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Key West Diving
Key West diving offers excellent opportunities, but you need
to go several miles off shore to get to them. Unfortunately, pollution has left
many of the Key West shores with poor visibility for snorkeling and diving. But
fortunately, there are many Key West diving and snorkeling charters offered to visitors who come for
Key West diving, so you can easily see the many large and pristine reefs that Key West
has to offer.
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| Key West Diving |
Snorkeling is possible on the south side of Key West, at the Key West Marine
Park. This park is operated by the City of Key West and the Reef Relief, a non-profit
group.
The most popular place for both divers and snorkelers in the area is the Sand
Key. The Sand Key is actually an islet, and features a large iron lighthouse.
It offers over ten miles of coral, with many varieties of coral and sea life.
The coral reefs vary in depths from 15 feet to 70 feet, making it an ideal place
for snorkelers and scuba divers alike, and offers an ideal situation for groups
of divers and snorkelers together. The ocean side of the Key offers coral swim
throughs. An excellent spot for Key West diving, especially on the deeper ocean side.
A classic tugboat known as Joe’s Tug is also located off Key West. It
is located in only 68 feet of water, and sits completely upright, making the 65
foot tug ideal for exploring scuba divers. The 1999 Hurricane Georges damaged
the tug significantly, and it is now mostly open.
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| Key West Snorkeling |
In 1985, the Cayman Salvage Master was sunk as an artificial reef. Also commonly
known as the Cayman Salvor and the Cayman Salvagor, this 187 foot steel hulled
vessel was built in 1936. It was most famous for arriving in Key West with over
one thousand Cuban refugees before being impounded by the US Navy. It originally
settled on its side, but Hurricane Kate resulted in the vessel re-settling upright.
The wreck now commonly known as Alexander’s Wreck is actually the USS
Amesbury, as US Navy destroyer escort ship. It was originally sunk to be used
for bombing practice by the US Navy. The Alexander is broken into two separate
sections, and is located on the Gulf side of Key West, the ship lies in on its
side in 25 feet of water. The bow section of the wreck actually reaches the ocean
surface.
There are many other reefs for the Key West diving area of the Florida Keys.
Kedge Ledge features old artillery shells at depths of 30 to 45 feet. Rock Key
is known to UFO buffs as a UFO landing site, marked by an unusual and large disk
shaped object on the east side at a depth of 15 feet. And Western Dry Rocks is
known for its phenomenal underwater photography opportunities.
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