Annette Robertson on Wednesday uses a dive light to bring out the color of coral now encrusting gun mounts on the 'Spiegel Grove.' Those same gun mounts were easily recognizable in June 2002, a month after the ship was scuttled.

The hull of the Spiegel Grove, once so white that it seemed incandescent in the depths, now glows with a different bounty of undersea hues.

A decade since May 17, 2002, when the 510-foot retired U.S. Navy ship mostly vanished from the surface, the ocean has claimed the Spiegel Grove as its own. A luxuriant coating of corals, both stony and soft, have fastened to the metal hull and bulkheads.

Posted - Saturday, May 19, 2012 07:59 AM EDT

Lisa Druckemiller, a former Monroe County administrator accused of stealing county-owned electronics and then selling them, might testify before a grand jury that will soon start investigating the thefts.

Posted - Saturday, May 19, 2012 07:59 AM EDT

A young American crocodile who was born at the Turkey Point wildlife preservation area inside Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station in Miami. CHRIS CUTRO / FOR THE MIAMI HERALD.

The American saltwater crocodile, found mainly in South Florida and the Upper Keys, has a reputation for being much more docile and non-threatening to people than its cousins in other parts of the world.

Posted - Saturday, May 19, 2012 07:58 AM EDT

Anglers on the Gulfstream charter party boat captained by Chan Warner hold black grouper they caught in 110 feet of water off Key Largo this week. (Contributed photo)

Fish Tales with Capt. Mike Makowski

T’was the week before Memorial Day weekend and all through the Keys, Captains were catching and clients were pleased. This month the bite is turning out to be red hot both offshore and inshore!

Posted - Thursday, May 17, 2012 02:44 PM EDT

The Wooden family from Ridgefield WA enjoyed Florida Keys fishing with SeaSquared. An offshore reef trip netted this great catch of dolphin, wahoo and snapper.

FISHING THE FLORIDA KEYS

Dolphin season 2012 is shaping up to be a good one.

Posted - Wednesday, May 16, 2012 08:01 AM EDT

The late Keys fishing legend Billy Pate with some of his trophies and awards.

ISLAMORADA

The extensive collection of the late Billy Pate, Hall-of-Fame Keys fishing guide, will be auctioned Saturday, May 19, at his home in Islamorada.

Posted - Wednesday, May 16, 2012 08:01 AM EDT

Annette Robertson on Wednesday uses a dive light to bring out the color of coral now encrusting gun mounts on the 'Spiegel Grove.' Those same gun mounts were easily recognizable in June 2002, a month after the ship was scuttled.

The hull of the Spiegel Grove, once so white that it seemed incandescent in the depths, now glows with a different bounty of undersea hues.

A decade since May 17, 2002, when the 510-foot retired U.S. Navy ship mostly vanished from the surface, the ocean has claimed the Spiegel Grove as its own. A luxuriant coating of corals, both stony and soft, have fastened to the metal hull and bulkheads.

Posted - Saturday, May 19, 2012 06:00 AM EDT

A diver photographs a section of a crane on the Spiegel Grove. (Photo by Tim Grollimund)

Dive Time with Tim Grollimund

One of the first columns I wrote was about diving the Spiegel Grove. It’s been one of my favorite sites since I came here. I can have just as good a time with a macro lens as I can with a wide angle lens. When the visibility is 80 feet or better, there’s nothing like the great view across width of the ship from one crane mount to the other. Plus it’s the only place I’ve seen a frogfish since I’ve been here.

Posted - Thursday, May 10, 2012 04:48 PM EDT

The 'Spiegel Grove' turns turtle on May 17, 2002 -- sinking prematurely and ending up on its side. Three years later, Hurricane Dennis did what man couldn't -- got the ship to sit right side up.

It was a story that could have been scripted for a major motion picture, but no writer could have conceived the plot of the sinking of the Spiegel Grove.

Posted - Saturday, May 05, 2012 11:00 AM EDT

A satellite view shows the Carysfort Reef Light, just right of center, surrounded by an abundance of coral on a broad reef tract.

Snorkeling Into History: Carysfort Reef

OFF KEY LARGO — While thousands of reefs grow in the turquoise waters encompassing the Florida Keys, Carysfort Reef is the single most dangerous tract of coral in the chain.

Posted - Friday, April 06, 2012 12:00 AM EDT

PIGEON KEY

On Jan. 2, 1908, Henry Flagler began construction of the Florida East Coast Railway. It was Flagler’s dream, one he personally financed with $80 million of his own money, to see the coast of Florida connected by train from Jacksonville to Key West.

Posted - Friday, May 11, 2012 12:00 AM EDT

To the uninitiated it looks like a toy. Twelve feet of purple formed plastic, pointed at both ends with a dip in the middle and a hatch both front and rear. But to those who know, that 60-pound piece of plastic is the pure, distilled essence of freedom in the Florida Keys.

Posted - Friday, April 06, 2012 12:10 AM EDT