by Shayne Benowitz
Parachute Pearl smiling away.
Captain Scotty and I flew a brand new state-of-the-art parachute on its maiden voyage today on the parasail boat. She stands out as one of a kind on the western horizon, smiling down at our passengers with her big bright eyes and pearly whites. We decided it would only be fitting to name her “Pearl.” Read the rest of this entry »
by Shayne Benowitz
Stephen running a line from the catamaran around a piling
A tropical storm? A hurricane? Well, in Key West at least, Fay felt like nothing more than a long, heavy downpour for most of Monday afternoon. Read the rest of this entry »
by Shayne Benowitz
Backward dive off the iceberg.
Clearly, our passengers have been inspired by the Beijing Olympics. Today, on the Ultimate Adventure while other swimmers played on the trampoline, the sea teeter-totter, and the iceberg, a family from the Chicago-area put on quite a show. Read the rest of this entry »
by Shayne Benowitz
Key West Cruise
Your ship has arrived in the bustling Key West Harbor. The dock lines are secured, the gangway lowered, and you are free to explore the tiny island city of Key West. You’re excited about the parasailing or snorkeling shore excursion you’ve already booked with Fury. But you may be wondering how to optimize the few hours remaining before your ship departs to another exotic locale in order to get an authentic taste for what Key West is all about.
Well, look no further. Read the rest of this entry »
by Shayne Benowitz
Today, during the afternoon snorkel trip, crewmember Kyle made an exceptional discovery. Creeping slowly along the ocean floor with its claw and strong foot, armed with a heavy spiraling pink and cream shell for protection, Kyle spotted a beautiful queen conch.
by Shayne Benowitz
During our seven mile trek south on the way to the coral reef Snorkel School commences and we gather all of our passengers for class a on what you will see at the reef, how to use your gear, and how to safely get in and out of the water. Often times, the majority of our passengers are trying snorkeling for the first time. For some people it is even their first time swimming in the ocean. Whenever I’m conducting Snorkel School, I always tell passengers to talk to me before they get in the water if they are nervous or if they are not strong swimmers. I’d like to fill you in on a few tips that I give beginner snorkelers so that they have an enjoyable, stress-free experience while swimming at our reef.
by Shayne Benowitz
As snorkelers jumped into the water at Sand Key today, I floated on my buoy below and reminded them one by one to, “Hold onto your mask and take a big step off the boat.” The water was a surprisingly clear 60 feet of visibility in spite of the gentle wind swells that rolled through. Whenever we approach the reef, I like to look into the water to check the clarity. Today the water was a beautiful turquoise exposing the sandy bottom and a distinct inky blue where the canyons of the barrier reef jutted forth.
About ten minutes into the allotted snorkeling time, a man swimming near me picked his head out of the water to ask, “Hypothetically, what would someone do if his wedding band slipped off in the water?” It turned out that the question was not hypothetical, after all. Read the rest of this entry »
by Shayne Benowitz
The sun tonight
sank into the ocean
a purple plum
caught in a net of
grey clouds; a silver sliver slice
of moon floated high
above everyone
on the Catamaran.
That is the first stanza of a poem I wrote when I moved to Key West. In her poem Pleasure Seas, Elizabeth Bishop, a Pulitzer Prize winning poet who made this island her home from 1938-1944, described the sky’s reflection on the “shallow pleasure seas” of Key West as “most of the colors that swarm around the sides/ Of soap bubbles.” Read the rest of this entry »
by Shayne Benowitz
It was about 8:45 at the shed Saturday morning while I was packing supplies for the Ultimate Adventure when Ronan approached me and said, “Remember the 5K today? Do you still want to run it?” Slowly, it all came back to me. Of course, it sounded like a great idea around midnight the previous Saturday after a few glasses of wine at Martin’s, but now in the early morning glare with a full day of work ahead of me, I wasn’t so sure. I considered it for a moment, and told Ronan that I would do it. After all, what was a measly 5K? That was only 3.1 miles. So what if I hadn’t put my running shoes on in over 6 months, I could handle it. Read the rest of this entry »
by Shayne Benowitz
That is probably my favorite question for passengers aboard a Fury catamaran or parasail boat. Since I grew up on the west coast and have lived in both the southeast and northeast, I can usually make some kind of connection with our customers. Not to mention the fact that traveling is my favorite thing in the world to do! Read the rest of this entry »