Merti Rittgers (above from left) of Delray Beach, Derik Bowen of Coconut Creek and Kari Longshore of Montana came to Boca Raton on Nov. 12 to catch a glimpse of a rare and beautiful bananaquit (Coereba flaveola), which was feasting on firespike necta
outdoors (21)
ABOVE: Capt. Chris Lemieux holds a 43-pound kingfish that was caught kite-fishing with live bait.
BELOW: Lemieux also uses bonita strips as kingfish bait. Photos by Steve Waters/The Coastal Star
By Steve Waters
Late spring and early summer are whe
Ken Udell of Boca Raton shows off a big black grouper in his right hand and a hogfish in his left hand that he shot while diving with Jim ‘Chiefy’ Mathie. Steve Waters/The Coastal Star
By Steve Waters
This is an exciting month for South Florida angle
By Steve Waters
The last day of Florida’s lobster season was March 31 and it doesn’t reopen until the lobster mini-season at the end of July. The seasons for grouper and hogfish don’t open until May 1. So, what’s an underwater hunter to do in April?
This time of year can bring windy and wavy conditions that can cause seasickness in people who are prone to the malady. Photo provided
By Steve Waters
Offshore fishing in Palm Beach County can be terrific following winter cold fronts. But those same
Will we have a repeat of last summer? August 2022 staff file photo
By Larry Barszewski
Sea turtles aren’t the only things returning to south Palm Beach County beaches this year.
So is seaweed. Lots and lots of it.
Not since Jaws has so much attention
Ben Zafir and Giovanni Griffin of Boca Raton pose with their take during the two-day lobster mini season, July 26 and 27. The 2022 regular season begins at 12:01 a.m. Aug. 6, and ends at midnight March 31, 2023.
Photo provided
The Chinese Garden at the Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach is a perfect place to spend time with Mom, and admission is free. The society says the garden celebrates beauty, harmony and tranquility. Mary Thurwachter/The Coastal Star
Celebrate
By Joyce Reingold
You may remember reading here last year about Eva Takacs, the Boynton Beach woman who enjoyed an almost daily, hour-long swim at Oceanfront Park. This year, Takacs celebrated her 91st birthday. And when lockdown restrictions allow
This view of Lake Boca Raton on April 19 gives a small sense of the crowds that usually attend the annual Boca Bash on the state-controlled lake. BELOW: But a week later, FWC and Boca officers found no bash to police. Boaters heeded advice from an or
Jessika Harvey and Rush Rashidi show the 103-inch broadbill swordfish they boated March 23 after a 24-hour fight. They hooked the swordfish off Palm Beach County on the evening of March 22 and drifted north in the current. The fight ended off Vero Be
ABOVE: Dolphinfish (mahi mahi) begin to show up in greater numbers as the weather warms in the spring. These were caught in mid-April by Tim Workman (left) and Dave Hammond from the Lantana-based Geno V charter boat operated by Capt. Geno Pratt (far
A bottlenose dolphin captures a houndfish off Palm Beach. Scientists with the Taras Oceanographic Foundation’s Palm Beach Dolphin Project, which began offering dolphin-watching tours to the public in January, shot the photo.
By Willie Howard
Seeing
A diver uses a clear plastic bag to carry several lionfish. Careful handling of lionfish, which have venomous spines, is essential to the process of bringing them up. The lionfish flesh is white, delicate and tasty. Photo provided by REEF
By Willie
Patrick Gramm of Gulf Stream tees off on the ninth hole of The Little Club on Oct. 20. A few trees like the one in the foreground did not survive Irma’s winds, but the rest of the course looked to be in prime playing condition. Jerry Lower/The Coast
Schools of mullet are chased by larger predators off the coast of Ocean Ridge during their annual fall migration in early October.
Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star
Alexis Base of Boynton Beach enjoys going to Ocean Inlet Park
with her family. The eighth-grader’s latest science project focuses on using
autonomous underwater vehicles to recognize and potentially harvest
non-native lionfish, which damage Florida’
By Cheryl Blackerby
Coastal residents can be proud they had something to do with increasing turtle nest numbers this year.
“Most experts agree that conservation efforts and full-cutoff lighting on the coast are probably the main reasons for
Eleven new patients are being cared for at the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Facility at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. The Kemp ridley turtles, shipped in from Massachusetts on Nov. 25, are being treated for cold stunning, a hypothermic reaction that oc
Benches provide visitors with a comfortable place to rest and observe nature.
A banana spider’s web glistens in the morning sun.
Boardwalks and gravel trails make getting around
in the 4.6-acre preserve an easy task for nature lovers of all ages.
BEL
