Eastern Dry Rocks

Eastern Dry Rocks is a productive and beginner-friendly shallow reef system in the lower Florida Keys — a patch reef area a few miles southwest of Key West that offers accessible, gentle diving in the warm, clear Atlantic waters of the lower Keys reef tract at depths reaching approximately 12 meters (about 40 feet). The site sits within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, benefiting from the protection that has helped maintain the lower Keys reef system in better condition than some more northern or more heavily visited sections of the reef tract. The reef features the patch reef character typical of the inner Keys reef zone: isolated coral formations rising from a sandy bottom, creating concentrated habitat that supports diverse fish communities in the spaces between reef sections as well as in the reef structure itself. The coral formations include robust star coral domes, brain coral complexes, and areas of sea fan and sea rod growth that provide visual interest and biological diversity. The fish life at Eastern Dry Rocks reflects the richness of the lower Keys reef system: schoolmaster snapper and French grunt school in dense formations beneath coral overhangs, their synchronized movements an endlessly watchable display of shoaling behavior. Various grouper occupy reef territories with quiet authority. Hawksbill sea turtles feed on sponges throughout the reef — the lower Keys supports healthy hawksbill populations, and their distinctive narrow heads and sharp beaks are regularly encountered at this site. Nurse sharks rest on the sandy patches surrounding the reef formations, typically in the shade of overhanging coral. Angel fish — both French and gray — drift through the reef with regal deliberateness. Moray eels occupy deep crevices. Eastern Dry Rocks is an excellent introduction to lower Keys reef diving for divers basing themselves in Key West.