By Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost staff writer scocking@guyharveyoutpost.com [Weeki Wachee, FL–] Sitting in a subterranean amphitheater watching through clear glass as young women wearing glittering …
2011 Billfish Invitational Underway at the Bimini Big Game Club
19 May 20113:02 PM
During this week’s Billfish Invitational tournament, Fred Garth, Editor-In-Chief of Guy Harvey Magazine, will be filing a series of dispatches from tournament headquarters at the Bimini Big Game Club.
Fishing began today at the Billfish Invitational Tournament with clear skies and light winds. Local fishermen have reported good activity in recent days leading up to today’s kick off so there’s plenty of optimism in the air. Twelve boats headed out early rigged and ready for action.
Anglers and dignitaries enjoyed a full evening of festivities Wednesday evening at the newly renovated Bimini Big Game Club, which has been rebranded and rebuilt as a Guy Harvey Outpost Resort & Marina. Numerous world records have been caught in the waters here and, of course, Bimini was a favorite haunt of legendary fisherman and author Ernest Hemingway.
VIP guests in attendance at the opening party and captain’s meeting included Guy Harvey, Mike Myatt, COO of the IGFA, Bill Shedd of Guy Harvey apparel licensee AFTCO Bluewater, Frank Johnson of Mold Craft, and Sculptor Kent Ullberg, who created the Billfish Invitational’s “Hemingway-Lerner” trophy.
This is the first billfish tournament since the resort was rebuilt with the help and co-ordination of Guy Harvey. The tournament has not only attracted top fishermen but also an eclectic collection of artists and top marine photographers such as Pat Ford, Scott Kerrigan, and Bill Boyce, who is shooting a documentary with Guy and his crew.
The Big Game is On, so much more to follow…
Garth Out!
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![](mailto:?subject=2011 Billfish Invitational Underway at the Bimini Big Game Club&body=During this week's Billfish Invitational tournament, Fred Garth, Editor-In-Chief of <a title="GHM web site" href="http://www.guyharveymagazine.com">Guy Harvey Magazine</a>, will be filing a series of dispatches from tournament headquarters at the Bimini Big Game Club.
Fishing began today at the <a title="Billfish Invitational web site" href="http://www.billfishinvitational.com" target="_blank">Billfish Invitational Tournament</a> with clear skies and light winds. Local fishermen have reported good activity in recent days leading up to today’s kick off so there’s plenty of optimism in the air. Twelve boats headed out early rigged and ready for action.
Anglers and dignitaries enjoyed a full evening of festivities Wednesday evening at the newly renovated <a title="BBGC web site" href="http://www.biggameclubbimini.com" target="_blank">Bimini Big Game Club</a>, which has been rebranded and rebuilt as a <a title="About Guy Harvey Outpost" href="http://www.biggameclubbimini.com/aboutus.htm" target="_blank">Guy Harvey Outpost Resort & Marina</a>. Numerous world records have been caught in the waters here and, of course, Bimini was a favorite haunt of legendary fisherman and author Ernest Hemingway.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/nedcaptmeeting11.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-717" title="Capt. Ned Stone, tournament director, addresses the teams during Wednesday's Captains Meeting" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/nedcaptmeeting11.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="400" /></a>
VIP guests in attendance at the opening party and captain’s meeting included <a title="Guy Harvey Inc. web site" href="http://www.guyharvey.com" target="_blank">Guy Harvey</a>, Mike Myatt, COO of the <a title="IGFA web site" href="http://www.igfa.org/Default.aspx" target="_blank">IGFA</a>, Bill Shedd of Guy Harvey apparel licensee <a title="AFTCO Bluewater web site" href="http://www.aftcobluewater.com/" target="_blank">AFTCO Bluewater</a>, Frank Johnson of <a title="Mold Craft web site" href="http://www.moldcraftproducts.com/" target="_blank">Mold Craft</a>, and Sculptor <a title="Kent Ullberg's web site" href="http://www.kentullberg.net/" target="_blank">Kent Ullberg</a>, who created the Billfish Invitational’s <a title="About the Hemingway-Lerner Triphy" href="http://guyharveyoutpostnews.com/2011/04/29/hemingway-lerner-trophy-unveiled-for-guy-harveys-upcoming-billfish-invitational-in-bimini/" target="_blank">“Hemingway-Lerner” trophy</a>.
