[johnmaloney]

in my area at least, freshwater releases by the ACOE wiped out large swaths of near shore reef. I dove a day before the release, one of the best dives I had, reef was packed with life, then the water turned brown for a week, salt foam was rolling up the beaches, nasty for what we have down here. After it cleared up a bit, (still was murky, but what I consider swimmable for another 10 days or so), all life on the reef gone. Really, not even "the dock turf" (boaters know what I am talking about), that was on the exposed rocks survived and that stuff is bullet proof. On a more positive note, I was recently diving in the Florida Bay and it was amazing. 100s of acres of reef type outcroppings in the middle of a giant and thick seagrass bed. Huge sponges, anemones, corals everywhere, if you get a chance to check out the Keys, you should go.