By Rick Stratton
Publisher, Dive News Network

It is the "garden" of the sea. Years of planning and tending to by both divers and NOAA, this ocean "garden" is home to some of the world's most interesting topography. Located over 100 miles from land, in the Gulf of Mexico, this is truly a wonder of the underwater world. A part of an ecosystem that thrives in what can be a sometimes harsh environment, this awe inspiring landscape holds the true riches of the world's waters. With a sampling of incredible beauty spiced with ocean wild, manta rays, whale sharks, coral heads as big as buses, hundreds of species of fish and invertebrates, as well as some of the most interesting landscape, makes for a diving adventure that should well be on the very top of any diver's bucket list.

Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary is one of 14 federally designated underwater areas protected by NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. Located about 115 miles off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana, the sanctuary is home to countless underwater communities and consists of three separate areas. East Flower Garden Bank has a pear shaped dome that is 3.1 miles in diameter and 19.2 square nautical miles. This area has a 350 acre reef crest that comes within 60' of the ocean's surface. West Flower Garden Bank has an oblong shaped dome that is 6.8 miles making up 22.5 square nautical miles of area to explore. West Flower Garden Bank has a 100 acre reef crest that comes within 66' of the surface. Finally, Stetson Bank, by far the largest draw for divers due to its reputation for being one of the world's most unusual places to dive, has less than 1 square nautical mile of Siltstone Bedrock and comes within 55' of the surface of the ocean. The banks themselves are further accentuated by the miles of open ocean that separate them, also ranging from 200 to 400 ft. deep. For a diver this is an entire world of diving in one body of water, the Gulf of Mexico.

Divers are treated to over 21 species of coral, 200 plus fish species, 250 plus macro invertebrate species, 80 species of algae and the regal loggerhead turtle. These, of course, are joined by the dozens of manta rays, sharks and other usual suspects. Cher Walker of True Blue Water Sports in Lake Charles, Louisiana is on the Advisory Council for the Flower Gardens and is pretty proud of what the sanctuary has to offer. "I've been in the Advisory Council for about two months now however, we have done dive charters out to the Flower Garden Banks for a while," Walker says. "It is the northern most coral reef in the continental US and it is incredible. The salt domes built up over thousands of years and because of the rich currents the sea life is amazing." Walker adds because it is protected, the sanctuary is in great shape and is very well preserved. "There are some amazing dive spots like Stetson Bank," Walker says. "Stetson is deeper and more of a wall and there is more sea life there. It's my favorite. We call it Hawaii right out our back door. People go all over the world to dive to find the very stuff we have right here. I like to tell people it is like going to a movie theater. You can go to the edge of the bank and literally sit there, watching the show. There are thousands of animals and it is all so full of color." A new member of the Advisory Council, Walker wants folks to know she is there for them to voice their concerns to. "I want people, divers and dive shop owners, to know I am here to hear their concerns."

Discovered by snapper and grouper fishermen in the late 1800's, the banks were named after the brightly colored sponges, plants, and other marine life in the area. After time, and as science learned more and more about the biological diversity of the reefs the area was designated as a sanctuary. In 1992 it became official. East and West Flower Garden Banks were designated first followed by Stetson Bank in 1996. Today, scientists are still working to understand the complex ecosystems that dominate the sanctuary. The geology of the area combined with the habitats of the life there, the Gulf of Mexico's larger ecosystem and its watersheds make the area a dream natural laboratory for the study of the ocean's environments.

Many have referred to Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary as a national treasure and a lot of work is being done to better understand how it developed and how the different ocean communities have developed within the area. Melanie Wasson of M/V Spree, a live-aboard operating out of Muenster, TX, says they do trips out to the sanctuary all the time and enjoy seeing how amazed people are at what it has to offer. "We operate a 100 ft., 24-passenger live-aboard with three decks and we do a number of trips each year, most running 4 days with 3 full days of diving," Wasson says. "Divers really love going out to the Banks. We take a lot of people in the late summer, August through September; that's the best time to see the large pelagic fish. It is like watching a slide show to watch the life swim by." Wasson adds that her favorite dive spot at the Banks is the number one buoy on East Flower Garden Bank. "It is the shallowest area and there is a huge patch of finger coral there," Wasson says. "There is also a drop off where the coral starts to plate at 120 feet and it is a large grouper hangout. It is a stunning dive."

All of the banks of the Flower Garden Banks sanctuary are salt domes rising above the sea floor. Normally logic would dictate this would make for a harsh environment but surprisingly it appears to have the opposite effect. Developed by evaporation some 190 million years ago scientists believe the salt domes became home to the coral reef communities of East and West Flower Garden Banks probably 10,000 to 15,000 years ago and probably originated from Mexican reefs when currents in the western Gulf of Mexico carried the young corals northward. However the Banks developed, what has resulted is an underwater Mecca for divers worldwide.

Kelly Drinnen, the Outreach Specialist for the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, says the area offers divers a very different type of dive experience. "It is my job is to make sure people find out about the sanctuary and what it has to offer," Drinnen says. "It is a beautiful environment with an amazing amount of coral, mostly in boulder formations. From the sand flats, you can literally look up at 12-15 feet of coral growth." Another part of Drinnen's job is to inform divers and dive operators about what they can do to help maintain the area; however she says it is relatively pristine. "There are very few dive operators that go out," Drinnen says. "The distance from the coast keeps many people from going out there and because there are so few divers during the year we see less of a human impact than most other coral reefs. I hear from people all the time who are just amazed at how healthy the coral is. We also have some amazing natural events that occur each year like the coral spawning in August, which is spectacular. In the winter we see schooling hammerhead sharks and whale sharks are common summer visitors. It is definitely something every diver should experience at least once. This is the type of diving divers travel the world to experience and we have it right here." ■