This is the first billfish tournament since the resort was rebuilt with the help and co-ordination of Guy Harvey. The tournament has not only attracted top fishermen but also an eclectic collection of artists and top marine photographers such as <a title="Pat Ford Photography web site" href="http://www.patfordphotos.com/" target="_blank">Pat Ford</a>, <a title="Scott Kerrigan's web site" href="http://www.scottkerrigan.com/" target="_blank">Scott Kerrigan</a>, and <a title="Bill Boyce's web site" href="http://www.boyceimage.com/" target="_blank">Bill Boyce</a>, who is shooting a documentary with Guy and his crew.
The Big Game is On, so much more to follow...
Garth Out! https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/billfish-invitational-underway/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Spring Into Adventure with Mermaids and Manatees&body=<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3422" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/12698307_10154157285116756_9106479937438679828_o.jpg" alt="12698307_10154157285116756_9106479937438679828_o" width="1280" height="853" />By Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost staff writer
scocking@guyharveyoutpost.com
[Weeki Wachee, FL--] Sitting in a subterranean amphitheater watching through clear glass as young women wearing glittering mermaid tails swim gracefully more than 16 feet deep underwater can almost make you suspend disbelief in the supernatural.
"There's Ariel!" a little girl in the audience shouts in delight, and nobody in the audience scoffs. Indeed, we all start applauding.
We are watching one of the live daily performances of "The Little Mermaid" at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park on central Florida's west coast. Here, since 1947, generations of young women (and a few young men) have delighted audiences with their unique stunts and choreography-- all executed while taking intermittent breaths off free-flowing air hoses scattered around the spring that serves as their underwater stage.
It takes considerable skill to do this. Wearing neither buoyancy compensation devices nor dive masks, the mermaids must control their depth by the amount of air they inhale and exhale from the hoses-- all while dancing, miming and staging mock combat for the audience watching through the glass. Often they must deal with surprise intruders in the spring that threaten to upstage them-- manatees, turtles, a snook that just won't leave-- and several times-- drunken patrons from the adjoining Buccaneer Bay water park. Unflappable does not begin to describe their demeanor.
The Weeki Wachee mermaid shows were the brainchild of Newt Perry, a champion swimmer, diver and attractions promoter. In their heydays of the 50s and 60s, they drew large crowds, and fans included the late Elvis Presley and other celebrities.
Attendance suffered after Walt Disney World opened, but the shows still went on, albeit to smaller audiences. Buccaneer Bay was added in the 1980s, and the attraction also includes an animal show, gift shop, restaurant, riverboat tour, and kayak rental. It became a state park in 2008.
The spring itself is dazzling. Bubbling up from deep within the earth's core, more than 110 million gallons per day of fresh, clear, 72-degree water form a narrow river that flows west from the mermaid theater for about 7 1/2 miles to the Gulf of Mexico near Bayport.
A friend and I paddled a five-mile section of the river, renting from the <a href="http://www.weekiwacheekayakrental.com" target="_blank">Kayak Shack</a>. It was a fun, relaxing, non-strenuous three-hour float from the park to the shop's headquarters over water so clear it appeared invisible. Surrounded by cypress and shady oak, we glimpsed schools of bass, mullet and bream as well as heron, ibis, turtles and at least five resting manatees. Gorgeous.
Visiting Weeki Wachee is but one of many fun outdoor adventures to be savored around Florida's Springs Coast. Visitors should also make it a point to explore nearby Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park where they can see a hippopotamus, a Florida panther, and a black bear as well as other mammals, reptiles and birds --and view fish and manatees in an underwater observatory. Dr. Guy Harvey and fellow marine artist Wyland painted the colorful mural that decorates the outside wall of the visitor center in 2000.
Bicyclists will enjoy pedaling the Withlacoochee State Trail-- a 46-mile-long former railroad track that's been turned into a multi-use path. A good place to start is the Inverness trailhead and bike either north or south.
All this activity tends to stimulate an appetite. Here are several recommendations for après-adventure food and drink in or near Crystal River, FL:
-West 82 Bar and Grill at the Plantation on Crystal River
-Peck's Old Port Cove Seafood Restaurant
-Vintage on 5th
Here's to happy trails-- paddling, hiking, biking-- and to putting a spring in your step.
