Key Largo, Florida, United States

Carysfort Reef

Carysfort Reef is the northernmost site on the Florida Keys outer reef tract and one of the more remote reefs accessible from Key Largo, lying about six nautical miles offshore. It is marked by Carysfort Reef Light, a screw-pile cast-iron lighthouse built in 1852 and one of the oldest of its type still standing in the United States, although decommissioned by the Coast Guard. The reef has long been a focus of coral-restoration work by the Coral Restoration Foundation, and divers will see clearly defined plots where elkhorn and staghorn coral fragments have been outplanted onto the spurs. Typical depths on the main reef run from 8 to 15 metres, with deeper sand grooves down to about 21 metres on the seaward edge. Resident species include goliath grouper, midnight parrotfish, schools of horse-eye jacks, bar jacks, spotted eagle rays in season, and large green and hawksbill turtles. Distance from shore means visibility is often excellent but trips are weather-dependent.