Pictures provided courtesy of Stephen Frink Photography.*
Most visitors enter the Keys by way of the "18 Mile Stretch"
(the portion of US 1 connecting Florida City and Key Largo).
The Florida Keys are a series of "islands "connected
by one highway - US 1. When giving directions, the
easiest way to designate a location in the Keys is by
reference to the nearest mile marker.
The system starts in Key West (mile marker 0),
with this part of Key Largo at Mile Marker 100.
Additionally, one would typically describe a location
by which side of the island it is on: "Oceanside"
(left in the above photo) or "Bayside "(right).
The "Bay" refers to Florida Bay. This is the part
of the Gulf of Mexico which encompasses the
region between the Everglades and the Keys.
The shallow water of the "back country" is
dotted with hundred of small keys and huge
tracts of mangrove swamp.
The main reef line is about 4-6 miles offshore.
Key Largo is on the horizon from Molasses Reef.
For some reference of scale: the largest boat
in this picture, the Ocean Diver, is 50 ft long.
Molasses Reef Tower (on the right) is 60-70
feet high. Water depth under the boat is
25-30 ft ; at the tower it's 4-5 ft.
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* All images are copyrighted and may not be used in
any way without express consent of Stephen Frink.