***************
Sue Cocking chronicles the Guy Harvey Outpost travel and adventure experience in regular blog posts on GuyHarveyOutpostNews.com/. For 21 years, Cocking covered the full spectrum of outdoors adventure opportunities in South Florida and beyond for the Miami Herald, including fishing, diving, hunting, paddling camping, sailing and powerboat racing. She is a certified scuba diver and holder of an IGFA women's world fly fishing record for a 29-pound permit.
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Share your photos, videos and experiences with Guy Harvey Outpost by hash tagging #OutpostAttitude to all of your social media posts. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/spring-into-adventure-with-mermaids-and-manatees-2/){kind=link}
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![](mailto:?subject=Florida Wildlife Federation Celebrating 25th Anniversary of Annual Boating Sweepstakes&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/blue-wave-2-bw_20pb_0045-2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-2920 alignleft" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/blue-wave-2-bw_20pb_0045-2.jpg?w=300" alt="Blue-Wave 2-BW_20PB_0045 (2)" width="300" height="200" /></a>TALLAHASSEE, FL – The Florida Wildlife Federation is excited to be celebrating the 25th Anniversary of our Annual Boating Sweepstakes. Instead of four boats, the Grand Prize winner will choose ONE of five fabulous prizes: two top-selling, family-friendly fishing boats with low emission engines, a hybrid car, an A-frame RV that’s easy to tow with many of todays fuel-efficient SUVs, or $25,000 in cash. The prizes are: the Sea Hunt Triton 188 nearshore boat, the Blue Wave 2000 Pure Bay boat, the Prius Three hatchback, and the Aliner Expedition camper.
New boat choice for 2015 is the Blue Wave 2000 Pure Bay, a high performance fishing boat, ideal for a family outing or the serious angler. With its 8-foot beam, this boat can float in 11-inches of water. Standard equipment includes a leaning post with fold down footrest plus ice chest underneath, multiple live wells, 100% hand-laid hulls, rod lockers, two rear flip seats with storage, stainless steel hardware, unsinkable foam flotation, dry floor drain system and a 10-inch manual jackplate. Package includes a fuel-efficient Suzuki 115 HP fuel injected four stroke outboard engine and a Magic Tilt aluminum trailer.
For second prize, ten winners will receive a $75 Gift Certificate to Guy Harvey Sportswear which features Guy Harvey short sleeve pocket t-shirts and fish tees, dry-release performance shirts, hats, and offshore fishing jackets.
The drawing will take place on December 17, 2015, at 3:00 pm at Federation Headquarters in Tallahassee, Florida. FWF will randomly select one (1) Grand Prize winner from among all eligible entries received, with the drawing supervised by Carroll and Co., Inc., Certified Public Accountants. Florida Wildlife Federation, Inc. is the source of funds used to award cash prizes or to purchase prizes.
Chose your Sweepstakes prize and get outside with your family and friends and enjoy all the marvelous outdoor opportunities that only Florida can offer.
To enter the Florida Wildlife Federation’s Boating Sweepstakes or for details, photos of the prizes, and official rules, click on <a href="http://www.fwfonline.org/Sweeps-Archive/Boat/2015-Boating-Sweepstakes.aspx">http://www.fwfonline.org/Sweeps-Archive/Boat/2015-Boating-Sweepstakes.aspx#</a>
About the Florida Wildlife Federation: “The Federation strongly advocates protection for the headwaters of Florida’s streams and rivers as they are critical in providing clean drinking water and to ensure the health of fish and wildlife,” says Manley Fuller, Florida Wildlife Federation President. “The health of the Gulf of Mexico and the Southern Atlantic is directly related to the health of our rivers which in turn depends on keeping our headwaters pristine.”
This fall, the Federation is actively working on Gulf of Mexico restoration to see that RESTORE Act funds are spent on projects that provide longstanding benefits to the Gulf and watersheds all along Florida’s Gulf coast and lowlands. With the recently announced proposed settlement between BP and the State of Florida, county and state officials now have a clear picture of what they will spend for the next 15 years. Helping them find ways to leverage every dollar will be critical to success. As to fisheries, FWF and our allies are pleased that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recently adopted a proactive resolution recognizing the need to conserve and monitor marine forage fish populations. We look forward to working with the FFWC in support of the resolution’s goals.
The Florida Wildlife Federation is a nonprofit, statewide conservation organization established in 1936. For more information visit the <a href="http://www.fwfonline.org" target="_blank">FWF web site</a>.
