Meet Mike, one I.CARE’s co-founders! Mike is originally from Northern Illinois and earned his masters in marketing before heading down to The Keys. He now owns Key Dives, one of Islamorada’s local dive shops.
Mike is specifically interested in fragmenting corals and raising them to become beautiful, healthy reefs. He has been diving for decades and has seen the steady decline of the reefs in Islamorada and realized that he is in a position to help out. This led him to change the business model at Key Dives to center around ocean conservation and activism. After he connected with Dr. Kylie Smith, together they formed I.CARE to put this conservation work in the hands of the public!
When asked what his favorite coral was, Mike said: “I have many favorites. I can stare at brain coral for hours. Pillar coral colonies are beautiful to watch because their polyps are out during the day and flow in the current like the tall grass in the midwestern plain states. Sadly, these are all but gone in the Keys. Massive mounds of finger coral are a marvel to see, some 30 plus yards wide and 10 feet high. However, my favorite experiences are with elkhorn coral. They used to be so large, 10 to 15 feet across with fields of them covering 100s of yards”.
In addition to diving Mike is an avid rock climber. He truly enjoys hanging off the side of a mountain by his fingers tethered by my rope. His tallest climb to date was 1,200 feet – an incredible rush!
