John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Underwater state park in Key Largo, United States.
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is an underwater protected area in the Atlantic Ocean off Key Largo in the Florida Keys, stretching across several square miles. The grounds include coral reefs, mangrove forests and tropical vegetation on land, along with wide marine zones featuring seagrass meadows.
The area was established in 1963 as the first underwater state park in the United States to protect the coral reefs from further destruction. In 1972, the site received National Register of Historic Places status for its role in marine conservation.
The park is named after John Pennekamp, editor of the Miami Herald, who led the campaign to protect the reefs from souvenir hunters who chiseled and dynamited coral. The Christ of the Abyss, a bronze statue by Guido Galletti donated by Egidio Cressi in 1961, was placed in 1965 and faces its twin near Genoa.
Anyone wanting to snorkel or dive should arrive early in the morning, when the water is clearest and boats are not yet crowded. The trails through the mangroves suit beginners in kayaks as well, since the water usually stays calm.
The Christ of the Abyss is a 2.6-metre bronze cast by Guido Galletti, donated by Italian diving entrepreneur Egidio Cressi in 1961 and placed at Key Largo Dry Rocks in 1965. It is a third casting of the original in the Mediterranean near Genoa, and the two statues face each other across the Atlantic.
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