Deepwater Horizon: Eight Years Later

Has the Gulf of Mexico recovered from the Deepwater Horizon disaster?

The Deepwater Horizon oil rig, located 42 miles off the Louisiana coast, exploded on April 20, 2010. The initial explosion and subsequent fire killed 11 people. The badly damaged oil well dumped oil and gas into the Gulf of Mexico and did so for 87 days until it was successfully capped. By that time, an estimated 210 million gallons of oil had poured into the Gulf, the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

Some of the oil was at the surface and clearly visible. A variety of government agencies, as well as workers from the owners of the rig (BP and Transocean), tried to contain the spreading oil slick with floating booms. A chemical dispersant was spread to dissolve the oil. Still, over 1,000 miles of coastline from Texas to Florida were affected. The ecological impacts from the surface oil were devastating and the images of dead marine life and seabirds covered with oil remain etched in our memories.

But these were only the visible effects. The damaged wellhead was located 5,000 feet below the water surface. There wasn’t just oil at the surface but all the way down to the seafloor. The oil spill had significant impacts on aquatic life, but it has only been through scientific analysis that the extent of the effects has become known. Much of the research has been funded by BP, which is part of their settlement for the damages produced.

Lasting Consequences of Deepwater Horizon

One study on fish populations used an ecosystem model verified by actual measurements. A 25 to 50 percent decrease in reef fish was noted in areas closest to the spill. Demersal fish (bottom dwellers) were decreased even more by 40 to 70 percent. Predator populations also decreased with fewer prey species. With juvenile fish being affected more, a whole generation may have been lost, and effects may continue with some slower-growing populations taking 30-plus years to fully recover.

A NOAA study concluded that oil contamination can cause cardiac deformities in commercially important species, such as bluefin and yellowfin tuna and mahi-mahi, and this can lead to premature death. Another study on fish shows that species nearest the oil spill were hardest hit with red snapper and southern hake showing the greatest declines. The study showed that oil contamination of fish continues to decline, but no areas studied are free from oil; however, fish populations seem to be recovering.

Workers removed tons of contaminated soil and sludge from the shoreline.

One NOAA study centered on bottlenose dolphins living in Louisiana’s Barataria Bay. Besides “historically high” death rates, reproductive failure rates reached 80 percent and were directly related to exposure to oil in this area, one of the hardest hit. Bottlenose dolphins in nearby areas of Louisiana and Texas also showed higher death rates.

Overall, in a 2017 NOAA assessment, it was estimated that tens of thousands of birds were killed, perhaps over 100,000 sea turtles died, billions of harvestable oysters were lost, and trillions of newly hatched fish were killed. Of great concern was the effect of the oil spill on the seafloor and the “deep sea” or benthic zone, the layer of very cold water extending down to the seabed. It is a zone of little light and extremely high pressure, but aquatic life does exist there. It is also a region that is extremely difficult to observe, so not much is known about it.

Biodiversity Blight

One study showed that there was a large loss of diversity of soft-bottom infauna (creatures living in the sediment). Another research project in 2014 indicated that some species of microbes in the sediment were eliminated. Microbes are important because they recycle nutrients and are at the base of the food chain. Colonial octocorals were covered with a flocculent material and died. The flocculent material consisted of particles, such as bacteria or phytoplankton, to which oil molecules had attached and then fell to the ocean floor as “marine snow.” Bottom effects were noted up to nine miles from the wellhead site.

A conservationist attempts to clean oil from a young sea turtle

Today, over eight years later, there are some encouraging signs. One study indicated that naturally occurring marine microbes and bacteria were breaking down or biodegrading the oil. Various species of fish are making a comeback. Even where die-offs were most pronounced, fish populations have been replenished by migration from unaffected parts of the Gulf. Other studies have shown that smaller, short-lived species with high reproductive rates seem to be rebounding well. But it is still too early to tell the long-term effects on larger species, such as turtles, whales, and dolphins. Longer life spans mean slower reproductive rates, which may be impacted.

Exxon Valdez

Prior to the Deepwater Horizon incident, the benchmark for U.S. coastal waters oil spills was the Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska in 1989. After running aground and splitting its hull, the tanker discharged nearly 11 million gallons (262,000 barrels) of oil into the pristine waters of Prince William Sound. The oil-covered shorelines and coastal waters were deadly to sea otters, harbor seals and, especially, seabirds (hundreds of thousands died). Fish populations also declined with the loss of salmon and herring eggs estimated in the billions. Many species of fish and birds took a decade to recover, while others took two decades. The herring population still hasn’t recovered.

