Key Largo's artificial reefs are ships intentionally sunk to create recreational scuba diving sites and new habitats for marine life. Over time, these wrecks have become home to a variety of fish and other marine species, offering incredible opportunities for wreck diving in the Florida Keys. Join Sail Fish Scuba for a guided dive and explore some of Key Largo's most impressive underwater shipwrecks.

 USS Spiegel Grove -  Duane Wreck  Coast Guard Cutter Bibb 

 Key Largo's historic shipwrecks are vessels that ran aground or sank along the Florida Keys reef system, many dating back more than a century. Unlike the deeper artificial reefs that were intentionally sunk, these wrecks are generally found in shallower water. Over time, their remains have become part of the surrounding reef ecosystem, attracting a variety of marine life and making them popular destinations for scuba diving and snorkeling in Key Largo.  

 The Benwood is a 360-foot merchant freighter built in England in 1910. On April 9, 1942, during World War II, the ship was traveling from Tampa, Florida, to Norfolk, Virginia, carrying phosphate rock when it collided with another vessel, the Robert C. Tuttle. Both ships were traveling without lights to avoid detection by German submarines. The collision severely damaged the Benwood, causing it to take on water and eventually sink off Key Largo.

The Hannah M. Bell was a British-built steel steamship traveling from Newport News, Virginia, to Mexico with a cargo of coal when it ran aground on April 4, 1911, during stormy weather. The ship struck Elbow Reef, a shallow reef system off Key Largo located just west of a deep-water channel. Like many vessels before it, the Hannah M. Bell fell victim to the hazardous reef formations that have contributed to Key Largo's long history of shipwrecks. 

On July 10, 1917, the City of Washington ran aground on Elbow Reef near Key Largo while being towed by the tugboat Luckenbach No. 4. The tugboat and the Seneca, which also ran aground, were successfully refloated, but the City of Washington broke apart and was declared a total loss. Today, the wreck stretches approximately 325 feet along the reef, with much of its remaining structure consisting of the lower sections of its steel hull. Resting in relatively shallow water, the City of Washington 

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.

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. 

Located along Molasses Reef in Key Largo, Eagle Ray Alley gets its name from the spotted eagle rays that are often seen gliding over the reef and sandy channels. This beautiful dive site features coral formations, sandy patches, and an abundance of marine life, making it a favorite among our Sail Fish Scuba dive guides. In addition to spotted eagle rays, divers may encounter southern stingrays, sea turtles, nurse sharks, barracuda, and schools of tropical reef fish. 

Located at the southern end of Molasses Reef in Key Largo, Permit Ledge is a shallow dive site with depths around 25–30 feet. The site features sandy channels, coral formations, and ledges that provide shelter for a variety of marine life. Schools of grunts, snappers, parrotfish, and barracuda are frequently encountered, along with larger schools of permit and occasional tarpon. Nearby features include Fire Coral Cave and impressive pillar coral formations farther south along the reef. 

French Reef is one of Key Largo's most popular scuba diving destinations, featuring more than 20 mooring buoys spread across an extensive reef system with varying depths, coral formations, and underwater landscapes. What makes French Reef particularly interesting is its network of natural swim-throughs, limestone ledges, and cavern-like formations, including well-known features such as Christmas Tree Cave and Hourglass Cave. 

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! 

Christmas Tree Cave is one of the well-known dive sites at French Reef in Key Largo, located between Hourglass Cave and Sand Bottom Cave. Known for its natural limestone formations, coral-covered ledges, and interesting swim-throughs, this site offers plenty to explore underwater. Caribbean reef sharks and large spotted eagle rays are sometimes encountered around the reef, along with schools of tropical fish and other marine life.

 Sand Island Reef is a shallow dive and snorkeling site in Key Largo with an interesting bit of local history. According to local folklore, a small sandy island with a single coconut palm once stood here before Hurricane Donna passed through the Florida Keys in 1960. Today, the site is known for its impressive stands of elkhorn coral, a species that has declined significantly throughout the Florida Keys. 

This shallow Key Largo reef is a great location for both scuba diving and snorkeling, featuring large coral mounds surrounded by schools of reef fish and impressive marine life. Caribbean reef sharks, nurse sharks, barracuda, green moray eels, and sea turtles are frequently spotted throughout the area. Just west of the reef, shallow seagrass beds provide an important feeding habitat for sea turtles, while smaller coral formations along the sandy reef edge attract a variety of other marine life. 

Horseshoe Reef is a shallow patch reef located northeast of Key Largo Dry Rocks, featuring clusters of coral heads, colorful reef formations, and a variety of marine life. Its shallow depths allow plenty of natural sunlight to reach the reef, making it an excellent location for underwater photography. 

 The Christ of the Abyss statue rests at Key Largo Dry Rocks Reef, a shallow reef that rises above the surface during low tide. Located within John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, this world-famous site is one of the most popular Key Largo dive and snorkel spots. The reef is teeming with vibrant soft and hard corals, making it an excellent destination for both scuba diving and snorkeling in Key Largo. 

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.  

 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, every recreational scuba diving trip in Key Largo includes an experienced in-water PADI dive professional at no additional charge. We specialize in small-group guided scuba diving, with complimentary underwater photos and videos included. Give us a call or send us an email to plan your next Key Largo diving adventure.