The waters off Islamorada, between Conch Reef and Alligator Light offer a variety of diving and snorkeling sites; Shallow mound coral reefs, patches, intermediate ledges, deeper drop offs, and the Eagle Wreck. Each site has something special to offer with its large variety of fish, hard and soft corals, sea fans and range of depths for every preference.  

Shallow Reefs
Hens & Chickens and Cheeca Rocks are good examples of  Mountainous star coral which rises from 15-20 feet depths, to just a few feet from the surface, as well as Brain coral, making these reefs great for snorkeling as well as scuba diving.

Patches
Further out are numerous low profile 20-30' deep "patch reefs" such as The Aquarium, Fishbowl, Arno's, Rocky Top, Smiley, Pick & Choose, Telephone, The Maze, and The Grotto, where relatively unexplored nooks and crannies the Sheet coral, Star coral and  small brain corals offer hiding places to the shy octopus, nurse shark  and moray eels. Again, great for the slightly more advanced snorkelers  and scuba divers of all skill levels. The wreckage of Spanish Galleons is scattered along the inner patches. 

Ledges
Islamorada also has numerous intermediate-depth ledges bounded by sand on one side and a coral outcropping on the other. The Beanpatch, El Paso, Fishnet, Davis Ledge, Pleasure, Margaret's and Alligator Gully are just a few of the incredible sites you can visit on your next scuba or snorkeling vacation in the beautiful Upper Florida Keys.

Drop-offs
On the edge of Islamorada reef areas are the drop-offs. With a spur and groove system of hard coral ridges and sand gullies leading from Shallow (35-45 feet) to deep (65-95 feet). All of the main reefs; Conch, Davis, Crocker, Victory and Alligator and the areas in between, have drop-offs. Some are gradual and some are steep forming mini-walls.        Here scuba divers will encounter large sea turtles, rays and many deep water species as well as huge barrel sponges and sea fans.

Wreck Diving
Wreck divers will enjoy visiting the Eagle, a 268.5 foot long freighter sunk as an artificial reef in 1985. Broken into two sections by Hurricane Georges in 1998, the Eagle lies on her starboard side in 105-115 feet of water and rises to about 70 feet below the surface. Large Jewfish,  Permit, and many types of reef fish live on the Eagle. Diving the Spiegel Grove, is a must!  Located just north of Islamorada is the over 500" long artificial reef. The Grove has made national headlines as a ship that was sunk for divers prematurely and rested on its side. In 2005, Hurricane Dennis flipped upright and it is now a premiere dive site!!!!

Courtesy Islandbase.com

the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

Above is a clickable map of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and adjacent areas. Click on a specific area for more information. (Note: Some areas, especially those in the Upper Keys are not yet active. please continue to visit this site for new updates)

Disclaimer: These data are intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered authoritative for navigational, engineering, legal and other site-specific uses.