Although there are some similarities, there are also many differences between the Exxon Valdez spill and the Deepwater Horizon disaster. More than 10 times the amount of oil entered the Gulf. It wasn’t just at the surface; it extended throughout the water column to the seafloor. And the oil itself was different in terms of its composition and toxicity. One similarity is that it is difficult to actually ascertain the effects of these events. To a large extent, preexisting conditions weren’t known in terms of marine life populations and natural fluctuations.

Another problem in determining the long-term effects of a single event is that there are many other negative factors affecting marine life today. In the Gulf (and elsewhere), overfishing has depleted fish populations. Pollution, especially from agricultural area runoff, has produced the “Dead Zone” in the northern Gulf and likely affected other areas. The highly toxic “Red Tide” has both natural and man-made components. Furthermore, ever increasing water temperatures due to climate change have obvious impacts on all sea creatures.

For years, marine biologists have marveled at the resiliency of the Gulf of Mexico, but with multiple negative events, that resiliency is in question.

By Ed Brotak, Southern Boating December 2018

Corpus Christi Marina

The Corpus Christi Marina now has 600 slips, cruiser’s facilities, three yacht clubs, and a massive public boat ramp. The improvements to the marina district have inspired a Greater Downtown Area of culture, sports, convention and hospitality venues.

The premier boating destination on the Texas Gulf Coast, caps a successful summer of expansion with the dedication of 35 more slips for boats 30 to 45 feet in length—the seventh major addition in the past 16 years.

Infrastructure Improvements

Since 2000, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has provided $1,764,050 in federal funds via Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration (WSFR) grants specifically targeted at an improved marina infrastructure, access for boaters and improved sanitary facilities to maintain clean water.

The grant monies, matched by the City of Corpus Christi and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, have built modern septic pump-outs, restrooms and showers, a laundry, meeting rooms, a four-lane boat ramp, and more than 80 slips for boats greater than 26 feet in length at the Corpus Christi Marina.

“This marina is hugely important to both boaters and anglers on the Texas Gulf Coast, and exemplifies how the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program works in partnership with others to improve boating access and infrastructures,” says Cliff Schleusner, Chief of WSFR in the Southwest Region. “Boaters and anglers paid for it in excise tax, and now they and others reap the benefits.”

The new infrastructure replaces outdated and decayed materials and should better withstand the forces of future hurricanes. A part of the infrastructure upgrades includes Internet systems needed for navigation.

While the marina is the anchor on the Bayfront, civic leaders and business owners continue to expand what’s known as the Marina Arts District. The area features a vibrant nightlife, music scene, art galleries and outdoor art, along with many weekend festivals. marinaarts.com

By Alan Wendt, Southern Boating December 2016

Tournament Fishing: Texas Style

Everything is bigger in Texas and this includes fishing tournaments. With more than 367 miles of coastline on the Gulf of Mexico and along the famed Laguna Madre with charters running from Galveston to Corpus Christi and all the way south to the Mexican border in San Isabel, Texas can satisfy your need for deep or near-shore saltwater fishing.

One of the largest tournaments, the Texas Star State of Texas Angler’s Rodeo run by the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) lasts a solid three months. This tournament with more than 45,000 participants is unusual in that tagged species of fish are specifically released throughout the coast for the purpose of the tournament. Registered participants have the entire summer to reel in those tagged reds and trout. Successful anglers can reel in their share for more than $1 million in prizes and scholarships. ccatexas.org, startournament.org

Chandeleur Island Fishing off Mississippi Motherships. Photo: Troy Gilbert

Down the coast in Matagorda, the Matagorda Bluewater Challenge is another monster multiple species tournament with boats allowed to leave from several ports. The tournament also includes a small boat (under 25 feet) class. The big action is offshore where winners are decided over the combined weight of multiple and specific species hauled in. This two-day event brings out the Who’s Who of Texas fishing and novices who charter vessels with groups of friends and try their luck at bringing in the largest kingfish, ling, and dolphin. Winning isn’t everything, but two days spent offshore is a perfect recreational investment for men, women, and children.

