Additional Key Largo Reef Reports coming Soon.
To give you a better idea
of what the diving is like in the Florida Keys, we have the
following reports from local divers. Below you will
see descriptions of Turtle Rocks, North Carysfort Reef and Carysfort Lighthouse Reef.
Submitted by Larry
Gates Scuba Instructor/ Underwater Photographer, Key
Largo
Key Largo: TURTLE
ROCKS - Turtle Rocks is a fair sized patch reef lying on the
very northern edge of the Key Largo National Marine
Sanctuary. The patches of coral are literally walled with
mounding Star Coral formations and surrounded by clean
nearly white fine sand. It is located off-shore from the
Ocean Reef area of Key Largo. It is a 25 foot deep Scuba
dive to the sand and the tops of the reef rest in 10 feet of
water. There are typically two mooring balls marking the
northern and southern end of this reef for public use.
This reef sees few divers due
to its location. I have seen, Eagle Rays , plenty of Nurse
Sharks, and an occasional ' gray' colored shark on my dives
there. Also the coral is about as pristine as it gets here
in the Key Largo area. Visibility is no better or worse on
any given day than any of our other dive sites. Given its
distant proximity to most of the Key Largo Dive Charter
Services, this is a site to request if you are bringing a
large group of divers or enough divers to charter the whole
boat and do a three tank dive during the day. Add to your
choices, North Carysfort Reef and Carysfort Reef ( the
tower). It is not a large site, but, will host a group of 20
or so divers quite nicely without leaving one with the
impression they are diving with other divers in an aquarium.
Submitted by Larry
Gates Scuba Instructor/ Underwater Photographer, Key
Largo
NORTH
CARYSFORT REEF. This reef is also called the Fish
Farm. Like Turtle Rocks, it is located on the upper
end of the Key Largo Nat'l Marine Sanctuary. It has
two mooring balls on either end and sits in approximately 20
feet of water. Its coral is low lying in profile.
There are two plateaus of reef running perpendicular to the
shore line pointing at Ocean Reef and are separated by a
sand channel.
It is adeptly named:
The Fish Farm as it is indeed one of the 'fishiest' sites in
the Sanctuary. Large schools of decorative reef fish
inhabit this shallow reef rather than just a few of each
species. Around every bend you will view clouds of
fish!! You will typically see a southern stingray and
a nurse shark on this site as well as a couple species of
eels. Given its proximity to the majority of dive
operators in Key Largo, this site is not visited
often. Visibility is no better or worse than other
sites on any given day. It is small enough where you
can conduct your dive between the two mooring balls on the
reef, which are approximately 100 yards apart. This
gives a diver a chance to visit both plateaus. If you
like tropical fish, this is a place for you!
Submitted by Larry
Gates Scuba Instructor/ Underwater Photographer, Key
Largo
CARYSFORT
LIGHTHOUSE/ CARYSFORT REEF: This is a popular reef
familiar to many divers who dive the Key Largo National
Marine Sanctuary. It is identified by the oldest light
house on our reef line, Carysfort Lighthouse. It was
built and used to be manned, before the civil war, and
designed by George Meade, who later became a famous civil
war union army general. It is still a functional,
though solar powered light house, rather than a manned
platform. Carysfort Reef is simply an awesome
dive! It has 8 mooring balls in a line on its outside,
and, 4 or more on the inside, used by snorkelers. At
low tide parts of it stick a bit above water, and, there is
a drop off that ends in 70 feet of water. Like many of
our reefs it got its name from a vessel that floundered on
it. In this case an Englishman: The HMS
Carysford. Later, the name was changed by Americans to
Carysfort.
This reef has all the species
of coral on it contained on all our other sites put together
and it is for the most part quite healthy and robust.
Visibility is normal for the Key Largo area. The
mooring balls are pinned in 25 to 35 feet of water, though
one of them is just a few fin kicks from the 'wall' dropping
to 70 feet. Everything is here: Eagle Rays,
Green Morays, and Lemon Sharks like this place too. If
you look close into or at the coral you will discover parts
of coral encrusted wrecks yet unidentified. This is
also a Sanctuary Preservation Area and as such is a
take-only-memories , leave only bubbles, dive. No
spearfishing or lobstering, or collecting. Many
lobsters on this reef, and other crustaceans and
invertebrates . Lots of small critters, and makes for a
great night dive!!
This reef, like Turtle Rocks
and The Fish Farm ( North Carysfort Reef, on the charts) is
quite a 'hike' for the majority of Key Largo dive charter
companies, so advanced planning is necessary. Like
most of the reefs in the Keys, it is easily handled with an
open water diver certification skill level.
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