Key Largo is known as the “Dive Capital” of America. The islands are home to the only coral reef in the united States that has been established as a National Marine Sanctuary. There’s an abundance of dive sites including many ancient ship wrecks. There are many shallow dive sites in warm crystal clear waters only 4 to 6 feet deep, Dry Rocks, the Elbow, French reef, Hens and Chickens, Molasses reef and the Christ Statue are great options for novice divers.
More experienced divers will revel in the wonders of deep water shipwrecks like the Duane, Bibb, Speigel Grove, Benwood and the Eagle.
Life is abundant among the reef, divers can expect to see yellow-tail snapper, many species of grouper, colorful parrot fish, awe-inspiring angel fish, grunt, file fish, hog fish, lobsters, shrimp, moray eels, stingray, spotted eagle rays and friendly sharks.
At twilight the reefs really as come alive, as nocturnal species like octopus and electric eels come out of hiding and bio-luminescent microscopic organisms light up the waters.
There are many dive operators in the keys…and they are the best in the business.All keys dive operators are strictly regulated, have state-of-the art boats, and employ US Coast Guard certified captains and PADI or DAN certified master dive instructors.
It’s generally just a short boat ride from the dock to the various dive spots, and keys captains know where they are going, and when conditions warrant, when not to go.
If you are a certified diver, and plan to dive on your next vacation to the keys, check out our dive operators directory, visit their websites and book your dive in advance. When you arrive in town, stop by the shop in advance of your planned dive. Meet the staff, let them observe and test our equipment and update you on current weather conditions.
When you get to your hotel or resort, turn on the TV and look for the NOAA weather station that broadcasts up-to-the-minute information on the weather, sea conditions, tides and sunrise and sunset times. Also tune in to the Florida Keys radio station SUN 103, for awesome music and constant updates on the diving and fishing conditions of the day.
Keys Dive Locations
[one_half padding=”0 50px 0 20px”]
Dry Rocks, North Dry Rocks and The Horseshoe
Dry Rocks, North Dry Rocks and the Horseshoe are all in very shallow waters, only 15 -20 feet deep. These areas are less populated than other near-by dive spots and known for their brilliantly colored corals, dive thru spots and caves. These locations are great for taking underwater photography. This is also an excellent place to go, if you have both divers and snorkelers onboard.
Grecian Rocks & The Christ Statue
This is the most popular dive destination in Key Largo, and great for novice divers.
It contains the underwater statue called The Christ of the Abyss that is located in waters only 24 feet deep and surrounded by a patch reef on a white sandy bottom. The area is known for it’s very large brain corals and sea rods and whips.
The Elbow
The Elbow is a slightly deeper reef, 30 – 45 feet deep, known for it’s magnificent large coral heads and many shipwrecks that include the City of Washington, Mike’s, Tonnawonda and Train Car wreck. There are lots of large animals including Goliath Groupers, Barracuda, Sharks and Green Moray eels. This site has long been popularized by Captain Slate of ———- Dive Center, as he coaxes the large green morays out of hiding for divers to photograph.
The Spiegel Grove
The Spiegel is US Navy ship 510 feet in length that was purposefully sunk to create an artificial reef. Her sinking effort was botched and she sunk on her starboard side in deep waters, but thanks to Hurricane Dennis in 2005, the ship was miraculously rolled upright and pushed into shallower water. The depth to the top of the ship is 70 feet, the best views of the ship are between 70 and 90 feet deep. This is considered an advance dive.
The Benwood
This is a great shipwreck dive for novice divers. The wreck lies in 25 – 45 feet of water. The ship sank in WWII after running into another ship. She was salvaged and used as target practice by the Air Force. It has since been dynamited after becoming a navigation hazard. The wreck attracts large schools of fish and Goliath Groupers.
French Reef
This is another shallow reef, in waters 15 – 40 feet deep. This area is known for it’s many swim throughs. It’s an excellent place to go if you have both divers and snorkelers onboard. It’s also home to very large Spotted Eagle Rays and Hammerhead and Black Tip sharks.
[/one_half]
[one_half_last padding=”0 50px 0 50px”]
The Bibb and The Duane
These two shipwrecks are located near each other in deeper waters, over 100 feet, with strong currents and are considered advanced dives.
Pickles Reef
This is the site of a civil war era wreck. It is known for its many dry cement barrels that were being shipped on a barge. They looked to divers like pickle barrels which gave rise to the name. The waters here are very shallow from 6 – 30 feet, and very clear which makes this an excellent spot for underwater photography. Yet another excellent place to go, if you have both divers and snorkelers onboard.
Snapper Ledge
This is a very popular novice dive site, in shallow waters, 20 – 25 feet deep. It is known for its abundance of yellowtail snapper. The schools of fish here are typically very thick and you can also expect to see Hogfish, Sea urchins,
Conch Reef and Wall
This site may be the only true wall diving location in the keys. The top of the wall is in about 50 feet of water and it slopes down to over 100 feet. It is a great place to see rays and larger reef sharks.
Hens & Chickens
Hen & Chickens is a group of patch reefs whose coral formations from the air appear to radiate outwards from the center like a mother hen surrounded by chickens, hence the name. This reef is in shallow waters with lots of brain and star coral mounds and sea fans so abundant, it’s like a forest of purple trees.
The Adolphus Wreck
The Adolphus Busch was intentionally sunk in 1998 to create an artificial reef system. She is 110 feet long and sits intact and upright in 100-feet of water.
Sombrero Reef
The Sombrero Reef extends from the base of the Sombrero Key Lighthouse. This protected reef is the most popular dive site in the middle keys. The shallow depths allow divers of all skills to enjoy this dive spot.
Yellow Rocks
Yellow Rocks, about three and a half miles off Key Colony Beach, is a set of ledges running east and west for more than 200 yards, rising about twelve feet from the bottom. The ledges are a great place to find lobsters.
Delta Shoals
Delta Shoals is a network of coral canyons jutting seaward from a sandy shoal. This is an excellent place to go if you have both divers and snorkelers onboard.
The Thunderbolt Wreck
This 188-foot military ship is the jewel of the Marathon wreck fleet. Sunk intentionally as a dive attraction in March 1986, she now sits perfectly upright in 115 feet of water offering 45 feet of relief.
Have fun, and post, tag, tweet your vacation photos and experiences to Florida Keys Vacation Guides.
[/one_half_last]