Not to be outdone and celebrating its 19^th anniversary on the legendary Louisiana barrier island of Grand Isle, the Swollfest Fishing Rodeo kicks off June 8-12. Headquartered at the Sand Dollar Marina on the easternmost reach of Grand Isle, this event has exploded from its humble beginnings as a group of eight guys going out fishing one weekend to one of the largest fishing rodeos in Louisiana.

With world-class offshore and inshore fishing throughout the waters of Louisiana, Swollfest was among the early to recognize and adopt the growing trend in spear and kayak fishing and have adopted them as classes alongside the standard fishing rodeo classes. Kayak fishing is ideal in these estuaries of southeast Louisiana with kayaks able to navigate all of the shallow coastal marsh and find those hidden and previously unreachable honey spots.

Located at the edge of Barataria and Caminada Bay and the deep-water oil platforms of the Gulf of Mexico that serve as incredible artificial reef habitats, Grand Isle is known for hosting multiple world-class fishing events. The species of fish from the multiple habitats are far too numerous to list, but there is a definitive reason why southern Louisiana is known as the “Sportsman’s Paradise.”

By Harlen Leslie, Southern Boating Magazine April 2016

Crude oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico

A Shell subsea wellhead flow line—underwater oil well connecting to a pipe line that transports oil to the surface—about 90 miles off the coast of Louisiana released about 88,200 gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico on May 12th of this year. The spill created a 2- by 13-mile sheen that was initially detected by a Shell company helicopter. The U.S. Coast Guard and Shell quickly dispatched numerous vessels to contain the leak and clean up oil that could be skimmed from the water’s surface.
Shell reportedly located the source of the leak (flow line) via a remotely operated vehicle that was sent to the sea floor to investigate. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) says they intend to review the repair plans set by Shell, and the agency would also assess if subsea infrastructure technology improvements should be made in response to the incident. Environmental groups responded by stating that this is yet another example of why offshore drilling should be banned, and more than 1,200 activists marched in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, May 15th, in protest of the Obama administration’s offshore drilling plan. Shell has ceased drilling and production at the site until further examinations are complete.

Louisiana garners largest chunk of BP settlement

Coastal communities bordering the Gulf of Mexico including Louisiana’s entire 400-mile coastline were devastated from the effects of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Louisiana garnered the largest chunk of the funds generated by the legal settlement with BP. In April, Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) announced that it is set to receive at least $6.8 billion out of the estimated $20 billion for which BP is on the hook. When you combine that with sums received from previous legal settlements related to the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe, the state’s coffers stand to swell by $8.7 billion, however, BP will have 15 years to pay out the funds beginning in 2017 and continuing through 2031.
“The finalization of the settlement provides certainty regarding the timing and availability of funding needed to move forward with significant recovery efforts,” says Johnny Bradberry, the governor’s executive assistant for coastal activities. “We will continue working with the utmost sense of urgency and engaging with our federal partners and the public to get critical projects on the ground as quickly as possible.”
One of those projects is the Louisiana Marine Fisheries Enhancement, Research, and Science Center (“the Center”), a $22 million endeavor that stands to benefit recreational fishermen in the state. The Center will consist of two separate facilities, and according to the CPRA’s project description, the Center aims to focus on creating aquaculture-based techniques for marine fishery management, with the end goal being more effective long-term monitoring of popular sport fish and baitfish species.
Plans for the Center also call for the creation of living laboratories to provide educational activities for those in Louisiana concerned about marine sport fish species health. The Center’s primary facility, the Calcasieu Parish site, plans to house a pond complex, hatchery, visitor center, and staff office space. The Plaquemines Parish site plans to focus on research about popular baitfish species in Louisiana and other Gulf states, such as gulf killifish and Atlantic croaker.
Coastal restoration projects like the Center require manpower to help get them up and running, and the massive BP settlement offers a unique opportunity to recruit and train workers for new careers. Divers and ship captains may provide the potential to improve individual economic wellbeing while getting them involved in activities that ensure their communities remain viable and resilient for generations to come. Organizations like Oxfam America are working with local agencies from a range of industries in Louisiana to “create pathways for disadvantaged and unemployed workers to gain new skills and build new careers in this booming new restoration economy.” dwhprojecttracker.org

