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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
Touch
on the "Reef Name" you want to know more about below |
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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.
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