Key West Scuba Diving and Wreck Diving

SAND KEY

A place you may want to base yourself for a variety of scuba dives is Key West Scuba diving centers based here will take you to a variety of dive sites such as Sand Key.

Located seven miles southwest of Key West and easily identified by the enormous 110ft high light tower, Sand Key is a favorite of snorkelers and scuba divers alike.

The 'Island' is a narrow area of sand surrounded by coral formations which have formed several nooks and crannies and drop offs up to 60ft where you will find interesting marine life such as barracuda, angelfish, baitfish, grouper, morays and loggerhead turtles.

The area is covered in crushed shells and coral providing a base for some fascinating marine life.

The shore side of Sand Key is shallow with elkhorn reaching up to the snorkelers that frequent this area. Key West scuba divers would explore the deeper regions on the ocean side of the light tower with novices diving mainly on the Northern part of the Key.

Terence's Notes

Sand Key
Depth: 3-22m (10-72ft)
Visibility: 9-39m (30-130ft)
Plenty of fish
Novice
Reef Diving
Snorkeling: Yes

Key West has some very popular dive sites and many have been photographed. Scuba diving videos are probably the most popular method of recording dives and below is a brief video of a typical wreck dive at Key West.

This video is by Sand Key Lighthouse and gives you a sample of what to expect when diving off the Florida coast (Press the button second right on the bottom of the video player to see it in full screen)...

terence the turtle

Terence's Log

An excellent Key West scuba dive site with lots of gullies and sandy passageways to explore. We came across some Fire Coral and took extra care not to come into contact with this fascinating marine life form.

Saw two nurse sharks and a lot of barracuda when we reached the drop off. Visibility was a lot better than we thought it would be for such a popular spot.