Key West Coral Reef & Fish Information

Sharpnose Puffer
4 Scuba Dives
The Caribbean Sharpnose Pufferfish is a small (4.5in) member of the Pufferfish family that is commonly found singly or in pairs in the shallow waters of coral reef margins and occasionally over sea grass beds. Sharpnose Puffers are football-shaped fish with a distinctive pointed snout and large eyes, small dorsal and caudal fins located rearward […]

Spiny Lobster
4 Scuba Dives
The Caribbean Spiny Lobster, known locally as the Florida Spiny Lobster, is named for the forward-pointing spines that cover its carapace and long antennae as defense against predators. The Caribbean Spiny Lobster inhabits tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico but other members of the species live in […]

Spotted Eagle Ray
4 Scuba Dives
The Spotted Eagle Ray is a large, dramatically-patterned Ray with species distributed in tropical and warm temperate waters worldwide. These wide, diamond-shaped Rays can reach over 9 feet in width and have been measured at 16 feet in length including the long whip-like tail. Spotted Eagle Rays are easily recognized by the many white spots […]

Stingrays
4 Scuba Dives
There are six species of Stingray that most commonly inhabit coastal Florida and Florida Keys waters: the Atlantic, Bluntnose, Roughtail, Smooth Butterfly Ray, Southern Stingray, Yellow Stingray, and Roughtail Stingray. The Roughtail is the largest whiptail stingray species found in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, with a maximum wingspan of up to 7.25 feet […]

Stone Crab
4 Scuba Dives
The Florida Stone Crab is actually found in the Western Atlantic from Connecticut to Belize, including in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. It is widely-harvested for its succulent claw meat, and divers may have already encountered the Stone Crab’s large claws on a seafood restaurant platter. The Stone Crab fishery is somewhat unique in […]

Trumpetfish
4 Scuba Dives
The Trumpetfish is an interesting resident of coral reef waters in the Pacific and Atlantic tropics. Trumpetfish have narrow tube-like bodies up to 3 feet long that run nearly imperceptibly into an elongated snout with a single barbel on the chin and a mouth that can open wider than the body diameter to resemble a […]

Wrasse
4 Scuba Dives
Wrasses comprise an amazingly large and diverse family of fish. Over 600 species divided into 9 subgroups include fish from popular home aquarium species a few inches long to the Humphead Wrasse, a member of the Parrotfish family that lives in the Indo-Pacific and can grow up to 8 feet in length. In fact, all […]

Yellowtail Snapper
4 Scuba Dives
The Yellowtail Snapper is an abundant member of the Snapper family. Yellowtails are found along the western Atlantic coast from Massachusetts to Bermuda, southward to southeastern Brazil, and in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. Large adult Yellowtails live over sandy patches near reefs at depths of 32-230 feet, while smaller adults gather over […]
Key West Reef & Fish Info Overview
Planning to go scuba diving in Key West? Get information here about the Florida Reef and the marine life you can see during a Key West scuba diving adventure.

