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| MileMarker: | 0 |
| Location: | Lat 24 37.50 Long 81 06.50 8 miles SW of Key Colony Beach; 4 nmiles off Boot Key at south end of Marathon; best diving is on South side (ocean side) of Lighthouse |
| Markers: | 142-foot Sombrero Light light-tower; numerous buoys near the tower |
| Depth Range: | 5 to 35 feet deep |
| Skill Level req.: | beginner |
| Risks/Warnings: | SPA area [Sanctuary Preservation Area], no fishing or lobstering allowed |
| History | |
| Standing at over 160 feet (48.8 meters), Sombrero Key Lighthouse was built in the 1850s. Its construction was overseen by Lieutenant George Gordon Meade, then serving with the United States Army Corps of Topographical Engineers, and later as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He forecast that the lighthouses would last for 200 years, and after 140 years, they are all still fully functional and in service. Its screw-pile design was an advanced innovation at the time. | |
| Dive Description | |
| Sombrero Reef is a spur-and-groove coral reef, sitting on the outer banks offshore of Vaca Key. Large fingers of coral, rimmed with gorgonians and soft corals, are separated by narrow sandbeds. Colorful tropical fish like yellowtail snappers, blue parrotfish, squirrelfish or honeycomb cowfish are common residents here. Lettuce corals lie under small schools of watchful barracuda. The Arch is a popular coral limestone swimthrough. Nurse sharks and southern stingrays are often seen, as are schools of striped seargeant majors and bar jacks.
Divers should be warned that Sombrero Reef has been designated a SPA area [Sanctuary Preservation Area] and fishing as well as lobstering are strictly prohibited. |
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| Divesite info by: Jonathan Brinkman | |
Divelog for Sombrero Reef
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| LOWER KEYS info (Key West - 7 Mi. bridge) |
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