‘Kristen Has Crabs’

Last post, I mentioned that I have no underwater apparatus named after me. Everything in the GPS has a name. We have Charlie’s Rock, Chase, JPG Lobby Hole, and the list goes on. Most of my family have names on more than one underwater dive spot, actually most of Marathon has a name in the …

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Finding Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth

My family’s first trip to Bimini consisted of the usual. Snorkel the concrete ship, eat fresh conch, explore Hemingway’s old stomping grounds and, of course, see if we could discover something never found before. The exploration started with searching for plane wrecks on north extension of Bimini. Visibility in the crisp, clear Bahamian waters were …

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photo (3)

Bull Shark Reef

One of my dad and Chase’s favorite dive spots is called Bull Shark, a reef in the murky waters of Hawks Channel. I will give you one guess on why it is named that. Each time we go out lobstering in open water, I make a point to say, ‘Hey, we’re not going to Bull …

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Mini Bite Size Key Lime Pies

Mini sized key lime pies made from Florida Keys Key Limes are the perfect portion size for tropical dinner parties, outdoor events and picnics on the boat. Approximate time: 30 minutes Yields 45 mini bite size key lime pies Ingredients: 45 mini phillo dough shells (I used Athena’s Mini Fillo Shells, found in the freezer …

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Whale Shark Chase 2

Whale Shark Adventure – November 2012

It isn’t everyday you come across one of these amazing creatures.  Whale Shark sighting outside of Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida Keys.

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No Waves, No Problem - Surfing on Gilligan's back, 600 feet of water in the Gulf Stream off Bimini, Bahamas.

30×30 List – held accountable – Florida Keys Style

I have been blessed the past 29 years in family, friends, travel and experiences. I do, although, have a few things I have not been able to accomplish or wish to accomplish again since having two babies and all that entails. 1. Conversational Spanish. After four years of Spanish in high school and college, I …

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How to do a hurricane…

Check out video of kneeboarding in a field behind a 4-wheeler during Tropical Storm Isaac http://www.facebook.com/KeysSpear

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A Short Survival Story of a Dumb Diver

Thirty minutes passed, as three people on the boat waited for the diver to return to the surface, still there was nothing.  They scanned the area for bubbles, but the waves were so rough they saw nothing to indicate signs of the diver.  They started to worry, panic.  Where is he? A close diver friend …

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photo (2)

Bridge Jumping 101 – Bahia Honda

Click here to watch Christin and I take the plunge!  Bahia Honda Bridge Jump  

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Hammerheads

Hammerhead Party Time

While out hunting wahoo with Ace and three tourist chicks, our first spot had a few wahoo on it, but we couldnt get close enough for a shot. We went to another spot we know they frequent, and stopped the boat 200 yards up current and slid in the water with our spearguns and drifted up to …

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‘Kristen Has Crabs’Finding Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of YouthBull Shark ReefMini Bite Size Key Lime PiesWhale Shark Adventure – November 201230×30 List – held accountable – Florida Keys StyleHow to do a hurricane…A Short Survival Story of a Dumb DiverBridge Jumping 101 – Bahia HondaHammerhead Party Time

May 29

‘Kristen Has Crabs’

Categories:

Bahamas, Diving, Fishing Stories, Kritterness, Night Dives

May 29, 2013

Last post, I mentioned that I have no underwater apparatus named after me. Everything in the GPS has a name. We have Charlie’s Rock, Chase, JPG Lobby Hole, and the list goes on. Most of my family have names on more than one underwater dive spot, actually most of Marathon has a name in the GPS. Then there is me. I have nothing. No K-10. No KG’s Spot. Nothing. This is attributed to the fact that I myself have not actually discovered the new spot, because I am usually driving the boat, or sleeping. A girl’s gotta sleep.

Last trip to Bimini, I was set on getting my moniker on a find. The first day, I found nothing notable.

That night, though, I came across a great find. The very perfect marina bar at Big Game Club. In house beers consisted of Bud and Kalik. The only way I was getting that down was with beer pong. So Chase and I set up a make shift table and our game drew the attention of the other bar patrons, including a high school teacher we’ll call Gilligan.

And, the drinks continued to be poured. At one point, I think they started making mine sans alcohol.

“You know, miss, there are bull sharks that run through here. They clean fish right there,” the security guard scolded my over-served dare devil self as he pointed to the cleaning table.

