Key West · United States · Reef
Western Sambo Reef
Hundreds of sea fans and unhunted grouper in a fully no-take reserve
Area photo: Juliancolton · Public domain
Western Sambo is a coral reef south of Boca Chica Key, about 15 minutes by boat from Key West, in 7 to 40 ft (2 to 12 m) of water inside the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. It is a fully no-take zone (the former Ecological Reserve, redesignated the Western Sambo Conservation Area in 2025), which shows in the nurse sharks, queen conch, spiny lobster, grouper, snapper, barracuda and hogfish over hundreds of soft-coral sea fans. A shallow boat dive that rewards slow swimming.
Also known as Western Sambo.
Where it is and how deep
24.4778° N, 81.7133° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
Depth runs from 7 to 40 ft (2 to 12 m), so you go in over coral that is close to the surface and work outward and down toward the deeper edge, or the other way round; either way the dive is long and unhurried. Hundreds of soft-coral sea fans are the structure of the reef, and swimming slowly past them is the dive itself. Because Western Sambo is fully protected from all types of fishing, the animals that get taken elsewhere are still here.
Look for the protected species in particular: queen conch on the sand, spiny-tail lobster under ledges, and grouper, snapper and hogfish over the coral. Barracuda hang off the reef and nurse sharks are part of the regular life. The wide variety is the point rather than any single feature, so cover the reef at a crawl and finish by drifting back up over the shallow coral to the boat, which at this depth barely counts as an ascent.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Barracuda
| 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.
Questions divers ask
Is fishing allowed at Western Sambo Reef?+
No. Western Sambo is fully protected from all types of fishing: the former Ecological Reserve became the no-take Western Sambo Conservation Area under the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary's 2025 Restoration Blueprint rule.
How deep is Western Sambo Reef?+
Depth runs from 7 to 40 ft (2 to 12 m), so it is a shallow reef whose depth is well within Open Water limits.
Sources
- Western Sambo — Wikipedia
- Western Sambo Reef — Scubago
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