Key West Seaplane Adventures

10/14/2024

Have you ever wondered what happens on a coral reef during a hurricane? Hurricanes are a natural part of the seasonal cycle. The passage of a hurricane can sometimes be a great benefit to coral reefs...except when it isn’t.

Coral reefs serve as buffers for coastal areas around the world such as Dry Tortugas and the Florida Keys. They absorb up to 97% of wave energy which can reduce erosion and provide critical protection from storms and floods.

The peak of hurricane season aligns with the spawning season for some types of coral. Hurricanes can help to disperse coral larvae farther and wider than would happen without the storm. This can help to promote genetic diversity and the growth of new reef colonies. This could be beneficial if that particular type of coral is disease-adapted or better adapted to warmer ocean temperatures. Coral larvae is not the only thing that can be spread over greater distances during a hurricane, however. Diseases, such as stony coral tissue loss disease, are also dispersed wider with the passage of a storm.

Some corals, like the staghorn coral pictured here, are able to reproduce by a process known as fragmentation, when pieces of the coral structure break off and settle in a new location. In this way, hurricanes can help to establish new colonies. Massive storms, however, can cause extreme devastation and cause entire colonies to wash away.

Storms can bring large upwellings of cooler water from deeper areas of the ocean which can help to reduce the thermal stress on corals that often happens in the summer months. However, large amounts of freshwater can disturb corals, as can the silt that settles on a reef after the storm passes.

As you can see the effects are complicated! We won't immediately know what the impact of Hurricane Milton is on the reef at Dry Tortugas until possibly some months after the storm.

NPS Photo by the Submerged Resources Center

10/14/2024

10/07/2024

In preparation for Hurricane Milton, now a dangereous Category 5 storm, Garden Key and Loggerhead Key are closed to the public until further notice. Closures will be listed on the park website under Alerts.

Marine waters remain open, though mariners are encouraged to monitor weather and marine weather forecasts.

Seaplane and ferry tours are cancelled until the storm passes and conditions at Garden Key can be assessed.

No emergency services are available.

We urge fellow Florida residents to make necessary preparations and prioritize personal safety. Additional storm preparedness information can be found at https://ow.ly/thr650TGbGX.

NPS Photo

09/28/2024

Good news, Garden Key is opening tomorrow! Yankee Freedom and Key West Seaplane Adventures tours will resume.

Today, park staff continued post-storm recovery efforts with assistance from Everglades National Park staff. Although there is some beach erosion and minor repairs, most of the work was cleaning up trash, seagrass and other debris that washed up on the island.

Loggerhead Key remains closed until we're able to assess damages and safety concerns on island.

NPS Photo by Anthony Vela

09/12/2024

✈ About 66 years ago, in 1958, the first flight of the A3J Vigilante (later redesignated A-5) heavy attack aircraft occurred. The airframe was later converted into a reconnaissance platform (designated RA-5C) and operated extensively during the Vietnam War.

📷 Image shows the last RA-5C aircraft delivered to the Navy in flight over Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas National Park during its time in RVAH-12 (Reconnaissance Attack 'Heavy' Squadron) based out of NAS Key West in 1978.

07/22/2024

When Dry Tortugas was established as a national monument in 1935, Fort Jefferson had switched hands and been abandoned multiple times. Vandalism and hurricanes only expedited the deterioration of the fort. Great efforts were needed if the fort was to be rehabilitated. If the task sounds daunting by modern standards, imagine what it was like with limited supplies, infrastructure, communication and budget in the early years of the monument's existence?

In a monthly report, Superintendent Robert Budlong wrote extensively about ongoing maintenance at Fort Jefferson. Anybody who has lived near, or spent time by the ocean in humid climates, can relate.

In March of 1943, Budlong wrote the following: “As warmer days approach and as the season of high humidity approaches, the maintenance problem becomes grave. All items of metal demand constant care, since rust will form in a matter of minutes. Salt spray reaches almost everything with the high winds and when combined with our high humidity of this time of year, causes steel articles to go to pieces rapidly unless adequate and almost daily care can be given them. All tools and machinery must be kept constantly greased; machinery needs constant overhauls and minor repairs, since most items of essential equipment are old and worn-out.”

Budlong’s reports are currently managed by the South Florida Collections Management Center (SFCMC)

NPS Photo, DRTO 30095, Print Box 04

07/22/2024

Seats still available in August and September! Call or book online now!!!