By Del Gillis, Southern Boating Magazine July 2016

Loophole that lets anglers exceed snapper limits draws fire

Anglers in Texas are unleashing their creativity when it comes to getting around shortening seasons and shrinking quotas for red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico, but their actions are facing criticism.
The popular species has become a flashpoint in the debate over federal vs. regional management of fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico. In February, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council introduced the final draft of Amendment 39 to Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico, which would establish a regional management program for recreational red snapper fishing.
For now, though, the NOAA’s Fisheries Service sets the length of the federal recreational red snapper fishing season. Historically, the season began June 1st and continued until the quota was met. But 2014 saw one of the shortest federal seasons on record—just nine days. However, individual states can set their own season length for anglers fishing in state waters, and this is where things get interesting.
Texas, for example, pretty much ignores the federal season altogether. Recreational anglers in Texan waters, which extend nine miles out from the coastline, can fish for snapper year-round as long as they stay within their bag limit.
However, catch limits are routinely exceeded thanks to charter fishing companies operating what they call “catch share fishing experiences.” These companies, such as Galveston Sea Ventures in Galveston, Texas, have been allocated a set portion of the commercial red snapper fishery—a catch share—in the Gulf, but they do not operate as commercial fishermen. Instead, they ferry recreational anglers out to the fishing grounds and back, and when they return, their customers can buy as many fish as they’d like to take home. Call it what you will—a loophole or a gray area—it’s stirring passions on both sides.
According to Scott Hickman, owner of Circle H Outfitters and Charters in Galveston—another catch share fishing experience company—they sought out the legal requirements prior to launching their first trip and continue to strictly follow the rules as to what is mandated by both federal and Texas law enforcement. Hickman reiterates that his trips are not charters but commercial fishing trips during which people can enjoy the experience and only reel in fish if they want to.
The Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), however, says that the growing popularity of catch share fishing does not bode well for the future of the fishery, as companies with commercial permits will be able to relentlessly fish near-shore fishing grounds. CCA Conservation Director, Ted Venker, claims the line between recreational and commercial fishing is no longer distinct, and that no one is protecting the public.
In April, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council stated that the 2016 recreational red snapper season is likely to be another short one running for as little as eight days, while charter boats operating in federal waters should see a longer season, between 38 and 56 days. For more information, visit: Sustainable Fisheries

By Del Gillis, Southern Boating Magazine June 2016

Catch an air show from the comfort of your own boat.

Deep in the heart of winter on the Gulf Coast, boaters already begin to plan their upcoming on-the-water adventures. New destinations are plotted on charts; that wooden boat festival that was missed last year due to work is scribbled onto the calendar, and family friendly boating events are searched out on the Internet. Here’s one boaters must included on their cruising calendars: an air show from the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels.

The legendary, precision flying squadron’s home is smack in the middle of the Florida panhandle at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Pensacola. The Blue Angels have been thrilling hordes of people for more than 50 years with their razor-thin precision and spectacular aerial stunts. Throughout the year an estimated 11 million people view the incredible aerial dynamics of these pilots as they fly in close formation and perform amazing feats of sky gymnastics in their F/A-18 fighter jets, which can reach speeds of 1,400 mph!

Eleven million people can be quite a crowd, but luckily, many of the air shows that the Blue Angels visit are accessible to boaters in many parts of the country. What better way to entertain than to run your boat just off shore on the Gulf of Mexico, a bay or lake and drop anchor for the best seats in town. Raft up with your boat-owning friends and make it an annual event. Pack a lunch or fire up that stern grill, marvel at the aeronautics and feel the power of the Blue Angels as these extreme aircrafts spring through the air. Many of the venues, especially in beach towns such as Pensacola and Key West, have the fighter jets screaming just along the shorelines and possibly directly over your vessel. It’s quite the memorable experience. Air shows held throughout the country in 2016 can be found on their website blueangels.navy.mil. Search for the event nearest you and discover whether the pilots will be flying directly over or within viewing distance of your favorite waterway. The energy and thrill of watching these fighter pilots from the comfort of your own boat is truly a one-of-a-kind experience and should absolutely be scheduled into your boating plans for this New Year.

Now go back to dreaming of warmer weather and untying those dock lines—spring is right around the corner.

By Troy Gilbert, Southern Boating Magazine January 2016

Texas floods

Texas set record-breaking rainfall in May with a month-long deadly deluge of seemingly biblical proportions. Perhaps the one positive takeaway, as residents begin to put their lives back to normal, is the subsiding of extreme drought conditions that were plaguing the state.

Lake and reservoir levels are slowly returning to normal, which bode well for this fast growing state, the environment and boaters since for many in Texas, boating is a way of life.