Being tall above on a piling with a finger shaking at me, “If you get eaten, Big Game Club cannot be responsible,” he added.

Splash, again.

Gilligan, with an arsenal of kayaks and paddle boards, decided a full moon exploration in Bimini Bay wouldn’t faze us. He was right.

Chase and I hopped on the boards. From gaining on-lookers, there were now about 10 of us on this night time snorkel trip lit by the full moon in bull shark infested Bahamian waters.

The bottom in Bimini Bay is at the deepest 5-feet with a sandy, or grassy bottom. Finally, out of the corner of my eye, a structure appeared. This is it, I thought, I will finally have a wreck named after me.

“Chase, Gilligan,” I yelled swimming against the current, drunk, choking on my snorkel. “I found a boat, a wreck, a shipwreck!”

This wasn’t just any shipwreck. It was a glorious 7- foot overturned, waterlogged, wooden dingy sitting still on the bottom. This esteemed find would clearly be stuffed with lobster, grouper, or something better!

I was elated. Gilligan dove down 5-feet (you could stand on the bottom, it wasn’t very deep) to see what treasures my ship held as I exclaimed to the half drunk crowd that this ship would be called – give it a second, drum roll, please – Kristen.

Vindication.

Gilligan spit his snorkel out as he returned to the surface. “There’s only a couple crabs on the boat,” he said.

Chase exclaimed “Kristen has crabs!”

Since then, my ship has only been known as ‘Kristen has crabs’. I have since given up my search for a dive spot to donn my name in the GPS.

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Permanent link to this article: http://keyskritter.com/?p=387

May 24

Finding Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth

Categories:

Bahamas, Diving, Fishing Stories, Kritterness

May 24, 2013

My family’s first trip to Bimini consisted of the usual. Snorkel the concrete ship, eat fresh conch, explore Hemingway’s old stomping grounds and, of course, see if we could discover something never found before.

The exploration started with searching for plane wrecks on north extension of Bimini. Visibility in the crisp, clear Bahamian waters were easily 1000 feet that day and it was flat calm. We found several wrecks snorkeling, none of which bare the name Kristen, but that’s another story. Moseying along, we came across a creek on the east end of South Bimini, which allowed our imaginations to take hold. Could this be near the site of Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth?

Proceeding up the creek 100 yards by the little inflatable dingy, a trail appeared through the mangroves. Now, our imaginations were running wild.

Hopping out of the boat and wandering down the trail was the first mistake. Within mere minutes of following the barely beaten path, a swarm of horse flies immediately attacked. Beating them off and a few feet deeper into the trek, the mosquitos joined the biting horse flies. Running for the boat, yelling abort mission, we in unison decided this exploration trip was simply intolerable.

Slapping each other and gunning the little 25-horsepower dingy out of the creek to blow the stragglers off, we realized we did indeed find the Fountain of Youth.

With an extra slap to Dad’s mosquito bitten face, we realized he no longer had any wrinkles on his now smooth, red face. Mosquitos, the natural Botox treatments, free at the Fountain of Youth in the Bahamas.

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Permanent link to this article: http://keyskritter.com/?p=382

Jan 25

Bull Shark Reef

Categories:

Diving, Fishing Stories, Kritterness

January 25, 2013

One of my dad and Chase’s favorite dive spots is called Bull Shark, a reef in the murky waters of Hawks Channel. I will give you one guess on why it is named that. Each time we go out lobstering in open water, I make a point to say, ‘Hey, we’re not going to Bull Shark, right?’ The answer is always, usually in unison, ‘no.’

We pulled up to the undisclosed dive spot and suited up. It was a calm day, but visibility was near none.

“Don’t worry, Kristen, you can’t see anything until you hit the bottom, but then the visibility will be much better,” Chase comforted. “We’ll see you on the bottom.”

I flipped over the side of the boat after Chase and Dad, armed with a tickle stick, and started the descent to the bottom. Sticking my hand in front of my face I saw nothing but a grey shadow in the milky water. I was going down, popping my ears and surprisingly, I saw a shadow that was not my hand, ‘must be Chase or Dad,’ I thought and kept descending.

