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Key Largo Diving Upper Reef
List And GPS Coordinates

When Key Largo diving, it's rather like hitting the jackpot in terms of being in the middle of this vast Florida Keys diving mecca.

The combination of warm, pristine, often gin clear water, plus a vast variety and abundance of game and tropical fish make exploring the miles and miles of coral reef a thrilling adventure.

The exciting part of scuba diving Key Largo is that there are so many different coral reefs to explore.

Anyone scuba diving Florida Keys on a regular basis will have undoubtedly discovered a favorite, not much heard of, and kept close to the vest dive site.

Often a Key Largo dive shop will have several such 'secret' Florida Keys dive sites they choose not to share with the 'general public'.

You may also want to bring with you dive maps for some of the dive sites you're interested in visiting. Whether they're coral reefs or artificial reefs it can often be a good idea - for fun and for safety reasons - to have studied the dive site in advance.

Amazon has a collection of various Upper Keys dive site maps as well as Florida Keys dive maps.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases such as these items and others listed further below.




Upper Keys And Key Largo Coral Reefs

That being said, it's physically impossible to list and identify all the coral reefs in the area for anyone planning a vacation Key Largo scuba diving.

Instead, the most popular Key Largo diving sites and Florida Keys snorkeling locations are listed here. Since there are many wonderful places to explore, I've broken the following list down into further detail for you.

The Florida Keys dive sites that are especially worth a more in-depth look are linked to their own separate pages. These pages include a topographical map so you can see water depth, markers, buoys and other important dive features.

For easy reference, I've also highlighted in color the Florida Keys snorkeling information for those who prefer not to go Key Largo diving.


Queen Angelfish Are Seen When Scuba Diving Key Largo


Queen Angelfish Are Commonly Seen When Scuba Diving Key Largo
www.noaa.org, Photo Dr. Dwayne Meadows


You'll find that Turtle Reef, White Bank Dry Rocks, Tollgate Rocks, Little Conch Reef, Crocker Reef and Victory Reef are all on one page. When you click on any of their links you can then scroll down to read about that specific reef.

An at-a-glance look of the Key Largo diving sites and Upper Keys dive sites are listed immediately below. They appear in their geographical order from north to south, and when it's appropriate to group them, I've done so.

Keep in mind that GPS coordinates are not always exact. Where the coordinates were taken, and who provided them, can impact their degree of accuracy.

If you treat these Florida Keys GPS coordinates as a general reference and remember there could be a minimal variation or discrepancy, you won't be disappointed. Most likely you'll be well within your Key Largo diving target, if not on top of it.

Carysfort Trench/Wall/Ledge, Carysfort North & Light, S. Carysfort Reef
25 14.91N 080 12.14W - Reef
25 14.91N 080 12.14W - Trench
25 12.482N 080 13.162W - Light

Elbow Reef
25 08.61N 080 15.44W

Horsehoe Reef, North North Dry Rocks (Double North), North Dry Rocks
25 08.362N 080 17.641W - Horseshoe
25 08.221N 080 17.435W- North North Dry Rocks
25'07.840N and 080'17.660W - North Dry Rocks

Christ of the Abyss (Key Largo Dry Rocks)
25 07.361N 080 17.843W

Grecian Rocks
25 06.639N 08018.241W

French Reef
25 02.072N 080 20.975W

Molasses Reef
25 01.54N 080 23.68W

Pickles Reef (Pickle Barrel Reef)
24 59.26N 080 24.84W
24 58.92N 080 25.300W - Snapper Ledge


Flamingo Tongue Snail


Flamingo Tongue Snail
www.noaa.gov, Photo Paige Gill FKNMS


Conch Reef and Wall
24 57.38N 080 27.39W

Hen and Chickens Reef
24 56.15N 080 32.84W

Davis Reef
24 55.50N 080 30.21W

Cheeca Rocks (Cheeca Gardens)
24 54.13N 080 36.94W

Alligator Reef
24 51.10N 080 37.10W

The following additional Key Largo dive sites are listed together by north to south positioning on the Diving Key Largo page.

Turtle Reef (Turtle Rocks)
25 16.54N 080 12.493W

White Bank Dry Rocks (White Bank Gardens/White Bank North & South )
25 02.33N 080 22.28W

Little Conch Reef
24 56.52N 080 28.5W

Crocker Reef (Davey Crocker Reef)
24 54.46N 080 31.66W

Tollgate Rocks
24 50.186N 080 43.691W

Victory Reef




Florida Keys Sanctuary Preservation Areas

When scuba diving Key Largo, you'll also find that much of the area is protected.

Preserving the fish and other marine life, along with the delicate coral, is vital. Not just for the enjoyment of future generations, but for the overall health and ecological balance of these waters.

Towards that end, in 1997 the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary was redesignated as a 103 square nautical mile Existing Management Area.

This created 6 Sanctuary Preservation Areas (SPA's) within the Key Largo Existing Management Area which are dedicated to sustaining important marine life and habitat.

They are Carysfort Reef, Elbow Reef, Christ of the Abyss aka Key Largo Dry Rocks, Grecian Reef, French Reef, Molasses Reef.

If you don't have one already, you'll definitely want to get a Key Largo Dry Rocks dive map.


Christ of the Abyss, Key Largo Dry Rocks, One of the Popular Florida Keys Dive Sites


Christ of the Abyss, Key Largo Dry Rocks
One of the Popular Florida Keys Dive Sites

www.byways.org


In the Upper Keys there are 11 SPA's in total. The ones outside the boundary of the Key Largo Existing Management area are Conch Reef, Hen and Chickens Reef, Davis Reef, Cheeca Rocks, and Alligator Reef.

When Key Largo diving you should know that all of the SPA zones have mooring buoys in place to protect the coral reefs from boats dropping anchor and then damaging their fragile structure. Within the SPAs these are the activities that are prohibited:
. Discharging any matter except cooling water or engine exhaust
. Fishing by any means, removing, harvesting, or possessing marine life
. Touching or standing on living or dead coral
. Anchoring on living or dead coral or any attached organism
. Anchoring when a mooring buoy is available

Exceptions to some of the rules are:
. Catch & release by trolling is allowed at Conch Reef & Alligator Reef
. Bait fishing is allowed in the SPAs

Most of the coral reefs are also excellent for Florida Keys snorkeling. The reefs are often situated in shallower water, and even those that are further out and deeper will have shallow ledges, and ridges.


Brain coral at John Pennekamp State Park


Brain Coral at John Pennekamp State Park
US National Archives, Photo credit Flip Schulke


It's important to remember the SPAs golden rule about touching coral when Key Largo diving. It's also important to remember this for self-preservation as coral is very sharp and jagged.

When Florida Keys snorkeling, if you're further from shore and you encounter a bit of current, be especially careful. Often you'll discover that some of the coral heads have towered up close to the surface, or even exceeded the surface when it's low tide and they can cut and scrape you very easily.

When scuba diving Key Largo, or exploring any of the other Upper Keys reefs, every level of diver certification can be accommodated. You'll also find that an extensive variety of dive opportunities presents the need for additional equipment and tools. Check your scuba diving gear and/or snorkeling gear to make sure everything is in working order and that you have what you need.

The Key Largo area is one of the world's most popular dive spots for reefs and wrecks.

Florida Keys snorkeling opportunities are also boundless, even for the most skilled aficionado. Plus, after a day of deep Key Largo diving, nothing could be more relaxing then to end your day snorkeling a nearby reef.






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Local Weather Zip Codes

Key Largo - 33037
Marathon - 33050
Key West - 33040