An Underwater Tour of the Long Island Sound

To many people Long Island Sound is simply the body of water that extends beyond the beach along the Connecticut and New York shorelines. The view from the beach, or from the bridges that cross the many small embayments along the coast, is one of a watery surface ranging from placid calmness to roiling white caps. Sailors in all form of watercraft venture out and crisscross the surface of the Sound for recreation or commerce and fishermen ply the waters with hook and line, trawl nets, or dredges to reap a harvest from the turbid water below.

However, for those few who actually venture below the water surface, images of the Sound take on a different perspective of watching underwater wildlife making their living in a broad range of aquatic seascapes. In this realm we can see tautog swimming through boulder reefs and flounders skimming along the surface of sandy plains, American lobster wait in burrows for night and then emerge to search for crabs and coral polyps probe the overlying water for plankton. These perspectives belong to the few of us with the privilege to venture beyond the shore and beneath the waves.

This web site is designed to share this view with others, to show a glimpse of the other side of the shore. Here you can take a tour through the broad types of habitats of Long Island Sound and see a diversity of animals that live in them. Click on the links in the map below to start your tour of seagrass meadows, boulder and gravel reefs, sand, mud, and midwater habitats. No diving experience is required.