Then, I saw the shadow again and my breathing irrationally quickened as I thought ‘those liars, this is BULL SHARK!’ The horizontal shadow disappeared, and moments later reappeared. I still hadn’t reached the bottom, nor could see anything and my ‘breathhhhe in, breathhhhhhe out’ turned quickly to ‘breathe-in-breathe-out-breathe-in-breathe-out’ and with no one in sight, I went to the surface slowly and climbed in the boat hurriedly. I knew my measly little yellow tickle stick would be no match against a pair of bull shark teeth.

On the boat, I looked for Dad and Chase’s bubbles, but instead of seeing their bubbles, two bull sharks were circling the back of the boat. These two sharks were not little either, swimming around the 8-feet range, and I was not happy. I can’t believe I was just swimming with these beasts – ranked number one on Shark Week’s Most Deadliest, above the Great White and Tiger.

Forty minutes later, when Dad and Chase returned to the boat, a third and fourth shark had arrived. Two grouper, a hogfish, and a limit of lobster – I still won’t go near the place.

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Permanent link to this article: http://keyskritter.com/?p=360

Jan 10

Mini Bite Size Key Lime Pies

Categories:

Kritter Recipes, Kritterness

January 10, 2013

Mini sized key lime pies made from Florida Keys Key Limes are the perfect portion size for tropical dinner parties, outdoor events and picnics on the boat.

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Approximate time: 30 minutes
Yields 45 mini bite size key lime pies

Ingredients:
45 mini phillo dough shells (I used Athena’s Mini Fillo Shells, found in the freezer isle at the grocery store)
2 quart size Ziplock bags
3 oz or 3 rectangles of graham crackers
1/2 cup of freshly squeezed key lime juice, or if fresh juice isn’t available, 1/2 cup of Nellie and Joe’s Famous Key West Key Lime Juice

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3 egg yolks ( the easiest way to save the yolk is to pass the yolk back and forth to each side of the cracked shell until the whites fall into a cup underneath, I then save the whites for breakfast..)
14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk (Eagles Brand)
Sprinkle of cinnamon powder
Whipped Cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place frozen phillo shells on baking sheet.
3. Put graham crackers into first Ziplock bag and break up into dust (this is fun, set on floor and step on bag if needed), then place crumbled graham cracker in bottom of phillo cups.
4. In second Ziplock, add egg yolks, sweet condensed milk and key lime juice and mix together until smooth and creamy.
5. Cut small diagonal at bottom of Ziplock with key lime filling to use a funnel to put mixture in the phillo cups.

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6. Lightly sprinkle a tiny bit of cinnamon powder on tops.
7. Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
8. Cool mini key lime pies for 20 minutes, add whipped cream to top and serve!

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Delicioso” – Jaunita, the neighbor and Key Lime Pie Connoisseur

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Permanent link to this article: http://keyskritter.com/?p=340

Dec 08

Whale Shark Adventure – November 2012

Categories:

Diving, Fishing Stories, Kritterness

December 8, 2012

It isn’t everyday you come across one of these amazing creatures.  Whale Shark sighting outside of Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida Keys.

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Permanent link to this article: http://keyskritter.com/?p=329

Dec 06

30×30 List – held accountable – Florida Keys Style

Categories:

Diving, Fishing Stories, Florida Keys Places of Interest, Keys Events, Kritter Recipes, Kritterness, Night Dives, Off the Rock, Uncategorized

December 6, 2012

I have been blessed the past 29 years in family, friends, travel and experiences. I do, although, have a few things I have not been able to accomplish or wish to accomplish again since having two babies and all that entails.

1. Conversational Spanish. After four years of Spanish in high school and college, I should be able to say more than ‘no hablo espanol,’ and ‘uno mas cerveza, por favor.’

2. Book Project. Amazingly enough, in college, in a drunken Hemingway stupor, I have about half a fictionalized Florida Keys book written… But, since children and the lack of drinks flowing my way on a nightly basis (add in responsibility) the creative juices haven’t really worked well for about 5 years. Time to get the husband and dad off my back and get back in this thing!

3. Dive the Florida Keys Wreck Trek. Thunderbolt and Adulphus Busch have been completed. So time to add a few more boats to my list.

