Stargazer Reef is not a reef – it’s an underwater sculpture that looks like a series of metal saw horses.  A thin layer of coral has grown to cover the table tops and legs, so there is a small neighborhood of fish living there.  You can always bet on finding mangrove snappers, angel fish, and [...]

Eastern Dry Rocks is loved by everyone, from snorkelers to riders on the Glass Bottom Boat.  This is practically the only remaining spot in Key West where you can see Elkhorn Coral.  Parrot fish are everywhere on Eastern Dry Rocks, and at times you can see schools of tarpon here.  It’s truly a beautiful Key [...]

Rock Key is a Key West snorkeling spot on the main reef, and popular with the boats that go out every day.  The rocks jut right out of the water at this location, and on windier days they break the waves and make snorkeling more pleasant.  Rock Key is right next to Sand Key, which [...]

Sand Key Lighthouse is the most popular Key West snorkeling spot, by far.  And no wonder: the reef comes up to withing a foot of the surface, making the coral, fish, and everything else incredibly vibrant and easy to explore.  Snorkeling Sand Key is extremely easy and fun, so everyone can get a taste of [...]

This is a Queen Conch, shell plus conch inside. The underside is beautiful pink fading to cream colored glossy lining while the outside is sand-colored and blends in with the bottom of the ocean floor. It isn’t nice to take the shell plus conch out of the ocean, but I had to get [...]

While doing some Key West Snorkeling this week, we found three very old anchors just sitting in the sand west of the nine foot stake.  They were almost due south from Casa Marina, east of the shipping channel.
That’s a Gag grouper there under that rock.  You don’t see them every day in Key West.  [...]

Sometimes you want to explore new areas for snorkeling and taking pictures.  Sand Key is SO popular.  This area is just west of Sand Key.  All kinds of diverse marine life here.  There’s a picture of a starlet coral. Maybe it’s a star coral, I can’t tell.  Also check out the pillar coral, fronted by [...]

The Gulf side of Key West has its own charm.

This is a Butterfly Fish.  You see them all over the reef and other snorkeling spots around Key West.  Today we had a short run to clear vis in the back country. This area north of Key West revealed some beautiful coral heads. The Back Country is the Gulf side of Key West, usually very [...]