ROCK KEY

Rock Key is located one mile due east of Sand Key and marked by reef mooring buoys. With shallow depth, this site is particularly good for snorkeling. This site is home to some spectacular crevices and coral. Crevices on Rock Key reach as deep as 20 feet and allow space for one diver at a time. The reef is easily accessible from Key West.

Although this area began as a ship from Barcelona, Spain that ran aground on Rock Key, today the wreck is practically indistinguishable. A patient diver will be able to find brass fittings and some of the tiles the ship was carrying when it sank in the 1800s. There is also a second unidentified wreck at this location. Both ships contain cannon balls and spikes. There are large concrete beams as well as pebble ballast on top of the reef.

Rock key is a Sanctuary Preservation Area (SPA). The SPA is .1 square nautical miles and is part of the Marine sanctuary. No items may be removed from this area.

Rock Key is a mile east of Sand Key light, approximately eight miles southwest of the Marquesas Keys. This remote dive site is home to some spectacular crevices and coral gardens. Deep crevices in the reef descend 20 feet or more to a white sandy bottom, and teem with tropical fish, lobsters, and sea life. Many of these declivities are narrow, with space for only one diver at a time to swim through the gaps. The shallow depth and generally light currents make this place ideal for divers of all skill levels. Mooring buoys around Rock Key mark the dive site between Sand Key and the Dry Rocks islands.

An abundant display of marine life is always there to greet divers. Reef sharks, nurse sharks, sea turtles, hundreds of colorful reef fish and barracuda swim among the coral and wreck debris at Rock Key, making it a favorite dive location year round.

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