southern diver/skin diver

KEY WEST:

GREAT DIVING AND TOPSIDE DIVERSITY

After famed U.S. writer John Dos Passos visited Key West in the 1920s, he described the trip to his friend Ernest Hemingway as "one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life." Dos Passos didn't even dive, so you can imagine the exhilaration today's visitors experience above and below Key West's surface.

When it comes to U.S. cities, few can rival Florida's Key West for character...and characters. From it's Caribbean-like diving to legendary characters like Ernest Hemingway, Key West is America at its most unique.

Of course, Hemingway was the ultimate Key West character. "Papa" moved to Key West in 1931 with his second wife, Pauline, purchasing a house at 902 Whitehead Street to raise sons Patrick and Gregory. Standing at the typewriter in a studio next to his home, he created For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Green Hills of Africa, A Farewell to Arms, and Death in the Afternoon.

Thanks to Hemingway's presence in Key West, as well as the subsequent stays of the late and great playwright Tennessee Williams and other Pulitzer Prize-winning residents, Key West has become a mecca for contemporary literary greats. They are joined by many undiscovered writers, joyfully anonymous and finding inspiration in a place that encourages creativity and characters. But they area also joined by many scuba divers and snorkelers interested in enjoying the character and characters of Key West, above and below the surface.

"Key West offers a combination unlike any dive travel destination in the U.S.," says Ed Ruzi, owner of Southpoint Divers. "When you combine pristine Keys diving and service with Key West's topside pleasure, it's hard to beat."

This combination is what makes Key West such a unique diver hotspot. Where else can you dive a wreck with huge jewfish during the day and, in the evening, toast a giant mounted jewfish outside Capt. Tony's Saloon? Only in Key West.

The underwater characters of today are as interesting as past and present Key West characters topside. Diving and snorkeling highlights off Key West include: South Beach Patches (surprisingly good shallow shore diving); Joe's Tug (cooperative photogenic fish); Eastern Dry Rocks and Rock Key (typical Keys reef structure and marine life, with the added bonus of lots of wreck remains; Sand Key (coral fingers, with lots of elkhorn and staghorn coral); Western Dry Rocks (deeply encrusted coral fingers, lots of large grouper, and some nice caves); and, on the Gulf side, Cottrell Reef and The Lakes (shallow coral ledges alive with scattered gorgonians, sponges, and occasional wrecks). To the west and out into the Atlantic, the Marquesas Keys provide a number of interesting dives for those adventurous who enjoy boat trips and secluded diving.

Topside, more characters await. The Hemingway home, now a registered national historic landmark, was built in Spanish Colonial style of native rock hewn from the grounds. The tours are typically quite interesting.

Hemingway may have been the quintessential character of Key West and a visit to his house is certainly obligatory, but for the quintessential Key West experience, a virtual character convention is held daily at Mallory Square. If there is a single attraction Key West attraction that befits the entire experience, it's the sunset celebration.

Daily, as the sunset nears, islanders and locals flock to the pier and the place comes alive with entertainment. Here is a group of tourists tapping their feet to the tunes of a string band and over there is a unicyclist unbelievably wriggling free of a straitjacket. Nearby, two men are tumbling, while a gaily dressed young woman beats out a tune on a washboard and cymbals. Animals abound, with snakes, parrots, and many other exotic breeds vying for attention.

Though a bit less lively than the sunset celebration, many past characters are buried in the Key West Cemetery. The cemetery fills 21 prime acres in the heart of the island's historic district, with picturesque stone-encased caskets resting on top of the rocky earth. But the gravestones are what draw visitors. "I Told You I was Sick" is one of the cemetery's most famous expressions immortalized in stone, but there are many more. There are many other landmarks in Key West, many of which revolve around past and present Key West luminaries. Whether you're heading to a museum or a bar, you're sure to find the something interesting in Key West.

The Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society Museum is one of the most popular topside stops for divers. Typical of Key West characters, Mel Fisher is a modern-day fortune hunter, heading around the world to find treasures buried in the sea. The museum displays many of his finds, including part of more than $400 million in gold and silver from the Nuestra Senora de Atocha, a 17th century Spanish galleon that sunk just 45 miles west of Key West.

Landlubbers who want to discover the visual delights of Keys reefs without getting wet will love the Key West Aquarium on Mallory Square. The first open-air aquarium in the U.S., this popular attraction includes a 50,000-gallon tank exhibiting the mangrove environment, tropical and game fish, sea turtles, and birds. Other exhibits include a "Touch Tank," a spiny lobster tank, and, of course, sharks.

In the evening, Key West nightlife can range from laid-back to wild. The tradition of Cuban music is apparent in Key West, as is an individual brand of jazz blues, known as Conchtown rhythm. This mix of New Orleans jazz and calypso features a noted impresario, Coffee Butler, a native Key Wester who is billed as "the southernmost Louis Armstrong" in nightclubs where he appears. But the biggest influence has to be Jimmy Buffet, who began his career in Key West by playing for friends at at small venues.

Many other people, places, and things attack the senses in Key West. Once you think you've seen it all, take a tour with the Conch Train, on one of the pedal-propelled cruisers, or by foot. Whether exploring a Key West reef or wreck, having a post-dive drink with a local conch character, eating some spicy conch chowder, Ernest Hemingway would still love Key West. Today's diving characters will, as well.

For further information, contact the Florida Keys & Key West Visitors Bureau at P.O. Box 1147, Key West, FL 33041, (800) FLA KEYS or (305) 296-1552. Online service users can obtain a wide variety of Keys information by typing http://www.fla-keys.com.