubbler runs full time until we get home and I move them to other tanks.
3 gorgonians (you are allowed 6 per day). The top one is already in the DT.
One small red feather duster
6 cerith snails (one of these turned out to be a hermit crab)!
4 limpets and another hermit crab.
2 small serpent stars
one mantis shrimp
2 sea cucumbers (the yellow one is already in the DT).
2 different types of chitons
10 nerite snails
20 astrea snails
1 clown crab (at least that's what I think it is)!
2 emerald crabs
one decorator crab
one curly-cue anemone
3 different kinds of algae
I don't have photos, but there are 4 small clams and 20 tiny hermit crabs in cerith shells and one tiny blue sponge.
I lost one limpet in the holding tank. I don't know why, it may have been a crab or the mantis shrimp or something else...
All in all, a very successful trip that includes getting 98% of the livestock home alive!
Day 1 at Bahia Honda State Park they SERIOUSLY discourage collecting, yet allow fishing! Go figure. We didn't collect there. Days 2 & 3 we took our limit. Below is what we took:
First things first, this is how they get home. The bucket has 5+ gallons of saltwater taken the morning we leave. The bubbler runs full time until we get home and I move them to other tanks.
3 gorgonians (you are allowed 6 per day). The top one is already in the DT.
One small red feather duster
6 cerith snails (one of these turned out to be a hermit crab)!
4 limpets and another hermit crab.
2 small serpent stars
one mantis shrimp
2 sea cucumbers (the yellow one is already in the DT).
2 different types of chitons
10 nerite snails
20 astrea snails
1 clown crab (at least that's what I think it is)!
2 emerald crabs
one decorator crab
one curly-cue anemone
3 different kinds of algae
I don't have photos, but there are 4 small clams and 20 tiny hermit crabs in cerith shells and one tiny blue sponge.
I lost one limpet in the holding tank. I don't know why, it may have been a crab or the mantis shrimp or something else...
All in all, a very successful trip that includes getting 98% of the livestock home alive!
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Ron Reefman
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I believe once they take root they are protected. But if you find any mangrove propagules, it's super easy to start your own. The red mangrove is the one that grows at the water's edge and has prop roots. They flower in the summer. Red mangrove propagules are skinny, slightly curved cigar shaped seeds. They hang from the tree for a long time and can be found on beaches almost any time of year. But I think late summer into early spring (yes, 8 or 9 months) they can be found. I often pick up a few when we just go out for a beach walk. Stick the dark tip in a glass of water (fresh or salt) and in a few days you'll see roots start.
jimk60
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Great write up Ron! I always enjoy following your trips to the Keys. Special shout out to Elaine for all the great water shots. After a couple years away I'm looking forward to get back down there.
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Ron Reefman
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That's part of why I do these. I love snorkeling in the Keys and I want to share it. Besides, so many reefers never get to experience this live, so we do the best we can to share.
If anybody is going snorkeling (especially in the Keys), and/or doing any collecting and you have any questions, feel free to ask and I'll do my best to help.
never got around to thanking you guys for your suggestions for my Feb trip...which basically was a bust due to weather...low 70's and way too windy for any kind of boat trip...plus only there for a couple of days and needed to keep the non snorkeling wife amused with tourist stuff...in the "better than nothing" category we hit Fort Zachary Taylor state park which in the $ 4 an hour to park world of key west was quite a bargain at $ 6 for the whole day....guided tour of the fort, nice beach with snack bar etc....you can snorkel off the beach...there are about 4 rock breakwaters and a rock pier...due to 20mph wind the water was pretty turbid with only about 3 ft of visibility but hopefully it would have better under normal conditions...was following a 5 inch scrawled cowfish for a while...supposedly there was some coral out past the breakwaters but only found that out on the website after i got home...the breakwaters rocks were pretty devoid of anything growing on them and i got the feeling that they may have been setup fairly recently (post Irma?)
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Ron Reefman
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I really feel bad for the bad weather trip you guys had. That's the one big issue with a vacation from far away to the Keys. I realize I'm very lucky in that we are only a 5 hour drive away, and if the weather is bad, all we have to do is cancel our motel reservation.
In fact, I'm now starting to look at Windfinder.com weather forecasts and looking for a day or two with almost no wind. The only way I get out to Money Key (the bigger one, not Little Money) or Molasses Key (about 1.5 miles east of Money Key), or Pigeon Key (1.5 miles off the other end of the Seven Mile Bridge) in our 11' Zodiac is on very flat water with my wife, or choppy water without her (not much of an option!). LOL!
If I can find a motel anywhere a couple of weeks out, when the wind is forecast at less than 5mph, I'd go as long as it doesn't conflict with other scheduled stuff(doctor appointments, auto-cross, Miata Club events...)!
Holy handgrenade
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Thank you so much for sharing your adventures with us Ron! Pushing my motivation to snorkel. I live in Apollo beach so im not to far from grass flats/mangrove country. Im going out on my officially first snorkeling adventure this Thursday with the hopes of collecting snails and maybe some seastars or whatever else presents itself (legal to keep of course)
gbru316
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@Ron Reefman, you ever get over to do any collecting on the east coast?
I'm heading out tomorrow to try to collect some amphipods from around the Cape Canaveral area while my son is busy with his first surfing lesson.
