These are Key Largo wrecks that were purpose-sunk to become Key Largo scuba diving recreational dive sites. Come join us for your next Key Largo diving adventure.
USS Spiegel Grove - Duane Wreck Coast Guard Cutter Bibb
Historic wrecks are ships that came to grief on the Key Largo Florida Keys reefs. Naturally, these key largo scuba diving wrecks sit in shallower water than the artificial reefs. They have made excellent Key Largo diving and snorkeling sites.
Benwood Wreck - Hannah M. Bell Wreck - City of Washington - Acorn Wreck - Wellwood Wreck - Pickle Barrel Wreck - Anchor Chain Reef
At Sail Fish Scuba, we have a special love for this fish-filled shipwreck in Key Largo. Our PADI-certified dive guides will lead you through the wreck and its surrounding debris field, offering an unforgettable experience. Plus, we’ll capture incredible photos of your adventure—absolutely FREE!
The Key Largo scuba diving shipwreck Hannah M. Bell a British-built steel steamship was Mexico-bound with a load of coal from Newport News, VA. when she ran aground on 4 April 1911 in foul weather. Like so many before her, the extensive patch of Key Largo diving reef known as Elbow reef which sits just west of a deep channel, took her by surprise during a storm and caused the sinking.
Near Key Largo on July 10, 1917, the tugboat Luchenbach #4 towing the City of Washington, and the Seneca ran aground on this key largo scuba diving reef site. The Luchenbach #4 and the Seneca were soon re-floated, but the City of Washington broke up and was a total loss within a few minutes of sinking. Key Largo diving Wreck Site: City of Washington site is 325 feet long and contains mostly the lower bilge section of the steel hull.
Built by Campbell and Co. in 1881, the Scottish steamship Acorn, collided with Key Largo scuba diving Elbow Reef on February 8, 1885. Heavy seas for 10 days afterwards prevented any salvage effort and thoroughly smashed the steel-hulled ship on the reef, turning it 180 degrees in the process. This is now a famous Key Largo diving shipwreck.
Near midnight in Key Largo on August 4th, 1984, the M/V Wellwood, a 400-foot steel-hulled freighter, struck Key Largo scuba diving Molasses Reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. This wasn’t good for the Wellwood, and it was disastrous for Molasses Reef; 1,280 square meters of coral reef habitat was utterly destroyed, reduced to pulverized coral rubble.
Key Largo diving group CRF has nicely rebuilt this area!
Key Largo scuba diving site Pickle barrels is made of concrete litter shaped like barrels. This Key Largo diving reef site, as well as the bones of an old shipwreck has generated many tales about why/how this wreck ended up here and why there are all these barrel shaped hunks of concrete scattered around this reef. We don’t know the honest to God truth, all we know is that this is a super pretty site for snorkeler and scuba divers alike. There are possibly more sea fans at this site than any other site in the Florida Keys.
This Key Largo scuba diving site is named after the massive Anchor block and giant linked chain attached to it. Back in the Early 1900’s these were put at this area (so the stories go) for the very large fishing boats to be able to unload to a massive barge that was anchored here as a floating workstation. Come join us to explore this key largo diving wonder of the world.
The reason Key Largo is known as the Dive Capital of the World is its extraordinary scuba diving reef system. This area is part of a protected National Marine Sanctuary, which helps maintain a vibrant population of marine life. Scuba diving and snorkeling in Key Largo offer a thrilling experience, allowing access to the world's third-largest barrier reef system. Book your ultimate underwater experience today!
A favorite among divers and snorkelers visiting Key Largo, Florida. All alongside it there are many remains of ships that wrecked against this dangerous key largo diving coral barrier reef. This Key Largo scuba diving reef is located 6 miles off the coast line of Key Largo. With over 32 mooring ball sites across all these acres of reef, you will need join us at least a dozen times to see most of this. Molasses is excellent for our guided scuba diving and snorkeling tours.
Hole In The Wall Reef is a site at Key Largo scuba diving Molasses Reef that has exactly what it’s name says, A large Hole In The Reef Wall that is big enough for any Key Largo diving scuba diver to swim thru. We love taking your photo as you are swimming through, and it makes a nice pic to get all your social media friends super jealous!
At this Key Largo site divers and snorkelers alike will be delighted by seeing nurse sharks, bull sharks, black tip reef sharks, Caribbean reef sharks, just to name a few of the sharks you may get to see and swim with while scuba diving or snorkeling. Many Key Largo scuba diving guides call this Pirate’s Reef, due to all the old ship wreckage at this site. You may find the old very huge sailboat mast, and structure, as well as many other parts of old sailing boats on our guided key largo diving tours.
At the far South end of Key Largo scuba diving site Molasses Reef, just at the base of mooring ball number 21 you will find the massive old Spanish Anchor. If you join our Key Largo diving guide, you will need ascend a bit to get a nice from above view, to make out the Anchor as it is completely coral encrusted.
It is believed the 10-foot-long winch came off a 170-foot-long wooden sailing schooner named Slobodana who ran aground at this spot on Key Largo scuba diving site Molasses Reef sometime in 1887. While diving at this Key Largo diving site, look for Goliath Grouper, black grouper, reef sharks, black tip sharks, bull sharks, maybe even a hammerhead shark.
Key Largo scuba diving site Wellwood Area of Molasses Reef is the shallower Northwest End of the World-Famous Molasses Reef. It is named this due to the M/V Wellwood a 400-foot-long freighter who ran aground here in 1984 on this Key Largo diving site. Extensive coral restoration has been done at this area for over a decade now and this is currently one of the most beautiful parts of Molasses Reef.