Lake levels across the state have been at perilous and exceptional lows for the past few years. Many boat ramps and marinas were left high and dry, while boaters’ safety was becoming an issue in some places as boats were hitting shallows or newly exposed debris causing significant damages to hulls or engines. Rivers and creeks dried up and without the influx of fresh water into the estuaries along the Gulf, these nursery grounds for redfish, speckled trout, black drum and flounder have been in severe distress. The $17 billion tourism economy—much attributed to the appeal of Texas’ lakes and Gulf Coast—showed signs of sluggishness.

Let’s hope this will signal the end of the drought for Texas and along with it the return of its unique boating culture and people back out on the water.

Kemah boardwalk
Those last few steps in the sands and dives in the waves of the Gulf of Mexico on Galveston Island are approaching fast as there are only a few weekends left to take the kids out boating and allow them to create great memories and stories that last throughout the school year. Kemah’s Boardwalk is an easy day or weekend boating trip for most residents in the Houston area and an ideal family-friendly way to close out the summer.

Located on Galveston Bay, Kemah’s Boardwalk has a full-service marina catering to transients looking for endless dockside dining, outdoor concerts and a carnival-like atmosphere for the kids. Filled with rides, the Boardwalk draws in families from the Houston area, where there’s no better way to visit and escape traffic than by boat. Transient boaters can find slip space at the marina from 30-50 feet. Reservations are advisable.

In August, live salsa bands wander the boardwalk and add to the excitement of the carousel and other rides. As the sun sets, parents can enjoy the atmosphere or savor fresh local oysters and redfish from their choice of six waterfront restaurants. Whether you stay on board your boat or get a room at the Boardwalk Inn, the Kemah Boardwalk is an easy weekend getaway and a world away from the start of the school season. It might also stimulate you to untie those lines and become even more adventurous in exploring Texas’ sprawling Gulf Coast.

By Harlen Leslie, Southern Boating Magazine August 2015

The Gulf’s red snapper regulations heat up in Congress.

Recreational fishermen are often on the losing side of any battle with commercial fishing interests, and none is more pronounced than red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico, which has erupted all the way to the halls of the U.S. Congress. After decades of overfishing that led to strict regulations, the red snapper population has boomed over the last few years—especially west of the Mississippi River—and many locals claim that the Federal catch seasons aren’t keeping pace with reality. With snapper seasons shrinking down to as little as nine days in 2014, the five Gulf states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida have banded together in an effort to counter Federal catch seasons, at least on their state-controlled waters.

The red snapper is a highly sought-after game fish for not only the home kitchen, but also for the menus of fine dining restaurants worldwide, with massive stock depletions first reported in the 1980s. After the Federal catch and season restrictions were put in place in 1997, the season lengths have dramatically dwindled and have allowed the stock to recover to the point where some local anglers report they can now almost “scoop them up with dip nets,” but then have to release them or face massive fines.

Because the red snapper prefers the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico and near offshore oil platforms beyond the limits of state water boundaries, the Gulf states’ attempt to impose their own lengthened snapper seasons on their home waters are mostly reactionary, but these catches were still counted against the total red snapper catch for the entire Gulf of Mexico—something that infuriated recreational anglers. The argument between the Gulf states and the Federal government even delved into the muddy area of territorial control over offshore waters. However, the united Gulf states’ congressional delegations are where the real game is being played with regard to these federally controlled areas of the Gulf of Mexico.

Louisiana’s Senator David Vitter submitted a bill to Congress in January to grant management authority over red snapper stocks in state and federal waters to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council made up primarily of local Gulf state representatives. Many argue that this more localized control over the area’s fishing—whether recreational or commercial, and one that plays a huge part of the region’s coastal economy—will be more flexible in determining seasons and catch limits. However, in early May this plan was rejected and it appears that the 2015 red snapper season will be limited to a 10-day season for recreational anglers and 44 days for charter boat operators.

While Texans have to head out a bit further from their coastline than their fellow anglers in Louisiana or elsewhere on the Gulf Coast to hunt the red snapper, everyone agrees that with dwindling fish stocks worldwide, there has to be a happy medium. Proper management and enforcement of catch limits are necessary and vital—no one wants to be the angler to reel in the last red snapper.

