Dive sites
Our thanks go to FLKeysDiving.com for sharing some of these pictures and help with site descriptions.
The Gardens
"The Garden" is one of Lady Cyana's little secret spots.  These beautiful, healthy reefs haven't been fouled by diving pressure and are full of life.  Coral and fish in countless variety made this one of the best dives during our trip.
Hens & Chickens
15ukhens_aerial.jpg (30517 bytes) The "Brick Barge" was an old steel barge that was torpedoed during World War II. It lies at the shoreward north end of the reef. In the extraordinarily cold winter of 1970, over 80 percent of the reef died. It has since made a courageous and determined, if incomplete, rebound.  Hens & Chickens Reef is so-named because of the layout of the reef: a large central "hen" patch surrounded by smaller "chick" patches. A 35 foot tower rests on the southerly edge of the reef. As it lies closer to shore than most other reefs, it is somewhat more prone to low visibility. It has a great diversity of fish and corals for such a relatively small reef. Massive star coral and brain corals remain.
Crocker Ridges
12ukcrockerreef_aerial.jpg (20834 bytes) Crocker Ridges makes up part of Crocker Reef, which is a large loose collection of patch reefs. The 20 foot high ridges border a long valley of white sand running north - south. Larger animals tend to visit this site more than the sites further inshore, perhaps due to its proximity to deep water.  Nurse sharks, sea turtles, amberjacks and various rays mix with reef tropicals. Large barrel sponges, waving sea fans and gorgonians break up the coral encrusted terrain.
Davis Ledge
16ukdavisyellowtail.jpg (49402 bytes) Davis Ledge is one of the most popular shallow reefs for diving and snorkeling. Its also a favorite spot for night dives!!! Best known for its plentiful variety of marine life, Davis is home to the Buddha statue and a number of playful green moray eels. Rubbing Buddah's tummy can bring good luck or "aid" in fertility; best to decide BEFORE you rub. Or maybe the good luck is seeing the giant turtle that makes his home here, or the nurse shark asleep under the reef.
Coffins Patch
1mkcoffinspatch.jpg (49649 bytes) Coffins Patch is a series of small patch reefs, very near to the Thunderbolt.  Shallow depths and beautiful marine life define the dive site. Spanish lobster and spiny lobster commonly hide under the numerous brain coral and elkhorn coral.  Staghorn coral and the ever-nasty fire coral accent the tops of the shallow reefs. These patch reefs are formed around large, circular living reef sections, rather than growing on an independent substrate (like a wreck or pile of rock). French grunts, mutton snapper, and all five of the Keys angelfish (queen, blue, French, gray & rock beauty) inhabit this reef.
Looe Key
22lklooekeyaerial.jpg (20562 bytes) Named for the British vessel HMS Looe that ran aground here in 1744, Looe Key Reef provides a large variety of dive sites. The shallow inner reef area is good for snorkeling and the slightly deeper “buttress zone”, dominated by large mounds of hard corals, is a favorite area for divers. The deep reef features many giant barrel sponges and lush soft corals. Looe Key Reef is one of the nicest, most diverse reefs in the Keys. It is roughly 200 yards wide and 800 yards long, and is "U" shaped. It has a reputation for unpredictable visibility. Looe Reef has representative members of both patch and outside reefs, which is unique. It is it's own little world; a representation of the entire Keys reef ecosystem, in one protected place.
Sombrero Reef
4mksombreroaerial.jpg (10217 bytes) Sombrero Reef is marked by one of a series of historic lights constructed in the Keys during the middle 1800’s. Sombrero provides good diving and snorkeling, with depths from 10 to 70 feet.  Sombrero Reef is a spur-and-groove coral reef, sitting on the outer banks offshore of Vaca Key. Large fingers of coral, rimmed with gorgonians and soft corals, are separated by narrow sand beds. Colorful tropical fish like yellowtail, snappers, blue parrotfish, ssquirrelfish or honeycomb cowfish are common residents here. Lettuce corals lie under small schools of watchful barracuda. The Arch is a popular coral limestone swim-through. Nurse sharks and southern stingrays are often seen, as are schools of striped seargeant majors and bar jacks.
Middle Sambo
20lkwsambo.jpg (50135 bytes) The entire reef line of the Sambos is alive with life. Large branch coral are spread out, with many schooling fish like wrasse amidst them. Shelling and lobstering are excellent here.
The Quarry
quarrypic.jpg (22673 bytes) The last snorkel dive of our trip was on Florida Bay side of Islamorada pretty much right in someone's back yard.  The site is an old coral quarry dating back to the 1930's when coral was harvested for everything from jewelry to making concrete.  Visibility wasn't very good and little marine life was around, but lots of soft corals, grasses and fans were attached to the quarry walls.