Keeping the Wild in Florida since 1936! https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/florida-wildlife-federation-celebrating-25th-anniversary-of-annual-boating-sweepstakes/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Diving with Goliaths off Jupiter&body=The wreck of the MG-111 barge and the nearby pillars of Warrior Reef to the north aren't very scenic as dive sites go-- just a smooshed hull and a few tall vertical posts sunk 60 feet deep in the sand off Jupiter, FL. But for the opportunity to visit with some really large marine creatures-- some of them the size of Mini Coopers --there's no better place to visit in Florida right now.
Beginning with the August new moon, and likely through early October, scores of huge Goliath grouper hang around these motley artificial reefs getting to know one another and perpetuating their endangered species. They station themselves up- and down-current and inside the structures, occasionally making booming noises that sound like submerged bass drums. If you refrain from chasing them and remain stationary on the bottom, they may approach closely enough for you to shoot some amazing photos and video.
On my recent dive, I quit counting the gigantic fish at 50. They were cautious around me, but not spooky. One hovered inside the MG-111 about four feet away from me, opening and closing its wide mouth as I watched. As if that weren't enough live entertainment, a five-foot Southern stingray glided by overhead. And at the Warrior Reef, a really large loggerhead turtle sat calmly in the sand while a small, tagged green turtle nibbled on sponges. All around them milled more Goliaths. To call it an epic dive is a vast understatement.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/DSC1783.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-4258" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/DSC1783-1024x598.jpg" alt="Credit Alan Cegan" width="1024" height="598" /></a>Credit Alan Cegan
Florida State University research scientist Dr. Chris Koenig and his colleagues have identified some 20 Goliath grouper spawning sites off Florida's Atlantic and Gulf coasts-- including the one I visited. Most of them are wrecks and rocky outcroppings extending from Fort Myers south to the Dry Tortugas in the Gulf and from Jupiter south to Boynton Beach in the Atlantic. The Jupiter wrecks are the prime hot spots for viewing-- easily accessible located only a few miles offshore.
Spawning, Koenig says, takes place late at night during new moon phases from August through October. Goliaths travel from as far as 300 miles away to join these aggregations and most depart when spawning is over, leaving a few stragglers year round. Koenig and colleagues have collected millions of Goliath eggs in their nets around the reproduction sites and hope someday to rear them so fish can be stocked in areas where they are heavily depleted.
The seasonal Goliath dive tours are an important economic driver for local businesses whose owners are vehement advocates for the gentle, mottled-brown fish. Goliaths have been protected from all harvest in Florida since 1990 when they were nearly wiped out by overfishing. In recent years, their recovery has prompted some hook-and-line and spear fishers to urge managers to re-open the fishery, but that's not likely to happen anytime soon.
The most recent scientific stock assessment that might have led to a re-opening flunked peer review because it was inconclusive--lacking baseline information on Goliaths before they were hammered to near extinction in the 1970s and '80s. Another potential obstacle to resuming harvest is that larger animals show high levels of mercury-- a toxic heavy metal that can cause an array of health problems in humans who consume it. Koenig says Goliath mercury levels are so high that the fish themselves get sick and die of it. And, he says, the species is still threatened by poaching, recreational catch-and-release fishing, and bycatch in the bottom longline commercial shark fishery.
So, for right now, it seems the function of the Goliath grouper is to be the star of underwater safaris and video documentaries like the lions of the Serengeti. Take the plunge to see them before they split for the season. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/diving-with-goliaths-off-jupiter/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Guy Harvey Interview on Fishing Florida Radio&body=<a href="http://www.fishingfloridaradio.com"><img class="alignleft" title="Fishing Florida Radio" src="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/fishing-florida-radiologo1.jpg" alt="" width="133" height="91" /></a>
Ever wonder what fish Guy loves to catch above all others? You can find out by listening to his interview with <a title="FFR web site" href="http://www.fishingfloridaradio.com/" target="_blank">Fishing Florida Radio</a>. Guy discusses his recent shark tagging expedition in the Bahamas and how his childhood in Jamaica influenced his career path. <a title="Guy Harvey interview with FFR" href="http://www.fishingfloridaradio.com/mp3/guyharvey_ffr.mp3" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a> to listen to these stories and more! https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/guy-harvey-interview-on-fishing-florida-radio/){kind=link}
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