LOCAL RECOMMENDATION
“Amazing,” “breathtaking” and
“impressive” are words we often hear from
first-time visitors. What they refer to is the school of more than 100 tarpon that go to Robbie’s daily and linger for hours.
Occasionally, a tarpon actually rises up
from the water in a powerful flash of silver and green to meet the fish as it leaves your hand. It’s a sight to
behold!
Robbie and his wife Mona started feeding Scarface in 1976.
Scarface appeared floundering in the shallow waters near the dock; Robbie saw
the struggling tarpon and, thinking it had swum too shallow and gotten stuck on
the bank, went out into the water to free it. He lifted the fish and saw that
the right side of its jaw was torn open. Hoping to revive the tarpon, Robbie
placed it in the oxygen-rich shrimp tank and called old Doc Roach. The doctor
showed up with his wife’s mattress needles and some twine, and Scarface became
the first known tarpon with stitches. After several days of force-feeding,
Scarface showed good recovery and weight gain; six months later he was released
into the waters off the dock. Afterwards, Scarface continued to frequent the
docks; sometimes bringing a friend. Soon more and more of the fish began to
appear. Today, the tradition continues, with visitors from all across the world
coming to marvel at the spectacle and offer these magnificent creatures a
snack.
