Diving in Key Largo
The clear waters of the Gulf Stream run close to the reef in Key Largo, which makes for excellent visibility in this section the Keys reef. There are so many wrecks out there on the reef you won't have time to see them all. Some wrecks are famous, like many of those within John Pennecamp coral Reef State Park. These would include your Benwood wreck, and several around The Elbow, which also where the Gulf Stream passes closest to any part of the entire reef. Hook up to a buoy at the Elbow, and you'll see some wreckage, hordes of fish, and a beautiful coral reef, all in one afternoon. Key Largo Dry Rocks is one of the most visited dive and snorkel spots in all of the Keys, but don't let that scare you away. Once you see what's underneath the water, you won't care how many people are buzzing around you in the water, or silently gliding below you with their scuba tanks. For here is located the famous and beautiful and much-photographed Christ of the Deep Statue. This was a gift from an Italian businessman and spearfisher and is a duplicate of the Christ of the Abysses Statue in the Mediterranean sea near Genoa. It's bronze and depicts Christ with his hands lifted to the sky, in about 20 feet of water. With sun beaming down through the clear waters, onto the uplfited arms, no wonder it's so popular with photographers, and is usually featured on any dive or snorkel brochure for Key Largo.
For snorkelers, try Grecian Rocks, which are so shallow that some parts stick out of the water. Carysfort Reef has tons of staghorn coral, and the closer you swim to the tower, the more shallow it becomes, so snorkelers will have fun here, too. Divers can enjoy Carysfort as well, since not too many people make it this far north (it's at the north end of John Pennecamp State Park). Look for the monster barracuda who lurks beneath the tower. Molasses reef is a large expanse of reef in John Pennecamp Park, nad has a good variety of things to see. Look for rays, wrecks, and towers of corals. French reef has caves and larger fish, but snorkelers might have trouble seeing anything so it's more a dive spot. White Bank Dry Rocks is popular for snorkelers because it's shallow and there is great variety here. Look for staghorn and elkhorn coral as well as brain coral and zillions of fish. Conch Reef is where an eighteenth century hurricane was the end of three Spanish galleons named Capitana, El Infante, and San Jose y las Animas. Cannon Patch features the remains of you guessed it, some cannons, and is located near Grecian Rocks.
