Cottrell Key
Cottrell Key is also on the Gulf of Mexico side, and on the way to Alexandar’s Wreck. It’s a popular spot for snorkeling catamarans on windy days, since it’s on the Gulf side and pretty shallow. It’s protected by mangrove islands and grassy flats on one side. There are visible and easy to find remains of a wreck here, and it’s one of the few wrecks that snorkelers can enjoy from the surface.
Alexander’s Wreck
Alexander’s Wreck is really the USS Amesbury, a steel-hull vessel sunk in 25 feet of water. The top of the wreck sticks out of the surface and the deepest part is in 40 feet of water. She broke in half shortly after runnign aground here while being towed out to deeper waters to become an artificial reef. Alexander is the name of the salvager who was towing the wreck.
Alexander’s Wreck lies in two pieces 150 feet apart. The site is home to Goliath Grouper, and many other kinds of marine life. It’s locate five miles west of Key West on the Gulf side. Originally a 300-foot destroyer, Alexander’s Wreck is now a great snorkeling and scuba diving spot.
Western Dry Rocks
Western Dry Rocks is a wonderful area for novice divers. It’s not within a Sanctuary Preservation Area (SPA), however, and there are often charter fishing boats trolling over the area in the afternoon. There are nice rock alleys with soft corals all over them, which are fun to swim through.
Western Dry rocks is shallow, and therefore more of a snorkeling spot but depths get to almost 35 feet so scuba divers occasionally frequent this site. There are friendly resident barracuda- very large ones, but don’t be afraid. Also frequently seen here are huge Eagle Rays, who swim through the rock alleys and startle divers quite often!
Ten-Fathom Bar
Ten Fathom Bar is a wall dive from 25 to 130 feet, and considered an intermediate dive. Located half a mile south of Sand Key, the Ten Fathom Bar is home to many species who find refuge in the crevices of the ledge and dropoff. Often called just “the bar”, the Ten Fathom Bar stretches for for miles, parallel to the main reef line.
It’s sandy with rocks, leading up to the ledge, and there are usually lots of Yellowtail Snapper in the area. There’s often a pretty strong current, since it’s outside the main reef area. No mooring buoys here.
Sand Key
Sand Key is probably the most popular snorekling spot in Key West. The major snorkeling companies take their guests here almost daily. And for good reason: it’s shallow, the water is clear because of the shallowness, and it’s a short six miles from Key West. The diversity of coral and other marine life is spectactular, and 24 mooring balls make it easy to tie up and jump in. Actually, anchoring is not even allowed at Sand Key.
On the ocean side, Sand Key drops off and there’s a good 75 foot dive for intermediate divers. The area is a Sanctuary Preservation Area (SPA), so it’s protectd and marked by yellow balls. The ocean side has nice ledges for divers.
Sand Key’s tower is 110 foot tall and the island itself is made of crushed shells and is white sand. Bring your camera, since it’s very picturesque.