Key West · United States · Reef
Pulaski Shoals
Hammerheads, bull sharks and eagle ray formations on the park's outer edge
Area photo: Juliancolton · Public domain
Pulaski Shoals marks the northeast edge of Dry Tortugas National Park, a spread of shallow coral heads where the shoals claimed many ships before charts and navigation aids. Divers go for the big animals along the deeper reef edge: large grouper, sharks, turtles and formations of eagle rays.
Also known as Pulaski Shoal, Pulaski Reef, Pulaski Shoals Area.
Where it is and how deep
24.6933° N, 82.7733° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Inside the park boundary the reef is a field of scattered, very shallow coral heads. Among them lie the scattered remains of a wide variety of shipwrecks, ships these shoals claimed in the days before navigational aids and accurate charts.
For a deeper dive, divers go just beyond the boundary buoys to 23–24 m (75–80 ft) and follow that depth curve, looking for changes in reef elevation. Descending into the deep blue water, they meet very large grouper, plenty of snapper and often sharks: black tips, hammerheads, bull and nurse sharks are all common, along with turtles and large formations of eagle rays.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Reef sharks
- Hammerheads
- Bull sharks
- Sea turtles
- Eagle rays
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good |
Season follows Key West: Boats dive all year; May to October brings the warmest water and best visibility, but August to October is hurricane season.
Know before you go
- Currents at the shoals are strong and variable in direction.
- The site is remote: a diver in trouble here is a long way from help.
Questions divers ask
Which sharks are seen at Pulaski Shoals?+
Black tip, hammerhead, bull and nurse sharks are all common sights along the reef edge beyond the park boundary buoys.
Sources
- Swimming, Snorkeling, and Diving - Dry Tortugas National Park — National Park Service
- Dry Tortugas National Park — Wikipedia
More dive sites in Key West
Goliath grouper and turtles on a 5-9 m reef fifteen minutes from town
Reef
Fields of coral drifted to 18 m with goliath grouper and sharks
Goliath grouper inside a 56 m hull that sank under tow in 1985, upright at 27 m
Coral fingers and sand canyons on an SPA reef a mile east of Sand Key light
Swim through needle-shaped coral heads on a spur-and-groove outer reef
Unusually deep, wide reef crevices that hide grouper and morays
An eroded island's sand patch ringed by shallow reef under Sand Key Light
A forest of deep-water sea fans on the north face of a lone coral mound
Similar dives elsewhere
Cracked shallow reef where big-eye trevally school.
Rated advanced for swift current rather than for depth.
Thirty-two mooring buoys along one spur-and-groove reef
Sea turtles on the inner coral plate, eagle rays at La Grieta.