This is a Queen Conch, shell plus conch inside. The underside is beautiful pink fading to cream colored glossy lining while the outside is sand-colored and blends in with the bottom of the ocean floor. It isn’t nice to take the shell plus conch out of the ocean, but I had to get a picture. You cannot harvest conch meat in Key West, even though you see it for sale in restaurants . “Conch fritters” appear on almost every menu and are considered a local specialty.
The conch itself is like a crab, and sits way inside the shell. you can see his claw if you look closely at the crevice in the shell. It’s a mollusk, also the second most well-known snail in the world, after escargot from France.
The shells are sold in tourist shops in Key West, but since harvesting Conchs is illegal, these shells come from Haiti. So, if you’re in town doing some Key West snorkeling and you come across a Queen Conch, admire it but leave it there.
While doing some Key West Snorkeling this week, we found three very old anchors just sitting in the sand west of the nine foot stake. They were almost due south from Casa Marina, east of the shipping channel.
That’s a Gag grouper there under that rock. You don’t see them every day in Key West. They look kind of like snappers from the surface. There’s also a picture of a hogfish.
Sometimes you want to explore new areas for snorkeling and taking pictures. Sand Key is SO popular. This area is just west of Sand Key. All kinds of diverse marine life here. There’s a picture of a starlet coral. Maybe it’s a star coral, I can’t tell. Also check out the pillar coral, fronted by chubs. We found lobster, a spotted hind, and a grouper as well. Also see mangrove snappers on the bottom.
