“We don’t know what to think yet because it hasn’t hit the Keys just yet, but it’s just a matter of time,” said Pfister, a dive instructor.
“If the reefs in the Keys get a coat of oil, it will be a catastrophe. There’s already stress from septic tank runoff and pollution. It could effectively really curtail diving in the Keys.”
Florida is the only continental state with an extensive array of coral reefs in shallow waters near its coasts.
Those reefs, stretching roughly from Stuart to the Dry Tortugas, attract scuba divers and snorkelers from all over the world.
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