REDDOG DIVING – KEY LARGO, FLORIDA

Pennekamp Park Diving Charters:

Feeding Sharks, Barracuda, Moray Eels, and most everything swimming around the coral reefs.

 

Key Largo Marine Life  

 

Key Largo Underwater Scenes

 

Doug Cook’s Website for Scuba Diving Adventures

and Underwater Photography

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 

Doug graduated from the University of Michigan in December, 1976 with a BS in Biological Oceanography and a NAUI Scuba Instructor Certificate.  Prospects in oceanography were not open with a BS so the lure of warmer climates and coral reefs took him to Key Largo.  Doug worked as a scuba instructor and dive shop manager with American Diving Headquarters until he borrowed enough money to buy the boat “Mary Metro” and scuba charter business from the legendary dive guide Steve Klem, “the Pied Piper of Pennekamp”.

 

Music that defined Doug’s Key Largo “early retirements years”:

(play but please do not copy)

 

MARGARITAVILLE

 

FINS

 

 

Pennekamp Park’s Christ of the Abyss Statue at Key Largo Dry Rocks

 

Key Largo, Florida.  Home of Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and Marine Sanctuary.

Also known as the world’s largest insane asylum and den of modern day pirates.

Garden Cove Marina- My base of operations from 1978-1982. 

No beautiful beaches of legend but extensive mangrove swamps.

 

Garden Cove Marina.  Doug met Elizabeth here on January 23, 1980.  They were married that July 4th.

 

Captain Doug with First (and only) Mate Elizabeth - 1980

 

Doug’s boat “Mary Metro”.  Her Chrysler 318 engine sucked gas at a gallon a mile

when marina gas was at a record high price!

Doug’s monthly fuel bills were often ten times that of the

$75/month rent for an apartment above the dive shop.

 

Aerial view of Alligator Reef with typical spur and groove coral formation.

 

Doug was a free lance photo journalist and underwater photography instructor (PUBLICATIONS). His arsenal of photo equipment included four Nikonos cameras, a RolleiMarine housing and RolleiFlex camera, 

and an ancient Bolex 16mm movie camera and housing. 

Today life is simple and easy with just a Cannon SD-800 in a WD-PC5 housing: 

Still and video with automatic focus, exposure, and white balance!

 

Elizabeth modeling with a Nikonos macro setup.

 

Feeding sharks, barracuda, moray eels, and most everything swimming around the coral reefs.

 

Key Largo Marine Life  

 

Key Largo Underwater Scenes

 

 

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