Florida Keys Reef

The Christ of the Abyss

Ever since I was a little kid I have dreamt of seeing the famous statue of Christ located in the John Pennekamp coral reef state park.  I have been scuba and snorkeling the Florida Keys reefs since 1988.  Last week, I finally dove the reef - Dry Rocks - where the statue is located.  (That is me reaching out to his hand)  Dry Rocks, part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, and within the John Pennekamp park is about 3 miles out from land.  The statue is in about 25 feet of water.  The statue was a gift from Emilo Cressi - a famous dive gear manufacturer.

 "....This submerged bronze statue of Jesus, of which the original is located in the Mediterranean Sea off San Fruttuoso between Camogli and Portofino on the Italian Riviera. It was placed in the water on 22 August 1954 at approximately 17 metres depth, and stands c. 2.5 metres tall. Various other casts of the statue are located in other places worldwide, both underwater and in churches and museums.
The sculpture was created by Guido Galletti after an idea of Italian diver Duilio Marcante. The statue was placed near the spot where Dario Gonzatti died in 1947. He was the first Italian to use SCUBA gear. It depicts Christ in a pose offering a blessing of peace. His hands and head are raised toward the surface (or the sky, when positioned above water)..."  -- (this from Wikipedia.)

I met all of my goals while in the keys - I dove, I kayaked, I spend time with family, and generally did nothing but enjoy the beauty of these enchanted islands.

Key Largo Bound...

Taking off for Key Largo Saturday for a week with the family.   Goals - Re-connect with one of the most beautiful and unique parts of our country.   Swim, Snorkel, Scuba, Kayak, Explore the reefs, explore the mangrove canals, nap in a hammock, rent a boat and explore the flats and patch reefs.  Eat a lot of good seafood, check out local bars and restaurants.  Hopefully my kids and their boyfriends will fall in love with this place as much as I did my first trip to the keys way back in 1988.

G

Happy 4th!

A day late I know....  Catching up on the news as I started my vacation this week.  Funny the political correctness around the 4th.  You have got to be kidding!  We can't in this country even celebrate what is a great holiday without politicizing it.   Yes - we celebrate our independence from Britain on this day.  But to me - it's more than that.  It's the high-point of Summer!  A great time to take time off with friends and family. To spend time outdoors - even if it is 100 degrees out!  Over the past 2 weeks I was lucky enough to catch 3 fireworks shows!  One on my boat in Branford CT - the scene of my Lisfranc accident last year.  Then, from the back of my boat in my homeport of Stratford CT, and finally, aboard a friends very nice boat anchored in front of the Fairfield CT fireworks.  All awesome!  We came back to our marina last night in the dark - with lightning lighting up the sky and a couple of tropical down-pours. Glad I was not at the helm - sometimes its really fun to let somebody else do the driving.

A New Chapter

Well - Given that I am as healed as I ever am going to be - I thought I'd use this page to chronicle some of the more interesting (at least to me anyway) parts of my life.   So first and foremost, I am a husband, a father, and a businessman/boss.  In that order of importance more or less.  I'd also think that I try to be a good neighbor and friend.  No secret I like to spend time on my boat.  Probably my biggest passion.  I love the water - Everything about it - the smell of salt air, being in it, around it, through it - and everything nautical is my passion.  I have logged over 100 scuba dives in my life - from tropical coral reefs in the Caribbean to the cold dark depths of a Jersey Shore Shipwreck.  I've been into Surfing, collected tropical fish, explored tide pools, beachcombed and generally any free time I have you will find me near the water.  A while ago I told my wife and kids I wanted to start a blog to chronicle my life - so they could read it after I am gone.  They thought that was pretty morbid LOL!  Anyway - I am going to change the nature of my blog hereon in - To write about this and that.  If they read it some day - great!  If not, at least I had fun doing it.

G