4. Dive Adolphus Busch with Adolphus Busch IV. I have connections…i.e. Chase and Mirabella.

5. Kayak around Key West.

6. Get rid of Cable – after the Superbowl…

7. Blog weekly. Between Chase, the other Kritters and I, we have more than enough stories. See ‘almost getting hand bit off by bull shark while spearing blog to come shortly…)

8. Kiteboarding. Dude, this is like the ultimate Keys sport and I want to partake.

9. Consealed Weapons Permit i.e. License to carry a gun – because it will look cool in my wallet :) . Any takers want to join me in the class??

10. Edible garden. The Florida Keys have one of the most tolerable year round environments in the United States and I have been very successful in Barbados cherries and key limes.

11. Fulgurites. You know those things from the movie Sweet Home Alabama. Yeah, I want one and heard they can be found around here. The girls and I will be searching soon.

12. Pescatarian. I could totally live off fish and lobster for a year.

13. 7-Mile Bridge Run. It has been done before. Senior year, bam, I beat the bus. Signed up two years ago, bought a new pair of running shoes, took 2 runs around the block then decided to sleep in instead of take a leisurely 7-mile run in the heat of April. Needless to say, I still have a new pair of sneakers that need to take this 7-mile run. The only obstacle is waking up at 6 a.m. in February so I don’t miss the sign up. April 13, 2013

14. Run 5K. In the meantime to prepare, I might as well sign up for a couple Florida Keys 5Ks. But, I want to actually RUN the thing. It’s ambitious, but doable.

15. Sea Grape Wine. Um, this should be a Florida Keys no-brainer.

16. Mud Run. Because it sounds dirty!

17. SpearCrazy. Work with my favorite people, and get invited to be on their spearo team.

19. Full Moon Kayak Trip. Have kayak, will travel.

20. Message in a Bottle. Tossed into the Gulf Stream. The only amount of littering I can tolerate.

21. Walk Summer to School once a week. We don’t live far from the school and seeing another mom walk her daughter lately is super inspiring. I just have to wake up at a decent time…

22. Bill a Sailfish. I have caught one sailfish in my life. Waking up at an ungodly hour to catch bait, sitting in a boat with no shade, hungover, for hours and tirelessly reeling on the beautiful fish, I got it to the side of the boat and the line broke. My fishing tale of this would look more ‘Old Man and the Sea,’ but in real life, the line just broke. Such a bummer. So I NEED a picture of myself holding a billfish to be complete.

23. Fantasy Fest Float. Insert foot in mouth. Invited on floats every year since 2006 and for some reason I have always found a great excuse to miss the float. Damn you, Neil Cataldo. It MUST happen this year. October 2013 it is.

24. Rubix Cube. I would like to give the darn thing a try without losing interest in 10 minutes. Anyone have one of these lying around?   Of the subject – learn the difference between lying and laying, because clearly with my journalism degree, I shouldn’t have to second guess every single time I write the word.

25. Smoke a real Cuban cigar. And hope to not die.  (Side note – Just did a little research and these bad boys are expensive!)

26. Teach Summer to Wakeboard. I used to be pretty awesome at it, and I have the board and bindings just sitting in my shed wanting a little attention. Plus, my little Kritter kids need a little lesson on fearlessness.

27. Crochet more than a line. My baba, a.k.a. great grandmother, taught me the useful skill of crocheting a line for the unlikely case that I get stuck on an abandoned island with only my stick and a lot of yarn. Anyways, my stick, a light purple crocheting needle thing, has followed me through elementary school, high school, apartment-to-apartment in college and has made its home here in my attic. It needs a little more use in memory of a great woman.

28. Book List. There are a few books from high school I missed reading. Cliff Notes were just too easy to use and in turn I missed the Great Gatsby and a few other classics a person with my background should know. Don’t get me wrong, I can tell you the storyline of all the classics as if I actually read the thing, but I didn’t. And, I should know the color of Gatsby’s porchlight (a question I missed on my exam senior year…)

29. Got your Bags? Because everyone in the Keys should be more aware of our fragile ecosystem and this would be a great cause to be more involved with in the future.

30. Epic Snowboard Trip. Last time I went snowboarding resulted in a baby and the time after that a trip was planned and resulted in a cancelation because of another baby. Well, Travis is vasectomized, so I should be good to go to plan the best, most amazing ski trip a 30-year-old can celebrate. Who’s in, circa December 2013…

 

The Snowboarding Crew, December 2006 – Three weeks pregnant with Summer, no idea…

 

And, one for good luck. 31. Surf Trip Daytona May 30, 2013, and get to see my beautiful, smart, talented neice graduate high school.  A win-win.

