The Horseshoe

This spur and groove reef formation sitting 5 miles off of Big Pine Key, in the Florida Keys, is part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Due to its protected status reef life is very healthy and active here.

Sombrero Reef is a designated SPA area and is one of the more popular scuba diving and Florida Keys snorkeling destinations in Marathon. The area’s name is derived from the 142’ lighthouse which is located in the northern section of the SPA region.

At 210 feet in length, the The Adolphus Busch Sr. stands upright and completely intact in just 110 feet of water. The ship that put Big Pine Key on the wreck diver’s map. This island freighter was purchased by the local dive community in 1998 with the generous assistance of Adolphus Busch IV.

The Adolphus Busch wreck was cleaned and purposefully sunk as an artificial reef in 1998 off the coast of the Lower Keys of Florida. Originally named the M/V London, the 210-foot coastal freighter sits at approximately 120ft (40m) with the deck at about 100ft (33m). Current and visibility can vary.

Coffins Patch Sanctuary Preservation Area (SPA) is located approximately four miles off Key Colony Beach and offers some of the best snorkeling and diving in the Middle Keys. Maximum depth is about 25-30 feet/ 7 -9m.

6 miles to the south of Key West is Cannonball Cut. This dive site does not have a mooring ball which makes it a good place for drift diving. This site consists of continuing fields of coral. Maximum depth is 18m/60 feet. This site is good for drift diving as well as lionfish hunting.

15 minutes south of Key West is the Western Sambo Reef. This reef is one of two Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Ecological Reserves. It is fully protected from all types of fishing. Depth runs from 7-40 feet.

20 minutes directly south of Key West is the Eastern Sambo Reef. This reef is located inside the Western Sambo Ecological Reserve and is fully protected from all types of fishing. The reef is approximately nine square miles of spur-and-groove type coral formations. The reef ranges from 10-4 feet’ in depth.

This is the middle reef dive site that makes up the Sambo Reef area near Key West, Florida. These reefs lie in a marine reserve and are home to healthy coral and lots of fish.

Haystacks lies on the reef area known as the Western Sambo reef and is an excellent, shallow boat dive. Perfect for snorkelers and all levels of divers.