Key West, FL Diving

Diving - East, West and Deep - The east section of this key has a depth range of 10-35ft. The west section of this site has a depth range of surface – 35ft. The deep section of the key has a depth range of 40-80ft. This area is easy to navigate as the ridges and channels are still present. Use caution as strong currents are common at this reef location. Due to the fact that this is a Sanctuary Preservation Area, this means no fishing or lobstering in this area. Since lobstering is not allowed in this area you will see an abundant amount of spiny lobsters. In the deeper parts of this site you may be lucky and catch a glimpse of a reef shark, Goliath Grouper, and spotted eagle rays. More common sights would be barracuda, jacks, yellow-headed jawfish, parrot fish, surgeon fish, loggerhead turtles and many more.

 Eastern Dry Rocks is located at N 24 27.500 W 081 50.440, and is a great site whether you're an advanced diver or a novice. If you don't dive at all, you can still have plenty of fun snorkeling in this spot, so it's a very accessible choice. The water is typically quite clear and depths range from 5 ft to 35 ft.

 Western Sambo has one of the last remaining stands of living elkhorn coral in the Lower Keys, a species once abundant throughout the Keys. Anemones, crabs, starfish, sea cucumbers, sand dollars, and sea urchins are found nearshore. 

 The Middle Sambo Reef lies between the Eastern and Western Reef. The reefs are visibly separated by sandy swaths of ocean floor. The Middle reef averages between 30 to 40 feet deep. It has a clearly defined coral reef and is home to lobster, tarpon, and snook. The Sambo Reefs offer wonderful diving opportunities for divers from all skill levels. 

 This small rubble area six miles southeast of Boca Chica was an important nesting site for birds until recent hurricanes washed away most of the island.

A no-access buffer zone out to 50 meters from shore is in effect between April 1 and August 31 and the shoal area is closed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

  At the lighthouse, the water is the shallowest at 4 feet in depth. Further out, it drops to a depth of 94 feet making this also good for reef diving. This diversity in depth is one of the reasons why diving parties pick this site. It's the perfect combination for groups that include advanced divers, novices, and snorkelers. 

Located just seven miles southeast of Key West, Joe’s Tug, despite its somewhat misleading name, is actually an old 75-foot steel hulled shrimp boat that sank at the pier in Safe Harbor in 1986. It was then brought back on land to be turned into an artificial reef. Joe’s Tug was first intended to be shipped off to Miami, but local legend has it that a group of pirates commandeered the boat in Key West harbor and it sank during their surreptitious getaway.

 It remains in 65 feet of water, surrounded by massive star coral formations and leather barrel sponges. The bow and stern are separated by approximately 30 feet, while the hull and aft deck are fully accessible by divers.

MV Adolphus Busch was a cargo ship that was sunk off of Looe Key, Florida, as an artificial reef and dive site.

The ship was built as London by the Burntisland Shipbuilding Company, Fife, Scotland, for the Dundee, Perth & London Shipping Co Ltd, Dundee (Yard # 336). She was launched on 20 December 1950. She sailed under a number of names during her career before she was wrecked at Port-au-Prince on 24 September 1998 under the name Ocean Alley.   

The wreck was bought by August Adolphus Busch IV and named after his great-grandfather, Adolphus Busch. He had the ship stripped out and arranged for its sinking as an artificial reef to help preserve marine habitat. The ship was sunk on 5 December 1998.