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Key Largo is a great
place to visit on vacation, as the island has its fair share
of colorful and interesting people. Captain Slate, the owner
of Atlantis Dive Center, is one of those people. He has long
earned the title of native to Key Largo, since he moved to
the island in 1978 and established a world renowned business.
Captain Slate loves the ocean and is very environmentally
conscious; he is always coming up with new, interesting ideas
to promote his business and share the place he lives with
those who visit.
Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, Captain Slate was a
dive master andhigh school teacher there. He always brought
his students to Key Largo to dive, and would dream of owning
a dive business. Since he was a business teacher--teaching
retail sales, marketing, and accounting--he used his knowledge
and applied for a business loan. After receiving his loan,
he sold all his belonging in Jacksonville and headed south
for Key Largo. He took the leap of faith that most people
only dream of and started his dive business, Atlantis Dive
Center. Since then, his business has grown from one boat to
three 41' all fiberglass, diesel powered boats and one glass
bottom boat. Atlantis Dive Center is also a YMCA Scuba Instructor
Training College, licensed by the state of Florida Post Secondary
schools. The dive center has expanded to include a large retail
center, selling dive equipment and clothing. Even Captain
Slate is amazed by how far he has come: " I started from nothing
and now look at this." His accomplishment is impressive!
Captain Slate is concerned
about environmental issues in the Keys. He says, " because
of the massive growth of people in South Florida, we are always
looking to make sure the water quality stays the same now
and for the future." The Keys have seen their fair share of
environmental challenges, from ship grounding and water pollution
to over fishing. Captain Slate tries to stay positive by keeping
active and is involved in programs like the artificial reef
program and the Spiegel Grove ship. Of the Speigel Grove ship
he says, "This ship is being towed from Hampton Roads, VA,
around the tip of Florida, to Brownsville, TX. There, she
will be cleaned and stripped of all toxic material in preparation
for sinking." The ship is schedule for sinking Fall of 1999.
The artificial reef program has been a success in the Keys
and many areas of the Florida coast line. If you are interested
in tracking the status of the Speigel Grove ship, please check
out Captain Slates website: Captain
Slate's Atlantis Dive Center
Aside from being a local personality, Captain Slate is famous
around the world for this picture of him. (Picture Insert)
He says, "a friend sent me a postcard from Cozumel Mexico,
and it was this picture with the caption "Dive Mexico," and
it's Key Largo and me!" If you dive with Captain Slate on
Fridays at 8:30am, he does a dive called "the Creature Feature,"
where he pets Moray Eels, feeds Barracuda with his teeth and
other wild stuff. While I was interviewing Captain Slate,
he pulled a mask off the wall and showed it to me. It had
two large holes in the side of the mask. He said, "that mask
got in the way of the Barracuda and saved my face. Those holes
could have been my face!" He is a wild and brave guy. Captain
Slate's market savvy doesn't stop there, he also holds the
world's record for underwater weddings, having married 65
couples. He is always looking for innovative ways to keep
his business in the spot light.
If you're in the Florida
Keys and want to meet an fascinating guy, stop by and say
hi to Captain Spencer Slate.
Thank you, Captain, for your interview
with Tropical Adventure Magazine. |
