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A red iron-frame lighthouse rising from blue open water, with a small white and black motorboat beside a white mooring buoy and an overturned hull in front — Sombrero Reef, Marathon & the Middle Keys.

Marathon & the Middle Keys · United States · Reef · Coral garden

Sombrero Reef

Coral spurs and sand grooves at the foot of the Sombrero Key Lighthouse

Photo: pmarkham · CC BY-SA 2.0

Sombrero Reef is the best-known reef off Marathon, a shallow spur-and-groove system beside the 43 m (142 ft) Sombrero Key Lighthouse, four to five nautical miles out from Vaca Key. It is a Sanctuary Preservation Area with no fishing and no anchoring, and its shallow profile suits first-time snorkellers and experienced divers on the same boat.

Also known as Sombrero Key.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Sombrero Reef: typical dive 2–9 m (7–30 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit2 m9 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

24.6279° N, 81.1116° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

Boats moor south of the lighthouse and the dive works across the spurs and grooves: the coral tops sit at about 2 m (5 ft) and the sand channels between them reach about 9 m (30 ft). Brain and elkhorn coral form the spurs, schools of yellowtail snapper, parrotfish and sergeant majors work over them, and there is a good chance of sea turtles, nurse sharks and southern stingrays.

Marine life and season

  • Sea turtles
  • Stingrays
  • Reef fish swarms
Month-by-month season rating for Sombrero Reef
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairFairPrimeGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodFairFair

Season follows Marathon & the Middle Keys: April pairs the calmer April-October weather with the good visibility of the cooler December-April months; November-March is windier, and May-September is hurricane season.

Know before you go

  • Currents can run around the reef even on calm days.
  • Stony coral tissue loss disease has hit the reef, as it has reefs throughout the Keys.

Dive videos

Sombrero Reef Marathon Key Scuba Dive 4K · Droppinscience on YouTube

Sources

  1. Sombrero Reef — Captain Hook's Marina and Dive Center
  2. Snorkeling Marathon FL — Captain Hook's Marina and Dive Center
  3. Sombrero Key Light — Wikipedia

Photo credits

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