Florida Keys · United States · Reef
Rocky Top
A shallow patch reef where turtles, sharks and rays pass
Area photo: NOAA (Maya Walton) · Public domain
A patch reef just off the shore of Islamorada, dived from a mooring ball. The top of the reef sits at about fifteen feet and the sand around it between twenty and twenty-five feet, shallow enough that snorkellers work the same coral from the surface while divers circle the patch below.
Where it is and how deep
24.8954° N, 80.5724° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The structure is a coral mass rising out of sand rather than a stretch of reef line, which makes it easy to dive without much navigation: circle the patch and the mooring stays close, so a group can spread out over the heads without anyone losing the boat. Shallow depth and a fixed line keep the whole plan simple, and bottom times run to whatever the gas allows rather than to a no-stop limit.
Fish life over the heads is heavy, with thousands of fish over the coral, and larger animals come through as well: sea turtles, sharks and rays are all on the list here. None of that needs chasing. On a patch this size the reliable approach is to settle on the sand at the edge, stay still, and let the reef go back to normal around you rather than swimming laps of it.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Florida Keys: Winter cold fronts (December-February) bring choppier seas and cooler water; April-August offers the calmest conditions, though hurricane season runs June-November.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Rocky Top?+
The top of the reef is about 15 feet (4.6 m) and the sand around it is between 20 and 25 feet, about 6.1 to 7.6 m, which makes it a shallow dive suited to beginners and snorkellers.
What can you see at Rocky Top?+
The site holds thousands of fish and coral, along with larger marine life: sea turtles, sharks and rays are all seen here. It sits just off the shore of Islamorada and is dived from a mooring ball.
Sources
- Rocky Top — Scubago
More dive sites in Florida Keys
A nine-foot bronze figure standing in 7.6 m of water
Reef
A sand pit at 15 m (50 ft) leading out to a 27 m (90-foot) drop-off
Wreck
A freighter cut in half by Hurricane Georges in 1998
Cave & cavern
A long, narrow swim-through at the south end of Molasses
Reef
Winding channels and swim-throughs inside a protected reef
Reef
A reef crest that breaks the surface at low tide
Cave & cavern
A swim-through in the French Reef protected area
Reef
A sand channel running through spur-and-groove coral
Similar dives elsewhere
Goliath grouper and turtles on a 5-9 m reef fifteen minutes from town
Coral fingers and sand canyons on an SPA reef a mile east of Sand Key light
Sea lions in 3 to 9 metres, on a rock bottom with no coral.
Sea lions, rays and morays over coral heads in 11 m