Photos by Gail Culver
No reproduction allowed without permission.
No reproduction allowed without permission.
Looe Key Reef is one of the most popular dive and snorkel destinations in the Middle and Lower Keys. The reef is 10 miles
Southwest of Bahia Honda Channel and has 54 buoys. The depth ranges from 5 to 70 feet making this site excellent for beginner to
advanced divers and for snorkelers.
It is said that the HMS Looe recaptured a British ship, Betty, that was taken by privateers. After the men from the Looe had manned
Betty, her commander, Captain Ashby Utting, ordered her to be burned because he wanted to ignite all of the gunpowder aboard to
completely destroy her so that the Spanish could not come back later and savage anything. There is not much of the Looe visible now
on the reef.
Looe Key was damaged quite a bit from the recent hurricanes in 2004 and 2005 but still is a beautiful dive site. Don't be surprised to
find reef sharks around this site. They have been known to swim together and in circles. A lot of the soft coral was damaged but the
hard coral is healthy and there are always a lot of tropical fish around the reef.
The formation is mostly spur and groove with the outer, deeper areas mostly sandy bottoms where you'll always find lots of conchs
making their trails along the sand.
Some schools of fish have been feed by boaters and divers in the area, so you'll probably have a few dozen fish under and around your
boat after tieing to the buoy as well as giant barracuda hovering nearby.
Looe Key is in an SPA area. No fishing or lobstering allowed.
Southwest of Bahia Honda Channel and has 54 buoys. The depth ranges from 5 to 70 feet making this site excellent for beginner to
advanced divers and for snorkelers.
It is said that the HMS Looe recaptured a British ship, Betty, that was taken by privateers. After the men from the Looe had manned
Betty, her commander, Captain Ashby Utting, ordered her to be burned because he wanted to ignite all of the gunpowder aboard to
completely destroy her so that the Spanish could not come back later and savage anything. There is not much of the Looe visible now
on the reef.
Looe Key was damaged quite a bit from the recent hurricanes in 2004 and 2005 but still is a beautiful dive site. Don't be surprised to
find reef sharks around this site. They have been known to swim together and in circles. A lot of the soft coral was damaged but the
hard coral is healthy and there are always a lot of tropical fish around the reef.
The formation is mostly spur and groove with the outer, deeper areas mostly sandy bottoms where you'll always find lots of conchs
making their trails along the sand.
Some schools of fish have been feed by boaters and divers in the area, so you'll probably have a few dozen fish under and around your
boat after tieing to the buoy as well as giant barracuda hovering nearby.
Looe Key is in an SPA area. No fishing or lobstering allowed.
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| Florida Keys Dive Sites Lower Keys Dive Pictures Looe Key Reef |
Florida Keys Scuba Diving,
Florida Keys Dive Sites, Lower
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Florida Keys Dive Sites, Lower
Keys Dive Sites
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