You guessed right why this Key Largo scuba diving site gets its name. Often, we do see spotted eagle rays at this thriving and lush coral area of Molasses Reef. This Key Largo diving site is a favorite of many of our dive guides.
This Key Largo scuba diving site with over 20 mooring balls across acres and acres of varying depths and profiles of corals, this makes French Reef one of our most requested Key Largo diving sites by divers. This area is popular for its cavernous swim-through area that our team of guides will safely lead you to and get amazing photos of you swimming through!
On the far South end of Key Largo scuba diving site French reef, we tie up to mooring ball #1 where when you descend off the boat with our guide. Here, you will get to explore lots of smaller swim-through areas of this key largo diving site. This site is loaded with schools of smaller reef fish and that means hungry Goliath Groupers are common sighting. Look up often and you might see Reef Sharks, Black Tip Sharks, and we have even seen massive Hammerheads and Tiger Sharks at this site!
Excellent for Key Largo scuba diving, but not good for snorkeling. Ball #10 at French is located at the far East corner and is one of our deeper Key Largo diving living coral reefs. This site has 1 small swim-through that our dive guide can take you to go see, but most of the time there is a massive size Green Moray Eel living here and we can't swim through. However, he does allow us to each get close for really cool photo ops!
At the center of Key Largo scuba diving site French Reef, is the most popular of all sites for this reef. Some call this White Sand Bottom Caves, and this is located between mooring ball #4 and #5. While Key Largo diving with our guide here, it's common to see Nurse Sharks and huge Tarpon inside these caves. The main cave is high enough for divers to kneel on the sandy bottom and spacious enough to not scare away all this large fish sharing the space with you!
This Key Largo scuba diving site is located between Hourglass Caves and Sand Bottom Caves and is called Christmas Tree Caves. While Key Largo diving with our guide at this site, it's common to see Caribbean Reef Sharks and huge Spotted Eagle Rays around these caves.
Key Largo scuba diving site Sand Island Reef got its name because (so folklore claims) back before Hurricane Donna 1960, there was actually 1 lone Coconut Tree growing on a tiny sandy island at this very location. This is one of the few key largo diving sites left with thriving stands of Elkhorn Corals. Perfect for scuba and snorkeling. Often see turtle here!
On the East side of the Main Grecian Rocks Reef line in Key Largo, is 1 single Key Largo scuba diving mooring ball. This is Grecian Proper site for some amazing Key Largo diving. Frequently see southern stingrays and nurse sharks at this site. Very good for scuba and snorkeling.
Key Largo scuba diving shop owner Jen of SFS worked hard all of 2023 with the National Marine Sanctuary Mooring Buoy Working Group attending 2 meetings each month to decide where in the Key Largo area was deserving of a new mooring ball. Jen suggested strongly for this Key Largo diving location and prayers were answered in 2024 as we all now can enjoy this site. Jen used to swim all her dive guide groups a long distance from Banana Reef to this patch as it is so beautiful and filled with "cleaning stations" and anemones.
This Key Largo scuba diving site is perfect for snorkeling and scuba diving as it has nice high profile coral mounds covered in reef fish and huge Barracuda. Nearly every visit we see Reef Sharks, Nurse Sharks, Barracuda, Green Moray Eels, Turtles, and lots more. The shallow sea grass beds to the West of the reef attract the turtle for feeding and the small mounds of corals growing at the sandy edge between the reef line and the sea grass is home to hundreds of thriving "cleaning stations". Join us for a guided Key Largo diving tour to have our guide point these out to you.
At this Key Largo scuba diving site, CRF (Coral Restoration Foundation) started a coral nursery just beside this patch reef. Horseshoe Reef has an amazing patch of Elkhorn coral and to the west is a mysterious huge anchor (if you can find it). Our Key Largo diving guides will lead our guests to the hidden 2 Large swim-through areas to explore. This site is home to some of the largest sponge and encrusting corals in the Keys. Excellent for scuba and snorkeling.
This Key Largo scuba diving site is actually named Key Largo Dry Rocks Reef because at low tide the reef literally sticks out of the ocean. One of the most popular sites in Key Largo, located in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park section of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. This Key Largo diving site is very colorful reef filled with soft and hard corals. Excellent for scuba and snorkeling.
N. North Dry Rocks Reef Key Largo scuba diving site is a small patch reef site just North of the Patch Reef called North Dry Rocks (AKA Minnow Caves). This is our shops co-owner/boat captain Chris's favorite key largo diving site to dive. Very colorful soft corals and abundant thriving sponges. Perfect for scuba and snorkeling.
In Key Largo at the East side of the bow and anchor of the Key Largo diving site Benwood Shipwreck, is a gorgeous coral filled drop off from 42' down to 109' of non-stop beauty. There is a bit of a swim for Key Largo scuba diving guests to get from the mooring ball at the wreck out to enjoy this deep reef, so you need to be a diver good on your air and buoyancy control.
When strong winds keep us from diving offshore or we need confined water for training, Jules Lagoon—also known as the Emerald Lagoon—is the perfect spot. With underwater training platforms, hidden artifacts, and North America’s only underwater hotel, it’s a Key Largo scuba favorite.
At Sail Fish Scuba Key Largo the GUIDES for Key Largo scuba diving are always INCLUDED in our rates. Call or email to come join us and do some Key Largo diving!
It's never too early to book your adventure with us! Plan ahead and let us know where you want to dive in Key Largo. Call or email our live agents now to secure your spot for an unforgettable experience!