Key West Snorkeling » Fish

Clear Water on the Reef

kat — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:00:14 +0000

Beautiful clear water today southwest of Key West. What a joy to be able to see so far. There had to be eighty feet of vis. Curiously, not many big fish around, just small reef fish like these. The one with the dot is a butterfly fish.

Old Anchors

kat — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:12:18 +0000

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. They look kind of like snappers from the surface. There’s also a picture of a hogfish.

Cottrell Key on the Gulf Side

kat — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:26:33 +0000

The Gulf side of Key West has its own charm.

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Backcountry Snorkeling in Key West

kat — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:03:46 +0000

Recently the vis on the Gulf side has been super clear, so we tried some backcountry snorkeling. Usually, if you go north out of Key West the water is murkier and greener than on the Atlantic side. For just a few days, however, it cleared up and we got to see what’s in the water out there. Turns out there are some nice coral patches that look very healthy. Take a look.

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Vandenberg Day

kat — Thu, 28 May 2009 15:36:26 +0000

Well, after the Vandenberg was sunk, we headed west, just past Sand Key. The vis was 60 foot, at least, and we had a sweet spot for viewing all sorts of fish that showed up. Most interesting was a big Remora. Lots of speedos showed up, and they are great to watch because they travel in large schools and move fast. The picture doesn’t capture that totally, so you’ll just have to go snorkeling yourself to see them!

Green Water Day

kat — Sun, 24 May 2009 11:58:41 +0000

The vis was kinda green, but you could still see things in the water, even from the surface. It was just a little tinted, that’s all. Saw some beautiful coral types I hadn’t seen before, pictured here. Went in shallow enough water towards the end of the day, 20 feet, so one could sit on the bottom for a second and let the fish come closer. If only I could hold my breath longer! The water is for sure SO much warmer, even from last week. It almost feels like I could go from a 3mm to a 1mm wetsuit already. These pictures were taken mostly at Eastern Dry Rocks area. The frigates swooped down close by, snatching up snacks that were near the boat. The barracuda was lurking near us, waiting for snacks, too. You can see what the vis was in his picture, which was taken near the surface in about 25 feet of water. Not too bad.

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More Key West Snorkeling Pics

kat — Tue, 12 May 2009 16:38:23 +0000

Here are some more Key West snorkeling pics. These were taken directly south of Key West, east of Sand Key but not as far east as the Sambos. More specifically, it’s just west of the Nine Foot Stake. The vis was pretty good, as you can see, and the water has really warmed up. I have downgraded my wetsuit from the michelin-man 5mm to a 3mm. Some folks can now go with just a rash guard. But 3mm is for sure enough now that the water is so much warmer. We saw a nice brain coral, nice and healthy. Nurse sharks are common but pose no danger at all for those who want to go Key West snorkeling. They have sandpaper-like teeth and are not aggressive towards people. See how close I was able to get to this one nurse shark, and he didn’t care at all about me.

The picture of the fish under a rock is a mystery fish, which occasionally happens during Key West snorkeling trips. There are so many species out there on the reef it’s hard to id them all.

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Star Gazer Reef

kat — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:47:35 +0000

Lots of places have public sculpture, and many tropical islands have coral reef near their shores. But Key West has both. Star Gazer Reef is a huge network of steel sculpture installed in the sand near the main reef. It’s been there long enough now that coral heads have grown on the table-like structure. There are now resident fish under the “roof” of Star Gazer, and most recently a Goliath Grouper (Jewfish).

Star Gazer Reef is lots of fun to dive or snorkel. The dark lines of the steel legs stand out against the white sand making for nice pictures. It also makes it easy to find the Jewfish. Look for a pair of huge Angel Fish, too. They are platter-sized!

Star Gazer reef is located near the main reef, six miles southwest of Key West, near Sand Key. There’s a mouring buoy there for easy access. It’s definitely worth a visit, for its uniqueness and almost guaranteed sighting of a Goliath Grouper.

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Pillar Coral

kat — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:21:27 +0000

Pillar Coral

This is a Pillar Coral colony. Below are basic fish types you’re bound to see while snorkeling on patch reefs of Key West. You have your grunts, your hogfish, you Goliath Grouper, aka Jewfish, and an Angel Fish.