Buddy's Break

Buddy's Break is a beginner-appropriate dive site in the Ten Thousand Islands region of Southwest Florida — a shallow reef and rock bottom area in the warm, productive Gulf waters of the Everglades coastal zone where the boundary between the mangrove wilderness and the open Gulf creates one of the most ecologically rich nearshore environments on the Florida coast. The site sits at depths reaching approximately 12 meters (about 40 feet) with the most productive diving in the shallower sections where light penetrates well and the mixed habitat of rock, sand, and occasional hard bottom supports a diverse community of Gulf species. The Ten Thousand Islands area is characterized by exceptional clarity of water during periods of sustained south and southeast wind when the Gulf Stream influence reaches into this section of the coast, bringing the blue, clear water more typically associated with the Florida Keys into these nearshore Gulf waters. On clear days, visibility at Buddy's Break can surprise divers with its quality — 20 to 30 feet is achievable in good conditions, though nearshore turbidity from rainfall and runoff can reduce this significantly at other times. Snapper, grouper, and gag grouper are reliable encounters at the rocky features that give the site its productive character. Various wrasse species work the reef surface constantly in their characteristic methodical searching behavior. Sea turtles — loggerhead and green — are present in the Ten Thousand Islands zone and regularly pass through dive sites in this area. Spotted eagle rays are occasionally seen crossing the sandy sections between rocky habitats. The site is a representative example of Florida's Gulf Coast interior reef diving — less spectacular than the Keys barrier reef but productive, accessible, and offering a glimpse of the ecological richness of the Everglades coastal zone.