DIVING ISLAMORADA

Offshore Islamorada offers dozens of beautiful and easily accessible scuba diving sites, ranging from deep wrecks to shallow reefs, suitable for those at all levels of diving experience. Licensed divers are required to show their registration in order to make a dive or rent equipment, and both PADI and NAUI certifications are accepted throughout the Florida Keys. Snorkelers will enjoy the grasses directly off the white sand beaches of Islamorada, where they’ll find conchs, rays, and myriad species of small tropical fish.

Islamorada’s many charter boat companies are happy to accommodate any level of diver, and some will train the inexperienced. Otherwise, snorkeling and hookah (Jules Verne-style diving, with your regulator attached to an air pump on deck via a long hose) excursions are also available.

Alligator Reef, named for the pirate-hunting ship the U.S.S. Alligator, hosts a brilliant array of coral, fish, and crab life. The Navy scuttled the damaged warship in 1825, and she now rests about 3.5 nautical miles southeast of Upper Matecumbe Key and in 8 to 45 feet of water. Today, large schools of grouper and barracuda circle her waters, inviting divers in the beginning to intermediate ranges of their diving experience.

Conch Reef and nearby Little Conch Reef are known for their displays of fan coral. Conch Wall, an area at Conch Reef that drops steeply from about 55 to 100 feet, hosts barrel sponges and a variety of tropical fish. Intermediate to advanced divers are the best candidates to swim the currents and the depths, from fairly shallow to 100 feet, at Conch Reef, though Little Conch is more beginner-friendly. El Infante, a Spanish Galleon, sank in a 1733 hurricane about 75 yards to the southwest of Little Conch Reef, which spans depths of 20 – 35 feet. El Capitan, another galleon, rests nearby, as does the San Pedro, now an archaeological preserve located 1.4 miles southwest of Indian Key in 18 feet of water.

Crocker Reef, south of Davis Reef off Windley Key and near the San Pedro, is home to many sponges, sea turtles, and sharks. The main formations are around 35 – 40 feet deep, with a slight wall dropping to nearly 95 feet for about 450 lateral feet. Larger fish and black coral live along Crocker Wall.

Davis Reef, slightly south of Little Conch Reef, is a favorite of underwater photographers due to the dense clouds of tropical fish that float through the area. Look for the Buddha statue at the reef’s southern end. Lobsters and eels abound, and the reef is great for both snorkelers and divers.

A mile offshore Plantation Key (the island directly north of Islamorada), Hens and Chickens Reef boasts large colonies of star coral and the “coral graveyard,” spurs and grooves of coral that died after a cold winter in 1970. Brick Barge and a World War II casualty rest below the formations, through which grunt, grouper, and sheepshead swim. Only 20 to 35 feet below the sea’s surface, Hens and Chickens is ideal for novice divers and snorkelers alike, and features interesting caves.

The Eagle is a popular intermediate to advanced dive. It’s an artificial reef grown atop the Aaron K, a 287-foot freighter that was scuttled in 1985 by Monroe County and the Eagle Tire Company. She rests between 65 and 120 feet below the surface. The Eagle was named one of the world’s ten best wreck dives in the November 2004 issue of Scuba Diving magazine.

Duane Reef is another deeper dive for those who’d like to explore this Coast Guard Cutter, sunk in 1987. The ship rests at between 60 and 100 feet of water.

Wherever you choose to drop into the water, Islamorada has the trained instructors, captains, and guides to give you the best scuba diving experience possible. Once you’ve enjoyed diving in the crisp, clear water of the Florida Keys, nothing else compares.

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