Dives from Key West
Western Sambo
This spot has mooring buoys because it's a popular spot. One of the reasons it may be popular is that it has range of depths that offer good diving experiences, from 28 down to 40 feet. There are just tons different types of coral here:
- branch coral
- boulder coral
- sheet coral
- pillar coral
- star coral
There are some relatively unusual stingrays, at least unusual enough that you don't casually see them elsewhere commonly in the Florida Keys: they are small yellow stingrays that act like chameleons, changing their colors from pale do dark depending on their surroundings. Don't step on them, since they have poisonous barbs on their tails. You will also see some goggle-eyed blennies which win the prize for funniest looking fish in the area. Try and also catch a glimpse of hellowhead jawfish, who will sneak back into their little holes if they get scared.
Go half a mile south of Western Sambo and there's a wreck put here by Chet Alexander, the same guy who sank the Alexander to create an artificial reef. This wreck is the Aquanaut, another one of Chet's tugboats, this one at 50 feet lies in 75 feet of water. See mahogany snappers and arrow crabs here.
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