No Waves, No Problem – Surfing on Gilligan’s back, 600 feet of water in the Gulf Stream off Bimini, Bahamas.

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Permanent link to this article: http://keyskritter.com/?p=323

Sep 04

How to do a hurricane…

Categories:

Florida Keys Places of Interest

September 4, 2012

Check out video of kneeboarding in a field behind a 4-wheeler during Tropical Storm Isaac http://www.facebook.com/KeysSpear

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Permanent link to this article: http://keyskritter.com/?p=304

Jun 20

A Short Survival Story of a Dumb Diver

Categories:

Diving

June 20, 2012

Thirty minutes passed, as three people on the boat waited for the diver to return to the surface, still there was nothing.  They scanned the area for bubbles, but the waves were so rough they saw nothing to indicate signs of the diver.  They started to worry, panic.  Where is he?

A close diver friend of mine, who asked remain nameless due to his stupidity (ahchaseyou-bless me), just had the learning experience of a lifetime this past week.  The dummy who went down on a wreck on his own (dumb) while three friends waited on the boat for him, gave them quite a scare.

The diver surfaced. Swept away by the current, the boat was in the far distance, miles away from where he went under the water and seven miles from shore.  Hanging from his loop, a nice sized mutton snapper, he blew up his bright green four-foot tall safety signaler and waved it at the boat. He hollered at the top of his lungs, but between the waves, wind and distance between him and boat, he steady floated farther away.

The people on the boat drifted with the current looking for more signs of the diver and scanned the surface.  They still saw no signs of the diver.

Seven miles off shore, the diver contemplated his fate as he cut his mutton snapper loose.  There was already a bull shark hot on his trail. The shark came up mere inches from the tip of his fins and ate the snapper in one gulp and disappeared into the depths again.

In the distance, a trawler headed his way from the opposite direction of his boat along the reef, three miles offshore.  He finally had an important decision to make – continue wasting his energy swimming against the current and waves toward his dive boat which was slowly getting father away, or hightail it toward to boat heading his direction and also the same direction the shore was.  He waved his safety balloon once more, pushed his blown up BC and regulator in front of him and started kicking.

Forty-five minutes had passed.  Without the return of the diver, the people on the boat contemplated what to do next.  Following the coordinates on GPS, they went back to the reef and one of the people on the boat started to suit up to head under the water and look for the missing diver.  Still worrying about the diver’s safety, but hoping he was just chasing down a runaway grouper.

The trawler was getting closer and changed direction heading toward the diver. He thought they must see him as he sat high on his blown up BC waving frantically his green balloon; right then it changed its direction again, away from him. Time to start paddling for shore, he feared the worst.

The diver heard a voice. He thought it was too soon to start hearing voices as he continued his pursuit to shore, the trawler slowly disappearing leaving him in the wake. Again, the voice echoed over the waves as a little Boston Whaler came into sight – saved from a long swim to shore, but not from my bitching.

The diver claims this will never happen again as he should have known better to dive without a buddy, although I feel I have heard this before…

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Permanent link to this article: http://keyskritter.com/?p=288

Mar 07

Bridge Jumping 101 – Bahia Honda

Categories:

Florida Keys Places of Interest, Kritterness

March 7, 2012

Click here to watch Christin and I take the plunge!  Bahia Honda Bridge Jump

 

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Permanent link to this article: http://keyskritter.com/?p=273

Mar 07

Hammerhead Party Time

Categories:

Diving, Fishing Stories, Florida Keys Places of Interest

March 7, 2012

While out hunting wahoo with Ace and three tourist chicks, our first spot had a few wahoo on it, but we couldnt get close enough for a shot. We went to another spot we know they frequent, and stopped the boat 200 yards up current and slid in the water with our spearguns and drifted up to the area.  That's when we came across twenty 10-18 foot hammerhead sharks. Never in my life have I seen that many hammerheads at once, it was by far the most amazing thing I have ever seen.  The girls were freaking out on the boat while we swimming with the sharks. We told them to grab some spare masks and just come look that them. As soon as they got in, they were calmed by the grace of these massive and dosile creatures. 

 

To see the video of three out of the 20 that were there visit: YouTube

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Permanent link to this article: http://keyskritter.com/?p=258

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