As I write this, we still don’t know the results of the 2020 presidential election. But it’s definitely going to be close. Has your anxiety been skyrocketing over the last few weeks? Months? Years?
Well, you’re not alone! I went on a little local adventure to calm my nerves this past weekend and I am so grateful that I did. I guess local snorkel trips are one benefit of living in a tropical region during a pandemic and a tumultuous election year.
The weather was beautiful on Sunday. I wanted to do something that would make me feel like I was spending time in the Caribbean. I managed to get that feeling, even though it was fleeting, even though the reef wasn’t too spectacular, and even though I was interrupted by some unwelcome, furry visitors.
Bearcut Nature Trail
On Sunday, I drove out to Key Biscayne to explore a snorkel spot I heard about. I had no idea where I was going but I was determined to explore and see what I could find.
I paid to park at Crandon Boulevard parking and then walked North along Bear Cut Nature Trail. The trail is about 1 mile long and takes 20 minutes to walk. The trail is mostly open to the sun overhead and there are cyclists who whiz up and down the path. Of the few people I saw, most were respectful and wore masks.
Silly me, I forgot to take sunscreen along so I used a dead palm leaf as shade on my walk.
There are little offshoots or paths down to the water along this trail. I walked passed them for the time being before making it to the observation deck at the end. The Fossilized Reef View observation deck is raised up over a beach looking North toward Virginia Key and Miami. The beach underneath was full of seaweed and unclear water. But I could see there was a rocky reef nearby.
Fossilized Reef
After taking in some of the views, I doubled back along the trail to a pathway down to the water. This is where I found the perfect beach from which to snorkel over to the reef.
Bear Cut Preserve off of Key Biscayne in Miami offers light snorkeling at its protected, fossilized reef. A fossilized reef is basically a dead reef system. What remains are the skeletons of a coral reef from long ago.
The Florida Keys, for example, are made up of fossil coral reefs from the Pleistocene era (about 130,000 years ago). The Fossilized Reef I visited off Key Biscayne is still partially submerged and continues to provide a home to marine life.
Marine Life Spotted
The water by the fossilized reef had maybe just 1-2m of visibility or less at times. But it was enough to spot some marine life.
This fossilized reef had nice sea grasses, sponges, and a variety of fish. I saw lots of Sergeant Major fish (yellow with black stripes) including some really tiny baby ones! I saw a few barracuda and other larger fish that I could not identify.
I even experienced being surrounded by a large ball of bait fish. It was not quite the bait fish experience I had in Curaçao but it was really cool to see so many of them gathered around me. I felt like a predator pushing through them as they avoided me.
Watch the video I took of me snorkeling with the bait fish!
The reef was not colorful and the fish were a bit dull. So it certainly was different from, say, in Niue. However, this was welcome change of scenery and way to relax in the middle of a pandemic and right before an important election.
Surprise Wildlife
I eventually decided to get back to the beach. I had my stuff there and, as a solo traveler, I was a little in my head about leaving my stuff on the beach. There wasn’t anyone around at all. This was one of the benefits of this beach—it truly felt remote and like I was on one of my adventures on a Caribbean Island! But I still don’t know Miami well and I was a little worried.
Getting back to my stuff, I found everything I left there in tact. Well, except for my little cooler bag. Why would someone take my snacks but not my phone?
I looked around, thinking maybe an animal got to it. Sure enough, I found it in the bushes nearby. The bag was partially open and still inside were my water, icepack, and raspberries. But my bag of Cool Ranch Doritos? Gone!
The only animals I saw all day on land were iguanas. So that’s where my mind went to first. But then I realized there are raccoons all over Miami and these were probably the culprits.
A few minutes later, I heard scratching behind me. Sure enough, there was a group of 3-4 raccoons. One of them crept toward me, clearly looking for more Doritos. “Look, guys, I know Doritos are delicious but you need to make healthier choices and pick the raspberries next time, ok?”
In Conclusion
After my raccoon encounter, the mosquitos started to bug me. So I decided it was time I leave the raccoons and the mosquitos to their bad eating habits. That was enough adventure for me! But definitely the right amount. I had an amazingly relaxing and adventurous time snorkeling just 30 minutes from my home here in Miami.
Wishing you all a little relaxation after these election results roll in—no matter how the final outcome turns out!
