The Treasure Coast's Undersea (and Above Sea) Treasures

Radio Man (aka Talkin' Tourism host Gary Guertin)
going "coastal."

With mask, fins and snorkels at the ready, Radio Man and History Lady took the plunge to explore the undersea treasures of the Treasure Coast. Did Gary and Robin really have mask, fins and snorkels? Just check the show photos!

Deep Six Dive and Watersports representative Glenn Hair provided listeners with his perspective on the Treasure Coast scuba scene as a diving professional. Relatively new to the Treasure Coast region, Glenn shared with show listeners why he made the move to the Treasure Coast. Glenn’s perspective as to WHY this region could be so popular was very interesting. No, we do not always have “gin clear water” and no, the water temperature is not always 82 degree, but you can see some of the same marine life as you can see in Cozumel or the Bahamas? Yes you can! The key to our region’s uniqueness is marine diversity.



History Lady, Robin Hicks Connors, gives the
Talkin' Tourism camera a thumbs up.



From marine ecosystem diversity and water temperature variations to bottom configurations and artificial reefs, the Treasure Coast offers great dive adventures. Radio Man revealed some interesting numbers on the economic impact of our offshore reef systems. These "did you know's" make for great cocktail party talk when the conversation dries up.

So, what you don’t see can’t hurt you. Right? Out of sight, equals out of mind. Wrong! For the next topic covered on the show, what you can't see does hurt and it needs to be top of mind, especially when out enjoying our waterways. As we all have witnessed, debris from many various sources, finds its way to our near-shore and offshore coastal environments. Perhaps you don’t see it when gazing out upon a beautiful blue sea at sunset or sunrise, debris that accumulates on the bottom of the sea, lakes and rivers has a disastrous impact on marine life. Retrieving this debris requires the work of skilled and trained divers. Captain Don Voss, head of the Marine Clean Up Initiative, shared his plan to eradicate this problem with the help of trained volunteer divers. By the time you read this, we'll know if he set a world-record with his planned flotilla in the Ft. Pierce Inlet turning basin.

So, ladies and gentlemen, from near and far, grab your dive gear and head on down to experience some of the most diverse diving opportunities to be found anywhere, right here on Florida’s Treasure Coast.

Here's the audio link to Talkin' Tourism's "The Underwater World of the Treasure Coast" show. Enjoy!

The Underwater World of the Treasure Coast

Goliath grouper residing on a Martin County, Florida
offshore reef, smiles for the camera.
Photo credit: Reefmaker Artificial Reefs.

Radio Man and History Lady have covered many topics dealing with “things to do, places to go, and people” to see ABOVE the sea. This week, hosts Gary Guertin and Robin Hicks-Connors will dive into things to do, reefs to explore and fishes to meet UNDER the offshore waters of the Treasure Coast! They won’t be suiting up with masks, fins, snorkels, weight belts and air tanks for this edition of Talkin' Tourism, but they will be talking with guest Glenn Hair, a PADI instructor with Deep Six Dive and Underwater Sports. With Glenn's supervision we'll explore the bounty, beauty and undersea adventures just waiting to be found in the waters of the Treasure Coast. From fantastic artificial reef systems to beautiful natural reef systems, join us for this underwater exploration.

In preparation for the show, Radio Man was wondering just how many visitors and locals take advantage of these wonderful resources? He's uncovered some numbers that will certainly encourage our regional tourism promoters to keep this niche “out in front” of our tourism promotional efforts.

Speaking of diving, there are many coastal clean-ups and other initiatives designed for the purpose of educating us not trash our coastlines, but what about the trash and debris that ends up under the sea? Meet Captain Don Voss, a Vero Beach diver and boat captain, who has established the not-for-profit organization Marine Clean Up Initiative, Inc. He will share with listeners a campaign he has organized to rid our ocean and our coastal environments of this debris and yes, you can help!

Now that we are getting closer to turning the corner of the winter season, spectacular events and activities are literally coming out of the woodwork. The Jensen Beach Pineapple Festival, the Stuart Air Show, championship fishing tournaments, and a whole lot more. As always, Radio Man and History Lady will touch upon places to go and things to do, as well as so much more, on this week’s edition of Talkin’ Tourism on Florida's Treasure Coast (and Beyond!). So, tomorrow at 10:05 a.m., tune your radio dial to WPSL 1590 AM or your Internet browser to http://www.wpsl.com/ to join us for another week of edutainment!