Dive Sites |
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Starting at the northern end of our dive site range our first visit is in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Established in 1960, Pennekamp Park was the first underwater park in the United States, dedicated to the conservation and preservation of the only living coral reef in the United States. Within Pennekamp Park we will find Molasses Reef, one of the most populated reefs in the world. This is a protected or no-take zone and that means lots of marine life! |
USS Spiegel Grove (LSD-32): The Spiegel Grove one of the largest artificial reef in Florida. The 510' ft long and 84' ft wide Landing Ship Dock is an excellent multi-level dive for advanced divers. The ship rest approx. 5 miles off the coast near Dixie Shoals in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Come and dive the Grove! |
Molasses Reef: This is truly one of the most incredible and popular dive sites possibly in the world. Molasses is a classic spur and groove system which bears the name of an old shipwreck. This reef is home to turtles and rays and literally teems with marine life, including schools of midnight parrot fish, spade fish and yellowtail. There are 28 mooring buoys within the Molasses Reef system which translates into quite a few dives before Molasses can adequately be explored. The coral is high profile rising 10 - 15' from the sandy bottom -- a good dive for certified divers and their snorkeling spouses. The wall at Molasses is deep and well suited to drift diving when the current is running.
As we move further south (and out a little) we come to the incredible wrecks of the USCG Cutter Duane and Bibb The Duane is a 327 ft. Coast Guard Cutter sunk in 1987 as an artificial reef. It was voted the most popular wreck dive in the United States by divers sending in their votes to Rodale's Scuba Diving. This is an advanced dive due to the moderate to heavy current flow and its depth of 103' to the main deck. The Duane is quite wonderful and eerie at the same time as one descends the mooring line to the deck. She sits upright in about 125 ft. of water with the crow's nest looming at about 60 ft. with the ever vigilant barracuda hanging about. Just about any variety of fish life can be seen due to its proximity to the open sea. Once an awesome Whale Shark (herbivorous and large -- 100 ft plus) came to visit and sat patiently while our divers watched all agog. A rare but very wonderful sight in these waters. The USCG Bibb is a sister ship to the Duane, however it lays on its side in deeper water. This dive requires computers and is for advanced divers with recent deep dives to their credit.
Moving back inshore to the reef line we come to Pickles Reef. A shallow reef, Pickles (actually Piquant if history serves) is a comfortable dive for the newly certified diver or the diver who dives only a few times a year and prefers to stay shallow the first few days. Pickles is truly a myriad of everything the coral reef can offer from purple sea fans to huge coral heads and to the rare pillar coral. Other marine life include angelfish, wrass, the often-elusive lobster (in season from August 6 to March 31) and many other little schools of fish on which to feast your eyes. This is a fantastic place for macro photography. Moving down the reef line we arrive at Conch Reef. When you think you have seen all the coral there is to see, come to Conch. It has a proliferation of barrel sponges rarely seen on other reef systems. Conch Ledge begins about 50 ft. and has a gentle drop off to about 100 ft. -- making it an excellent dive for both the newly certified and the experienced diver. It is one of the most requested dive sites and seems to always be enjoyable to our dive masters and instructors, especially as seen through the eyes of one of their guided dives or students. Keep in mind that, as with all the coral reef in the Florida Keys, Conch teems with an abundance of marine life unlike other reef dives outside of the USA. Also not to be missed are the shallow dive sites near Conch Reef. As we continue our tour down the reef line, we come to Davis Reef, one of the most famous reefs in the world for years with those friendly green moray eels and the famous Buddha. The place for shallow night dives.
Back out to the reef line, we find Crocker Ridges and Crocker Valley. The area is very popular for drift diving. This is another mini wall system beginning at about 35 ft. and gradually sloping and dipping to about 90 ft., making it another great dive for the mixed capabilities of divers. Sea fans abound along with barrel sponges and the ever present fish schools.
Finally we are at the wreck of the Eagle. The wreck of the Eagle lies on its side in approximately 115 ft. of water and was sunk in 1985 as an artificial reef. It is the third most popular wreck in the United States. Swimming through the blast holes (from the dynamite when the wreck was sunk), you will be surrounded by literally hundreds of silver grunts as they spiral around you. The biggest inhabitant of the Eagle is a 150 pound Jew fish, with the cargo holds full of bait fish. About three or four tarpon will be hanging around when you first arrive, but usually disperse in a few minutes. Another area of interest for the diver is the soft coral that covers the entire wreck. Also if you haven't dove the wreck since hurricane Georges went through, well are you in for a surprise! You will be astonished to see what mother nature can do... And don't forget our Secret Sites. There are many small patch reefs that we visit such as A&B Patch, Aquarium, Margarets, Bug City, 3 Stooges, Shark Ledge, and Hog Heaven, to name a few. When calling and booking your dives mention any of these and we will try to accommodate you during your dive vacation with us.
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