Fowey Rocks Lighthouse
Built to replace Cape Florida
Lighthouse on Key Biscayne
Built in 1875 to keep ships in the Gulfstream
and off of the miles of shallow water the surround the island,
today the Fowey Rocks lighthouse still
keeping large container ships in International waters and well out
of danger's way. Fowey Rocks
lighhouse is also used by 'weekend Anglers' and people looking for
a wonderful place to swim in crystal clear
waters. For generations, live coral reefs, exotic and tropical fish
by the
thousands, and cool, clean water have
made the boat trip six miles offshore well worth the trip. Smiles,
splashes,
and unusual ways of launching ones body
into the water are still a locally favorite past-time. The picture
above shows
the island of Key Biscayne on the horizon
(East of Fowey Rocks Lighthouse facing West) and gives a perspective
of the distance offshore of the location
of Fowey Rocks Lighthouse. While the water here is between 20 - 35
feet deep,
head due east and in a couple of miles
the water can be thousands of feet deep. Plenty of water for the
world's fleets.
Shown below in an article over 125 years
old, one can appreciate the engineering of the structure as it has withstood
countless
hurricanes, tropical storms, and the normal
'wear and tear' of a structure built in the salt water.
Upon closer inspection, as the Gulf Stream
heaves and surges, you can see the size of the swells of water
that pass through the lighthouse structure
on a perfectly calm and beautiful day on the water. Special care
should be used
when getting close to the fixed lighthouse
as even these most gentle of swells push and move vessels both great and
small with the greatest of ease.
Swimming in and around the lighthouse is highly discouraged for precisely
this reason.
Needless to say the ladder that leads up
to the landing platform is too great of a temptation for people to resist
a couple of dives from
approximately twenty feet over the water.
The sides of the landing platform are covered with barnacles and marine
growth that will
very quickly break up the sturdiest of
boats should a swell move in and the vessel is not secured properly.
Safety first and have fun!!
Getting there is half of the fun and on this day we had several pods of Dolphins escort us out to the Fowey Rocks lighthouse.
Here three Dolphin come right up to the
boat to check us out and much to the children's delight there was a
newborn Dolphin that was not shy and came
right up to the boat along with its Mother. All in all, going out
to Fowey Rocks
Lighthouse is a wonderful way to spend
an afternoon along with like minded boaters who have the same destination
in mind with all day to travel just six
miles offshore. In the picture above, the Port of Miami and South
Beach (SoBe)
of Miami Beach are on the horizon.
All of the hustle and bustle of the city remains intact as these Dolphin
frolic and play
in the wild totally oblivious that some
Dolphins get free food, applause, and dental care at the Miami Seaquarium
on Key Biscayne. Some Dolphins
have all of the luck. Here is a nice big picture of Fowey to
end this page with. Enjoy!!
Hotels in: Key Biscayne, Coconut Grove, Miami/ Brickell, The Florida Keys, and South Beach (Miami Beach)