By Harlen Leslie , Southern Boating June 2015

Ryan Finn successfully completed over 20,000 miles

Ryan Finn

Ryan Finn grew up sailing with his family on the northern Gulf Coast, but while undergoing treatments for cancer as a teenager he became fascinated and read everything he could get his hands on regarding solo sailing. Now at 36, Finn has successfully completed over 20,000 miles of solo offshore experience as well as three Trans-Atlantic and three Trans-Pacific crossings on boats ranging from Open 60s to Mini Transat designs. Fresh off the European racing circuit, Finn is now attempting his greatest challenge yet and needs your help grabbing the solo nonstop sailing record from New York to San Francisco on the old clipper ship sailing route around Cape Horn.

Finn has teamed with a leading America’s Cup boat designer to build a 32-foot Polynesian-style Proa in New Orleans. The unusual sailboat with only one outrigger off the hull is incredibly fast, especially going upwind, and the team expects the boat and the lone skipper would complete the 13,000-mile journey in less than 70 days using current weather models. While lining up corporate sponsors for the attempt, Finn is also crowdsourcing funding in what may be the first ever Kickstarter campaign used for a serious world record sailing attempt. Racing against himself, the weather, the notorious Cape Horn crossing, and time, Finn is sailing under the 2Oceans1Rock.org banner and if successful, could well join the boating history books alongside the legions of legendary sailors from the Gulf Coast.

A giant new species?

The Cajuns of South Louisiana are known to have an affinity for almost any tasty waterborne creature from crawfish to alligator, but their natural seafood diets failed to extend into the deepwater of the Gulf of Mexico where a curious pod of whales has been recently discovered. Whales are slightly unusual in the Gulf of Mexico although there are approximately 19 species, including humpback and sperm whales, that will range into the warm waters to feed, but marine biologists have located what may become an entirely new species of whale that calls one deep trench off the Northern Gulf Coast their permanent home.

Numbering only 50, these giants are baleen or great whales-—originally classified as Bryde’s whales—which can grow as long as 55 feet and weigh over 90,000 pounds. Feeding primarily on large amounts of small fish, the northern Gulf of Mexico is an especially productive fishing ground with the giant Loop Current interacting with the large bays and estuaries along the coast. A research expedition located them in the deepwater DeSoto canyon almost due south of Pensacola, and DNA and other testing have revealed that they may be their own species of whale. If so, this unique pod would immediately become the most endangered whale species in the world.

By Troy Gilbert, Southern Boating May, 2015

Texas’ Flower Garden Banks

The Gulf of Mexico is a true tropical sea and one of the deepest bodies of water in the world. From the height of a cruise ship, one might not notice that the electric blue expanse is teaming with life from aquatic animals such as giant Kemp-Ridley turtles and recently discovered 55-foot-long Baleen whales. Stirred by the Great Loop Current that flies between Cuba and Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula at over four knots, this current eventually becomes the Gulf Stream that affects the weather and ecology as far away as England. However, this warm current also throws off giant eddies into the Gulf and feeds one of the most unique ecosystems in North America—the Flower Garden Banks.

Located a little over 100 miles offshore of Galveston, Texas, the Flower Garden is the most unique and extensive coral reef system in all of North America and considered to be the most pristine in the entire Western Hemisphere due to its relative remote location. Designated a Marine Sanctuary in 1992 by the U.S., this flourishing ecosystem is made possible by giant underground salt domes that push up the deep, featureless seabed to within 60 feet of the surface and allow an undersea oasis of tropical life. The nearest coral reef is 400 miles south along the coast of Mexico and as such, it has become a secret scuba-diving magnet and cruising layover in the Gulf of Mexico by boat owners in the know.

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First discovered by fishermen in the late 1800s who suddenly noticed bright, vibrant colors beneath the waves, this marine sanctuary is now known to harbor more than 20 species of tropical corals and over 180 species of fish. Comprised of three separate salt domes that rise up and plateau, the largest expands out over 250 acres. As a designated marine sanctuary, fishing and anchoring are not allowed by law, however, there are three mooring fields that are available to transient cruisers in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico where the depths below them explode in color.

As a well-known overnight scuba-diving site, charters and private boats tend to visit on two- or three-day excursions primarily in the summer when the water is over 80 degrees. As such, mooring availability may get a bit tight. For cruisers who do not dive, it’s still a unique destination in the great expanse of the Gulf of Mexico to tie up and enjoy the blue waters where colors rise from the depths and the stars follow after sunset. February is also a heavily visited month due to the hordes of thousands of hammerhead sharks that transit the banks annually.

By Harlen Leslie, Southern Boating April 2015