I'm heading out tomorrow to try to collect some amphipods from around the Cape Canaveral area while my son is busy with his first surfing lesson.
I do, but not that far north in a long time. If looking for pods, find some pools, a jetty or any area with some macro growing. If you find somewhere like that, a simple shake and switch of a rock in a bucket, a clump of macro or anything that you can pick up and swish around in the bucket should provide you with quite a bit of pods. You can pick out the crabs and such. Unless you want them lol.
Just be sure you have a basic saltwater fishing license and an aerator with you. If stopped the license is required, even for pods. The aerator is also required per the regulations for collecting live marine life.
gbru316
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I live 15 minutes from the beach, of course I have a fishing license!
I just read your post about the IRL around Stuart, and it's got me pretty excited. We've only been down here a year, I always figured I'd have to drive to the keys to see much in the way of coral. An hour and change south though? That's easily doable on a day off.
We've got plans to take the kids to Sebastian Inlet in the near future, might have to take a snorkel (and bucket, and aerator) along.
edit: omg I just found out that nassarius snails were found about 2 miles from my house!
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Do it. There is an awesome spot to collect on the way to Jensen Beach from Stuart. Little cut through that can be walked to. At low tide, you can collect nps nem, crap ton of pods, pipefish in the macro, small scorpion fish in the macro and it is also a great spot to catch Snook and mangrove snapper lol. The little beach there to the right of the circle in the second pic is also awesome to snorkel with smaller children (if you have smaller kids). Water is calm and clear. Tide changes are a little flow, but not bad during them.
gbru316
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Thanks for the tips!
I stumbled upon a site that shows where different species have been observed in the lagoon. I really need to get to bed, but... I'm stuck in a rabbit hole now. I discovered that pistol shrimp, cerith, nassarius and nerite snails, and anemones have been observed just minutes from my house.
This is an amazing website for any lagoon-adjacent reefers with an interest in observing nature.
Indian River Lagoon Species Inventory Spatial Module
www.irlspecies.org
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Ron Reefman
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Sorry, I've been racing my Miata in Alabama. I've never done any snorkeling north of the Keys. I'd love to hear what you found?
gbru316
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Was too busy watching his surfing lesson to do much collecting -- plus I didn't apply sunscreen so I was trying to stay in the shade of my beach chair/shade combo. Lesson was at 8 am, figured it'd only be an hour and we'd be gone before the sun got too intense. Turned out to be 2 hours and I paid the price.
I did grab a clump of sargassum and threw it in the tank. Didn't see much on it, but figured there'd still be bacteria and stuff I couldn't see with my eyes. The emerald crab has enjoyed picking at it.
I'm planning a more purposeful trip in the future. Also, the LFS owner suggested throwing a plankton net off the Sebastian Inlet bridge on incoming. So that's on the list, too.
Salty Rambler
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Any thoughts on preferred snorkelling locations in the Keys in late September or early October? When I last visited, the area was still in early recovery stages from the hurricane, but based on your posts, it looks like things are filling back in. I'll be without a boat or zodiac, and intend to overnight somewhere near Islamorada or Marathon, so any/all suggestions are welcome.
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Ron Reefman
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To start, I'd stay in Marathon if you want to be near good off the beach snorkeling. Two nice Mom & Pop type motels are Blackfin and Sea Dell. They are owned by the same outfit and we stay at Blackfin when we can and the other if Blackfin is full. There are other chain hotels in Marathon as well.
If you are just snorkeling off the beach and not collecting, Bahia Honda State Park is great! And they have a charter boat that goes out to Loe Key twice a day. If you've never been to the big reef, it's certainly worth the trip! Off the ocean side beach is terrific and/or rent a kayak there and go snorkel out at Little Bahia Honda (less than 1/4 mile off shore).
The other easy place to go, whether you are collecting or not is the Horseshoe. It's always good and it's more protected from the prevailing winds and waves than Bahia Honda. If the winds and waves are light, the ocean side across the island from the Horseshoe can be well worth a visit, but it's more commonly kind of rougher there than any of the other places.
There are lots of maps and aerial photos with my doodling outlines of where the best areas are, in this thread.
We will be there the 2nd week in September (assuming the weather looks good). We are lucky enough to be close (and retired), so if the weather looks bad, we can cancel and reschedule.
If you have any questions, I'm happy to try an help.
If you are just snorkeling off the beach and not collecting, Bahia Honda State Park is great! And they have a charter boat that goes out to Loe Key twice a day. If you've never been to the big reef, it's certainly worth the trip! Off the ocean side beach is terrific and/or rent a kayak there and go snorkel out at Little Bahia Honda (less than 1/4 mile off shore).
The other easy place to go, whether you are collecting or not is the Horseshoe. It's always good and it's more protected from the prevailing winds and waves than Bahia Honda. If the winds and waves are light, the ocean side across the island from the Horseshoe can be well worth a visit, but it's more commonly kind of rougher there than any of the other places.
There are lots of maps and aerial photos with my doodling outlines of where the best areas are, in this thread.
We will be there the 2nd week in September (assuming the weather looks good). We are lucky enough to be close (and retired), so if the weather looks bad, we can cancel and reschedule.
If you have any questions, I'm happy to try an help.
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