Claude, Benj and Max took another trip to the mangroves before we headed out of Largo Sound and  out to the barrier reef.  Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park was the first underwater park in the US. Opened in 1963, it is the result of John Pennekamp (an editor with the Miami Herald) teaming up with Dr Voss of the Marine Institute of Miami to fight the local opposition that had prevented the Florida reefs becoming part of the Everglades National Park in 1947. They wanted to continue removing coral and wildlife to service the tourist industry – including the use of dynamite.

The visibility in the water at Grecian Rocks was fantastic and teeming with large fish that seemed completely accustomed to snorkelers. Max has spent hours perfecting his underwater photography and he gets credit for most of the shots that follow over the next few days.