A Touch of Island Magic

Summer’s end in the Florida Keys was always laced in magic, but this Labor Day I will never forget. It started much like any day in the keys, the sky was bright and clear. The smell of salt and gas filled my nose as we slowly navigated through the maze of canals. It was high tide and up ahead a cormorant dried it’s wings perched atop a channel marker indicating we were still in an idle zone. It’s teal eyes watching us pass.

My family had a pontoon boat that we would take out on weekends and virtually every holiday. I loved these days, feeling salt air and the warmth of the sun on my skin. Days spent out on the water, snorkeling or fishing, always felt so full of adventure and today was no different. Perched on the bow of the boat was my favorite spot, I loved the feel of the wind in my hair and watching how the sun sparkled like diamonds sewn across the bright teal expanse. I stared down into the water watching schools of fish and corals, distorted like a Dali painting, pass below as we picked up speed.

Locals flocked to uninhabited islands, like Marvin Key which was our destination today, on their boats, avoiding the rocky seaweed coated beaches tourists would be drawn to. Anchors down, portable chairs perched in the shallow water, and coolers within arms reach. Kids and dogs splashed and played through the water while the adults drank and shared the latest news. Moms fussed at their littles for another coating of sunscreen at intervals as the afternoon wore on. This was what island life was like.

“Lunch time!” Mom called to me from the shore.

I waded in and grabbed my sandwich from the cooler. Murray’s Market, a small grocery store and deli, was our family go-to for snacks and sandwiches on boat days and was conveniently located next to the boat ramp we often used.

After lunch, I snorkeled on the other side of the island, out of the way of the boats and people and discovered a small patch reef. Scooting over sand and coral a horseshoe crab zoomed by; I picked it up by the tail and watched it’s many legs wiggle wildly before releasing it again. Schools of small brightly colored fish danced as I continued on, and a regal looking gray angelfish with little yellow markings hovered over a large maze of brain coral, taking little nibbles.

A little while later I swam past a pair of pink and teal parrot fish lazily swimming in time with fan coral moving with the pull of the tide. Their bright blue lips opening and closing as if in conversation with one another.

As the gold sun started it’s decent into another decadent Florida Keys sunset I discovered another treasure, a miniature waterfall! Or so it looked to my innocent eyes. I had swam along a shallow shelf that cascaded down about a foot, giving the illusion of a tiny waterfall. Mixing with the golden light dancing atop the waves gave it a truly magical effect.

“Nugget! Come in, honey. We need to head out before low tide.” Dad called to me as he lifted the cooler up into the boat from the shore. Mom close behind carrying the chairs folded neatly under her arms. I swam in and helped them secure everything for the return trip.

Neon pink and orange painted the sky in broad strokes, as the bottom of the sun kissed the edge of the water. We stowed the anchor and started for home, I settled on at the bow.

The tide followed us inland, and the channels we had navigated out to sea seemingly evaporated around us. BOOM!

“What was that?!” I said.

The adults looked overboard and soon discovered the source of the sound. We had run aground as the final rays of sunlight dipped below the ocean. My dad, who was acting captain, cut the engines and directed one of the other guys on board to check if there was any visual damage. Thankfully there was none. So we gently tried to reverse, but she would not budge.

So far away from city lights, and cell phone reception, the sky out here was a deep velvety black, the stars seemingly brighter than the sparkling waves had been during the day. A not quite full moon rose above the sea and nestled among the stars. There was nothing to do now but wait for the tide to go back out, filling the channels once again.

Night wore on. Exhausted from the day, the kids curled up in makeshift beds on the seat cushions, wrapped in warm towels, and let the sound of the waves lull us to sleep. While the adults watched and waited for the tide to change.

Around the midnight hour, we noticed a strange blue light start to approach our boat. It looked like tiny marine fireflies swarmed and illuminated the shallow water beneath us. I had never seen anything like it and was hypnotized by their dance.

Then we noticed the light slowly rise. The tide was going back out! Men jumped off the boat and into the water, pushing us from the front off the sand and into deeper waters while my dad tried to reverse. This time, we were successful.

Our new tiny blue friends guided us along the widening waterways between channel markers. We crept at idle speeds all the way in as the water was still quite shallow. Where the open sea met canal is where our friends finally dissipated.

In the dark hours before dawn, we finally made it to our beds, salt still clinging to our skin as we slept. To me, it was the most magical day of my childhood, made perfect by playing hookie from school the next day.

It’s interesting, the perspective of a child. Often the golden moments of our youth, raw with wonder, are lost on our adult selves. Looking back, I wonder how many adventures I could have enjoyed if I still held that same sense of adventure in life’s many twists and turns.