In the Florida Keys, divers and snorkelers can choose from a variety of dive locations for scuba diving and snorkeling. We offer wreck diving, night diving, reef diving, beginner diving, advanced diving
The Florida Keys Reef Tract
The Florida Keys Reef Tract is the only living coral barrier reef in North America and is the 3rd largest coral barrier reef in the
world. The first is the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the second is the Meso-American Reef in Belize. The reef extends
approximately 221 miles down the South East coast of Florida and runs parallel to the Florida Keys starting at Key Biscayne
near Miami all the way down to the Dry Tortugas which are 70 miles west of Key West. The reef is found from 1 mile to 8
miles offshore.
Inshore reefs are very shallow with the coral growing along the bottom and the fish hovering over the top. This makes an
excellent place for snorkling. The area surrounding the reef appears to only be sand but it is an important nursery area for a
variety of small fish, crustaceans and even young corals. Because of this, it is illegal to stand up anywhere around or on the
reef. Offshore reefs are high-relief and divers will find themselves cruising down coral canyons surrounded by schools of
multicolored wrasses and parrotfish.
The depth ranges from inshore to offshore. Several of the inshore reefs have sections that stick out of the water at low tide
(these frequently have names ending in "Rocks") and go as deep as approximately 20 feet. Offshore, the depth ranges from
15 down to 60 or 70 feet over the reef. There are several shipwrecks that have been put down as artificial reefs outside the
reef tract. Many of these are right at the limits of recreational scuba diving and most are covered with soft and hard coral
growth, multicolored sponges, and schools of large fish.
Coral Reefs
Coral Reefs are made up of a community of organisms - soft corals and hard corals. Soft corals such as the Sea Fan have a
soft, flexible skeleton of protein similar to what makes up human fingernails or hair. Hard coral such as the Elkhorn coral
form a hard exoskeleton of secreted calcium carbonate or limestone. Since the hard corals have a skeleton that is literally
rock, it is their growth that really forms the structure of the reef. Each coral head is really a colony of thousands of individual
animals called coral polyps, which look something like upside-down jellyfish.
Most hard corals in the Keys grow at a rate of 1/4 - 1/2 inch a year, and it ends up taking about 50 years for a brain coral to
grow to the size of a basketball. Branching corals grow a little faster at a rate of up to 1 1/2 inches a year. But these corals
are much more brittle and prone to damage from storms, ship groundings, or careless divers. Since the soft, jellyfish-like
outer layer is the only living part of any coral head, a diver or snorkeler can easily damage or kill a coral merely by touching it!
This is the reason behind the Sanctuary Preservation Areas, better known as "No Touch, No Take" Zones.
SPA - Sanctuary Preservation Areas
The majority of the reef system off Key Largo was ceded over to the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary in 1975, which was
then incorporated into the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in 1990. Because of this, the reefs that we visit are now
under heavier protection and heavier enforcement of violations. The reefs are showing great benefits from this protection!
Many of the most sensitive, healthiest reefs are now protected as Sanctuary Preservation Areas, a designation that was put in
place July 1st, 1997. Being designated as an SPA makes it illegal to fish, lobster, stand, anchor on the reef, or even touch
anything within the SPA boundaries. This protection has boosted levels of large gamefish on the reefs and greatly stabilized
the overall health of the reef tract.
The Florida Keys Reef Tract is the only living coral barrier reef in North America and is the 3rd largest coral barrier reef in the
world. The first is the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the second is the Meso-American Reef in Belize. The reef extends
approximately 221 miles down the South East coast of Florida and runs parallel to the Florida Keys starting at Key Biscayne
near Miami all the way down to the Dry Tortugas which are 70 miles west of Key West. The reef is found from 1 mile to 8
miles offshore.
Inshore reefs are very shallow with the coral growing along the bottom and the fish hovering over the top. This makes an
excellent place for snorkling. The area surrounding the reef appears to only be sand but it is an important nursery area for a
variety of small fish, crustaceans and even young corals. Because of this, it is illegal to stand up anywhere around or on the
reef. Offshore reefs are high-relief and divers will find themselves cruising down coral canyons surrounded by schools of
multicolored wrasses and parrotfish.
The depth ranges from inshore to offshore. Several of the inshore reefs have sections that stick out of the water at low tide
(these frequently have names ending in "Rocks") and go as deep as approximately 20 feet. Offshore, the depth ranges from
15 down to 60 or 70 feet over the reef. There are several shipwrecks that have been put down as artificial reefs outside the
reef tract. Many of these are right at the limits of recreational scuba diving and most are covered with soft and hard coral
growth, multicolored sponges, and schools of large fish.
Coral Reefs
Coral Reefs are made up of a community of organisms - soft corals and hard corals. Soft corals such as the Sea Fan have a
soft, flexible skeleton of protein similar to what makes up human fingernails or hair. Hard coral such as the Elkhorn coral
form a hard exoskeleton of secreted calcium carbonate or limestone. Since the hard corals have a skeleton that is literally
rock, it is their growth that really forms the structure of the reef. Each coral head is really a colony of thousands of individual
animals called coral polyps, which look something like upside-down jellyfish.
Most hard corals in the Keys grow at a rate of 1/4 - 1/2 inch a year, and it ends up taking about 50 years for a brain coral to
grow to the size of a basketball. Branching corals grow a little faster at a rate of up to 1 1/2 inches a year. But these corals
are much more brittle and prone to damage from storms, ship groundings, or careless divers. Since the soft, jellyfish-like
outer layer is the only living part of any coral head, a diver or snorkeler can easily damage or kill a coral merely by touching it!
This is the reason behind the Sanctuary Preservation Areas, better known as "No Touch, No Take" Zones.
SPA - Sanctuary Preservation Areas
The majority of the reef system off Key Largo was ceded over to the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary in 1975, which was
then incorporated into the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in 1990. Because of this, the reefs that we visit are now
under heavier protection and heavier enforcement of violations. The reefs are showing great benefits from this protection!
Many of the most sensitive, healthiest reefs are now protected as Sanctuary Preservation Areas, a designation that was put in
place July 1st, 1997. Being designated as an SPA makes it illegal to fish, lobster, stand, anchor on the reef, or even touch
anything within the SPA boundaries. This protection has boosted levels of large gamefish on the reefs and greatly stabilized
the overall health of the reef tract.
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