With the world’s third largest coral reef system less than a mile from the coast of South Florida, there are lots of excellent dive sites to choose from. Some are even accessible from shore while others are only a short boat ride away. South Florida is blessed with spectacular reefs thriving with sea life and there are also many purpose-sunk wrecks to dive. Diving on the reef is by far one of our favorite things to do in South Florida and it’s the perfect place to practice underwater photography.
The reef system is actually a series of three reef lines providing diving opportunities for all levels of scuba divers. The Inner Reef is only about 100 to 300 yards offshore and is reachable from the beach. Depths range from 20-30 feet; some dive sites are shallower and even accessible to snorkelers. As for the Middle Reef, it’s approximately half a mile from the coastline with depths ranging from 40-60 feet. About one mile offshore there is the Outer Reef with depths ranging from 50-100 feet.
One thing I love about reef diving is seeing and observing beautiful creatures in their natural environment. Seeing them interact and live in symbiosis with each other is a privilege! It’s also very relaxing and a great way to escape the hustle and bustle of Miami! No traffic underwater—only the calming sound of bubbles and the beauty of this unique ecosystem.
Seeing huge schools of grunts, porkfish and snappers swim in unison and flutter around me makes me smile. There’s always something to see and photograph: a multitude of species of marine life, colorful corals and sponges, tree-like gorgonian sea fans swaying with the current and surge. When I turn on my light a kaleidoscope of colors materializes out of the blue making this mysterious world even more beautiful. How lucky I am to be able to see it with my own eyes!
Aside from the huge schools of reef fish we see many other species during our dives. Common sights include angelfish, parrotfish, tangs, damselfish, chromis, groupers, jacks, hogfish, filefish, squirrelfish and eels. Cowfish, trunkfish, trumpetfish, spotted drums, and puffers are also quite common. We usually see yellow stingrays on shallow sandy bottoms. Occasionally, we see larger rays, barracudas, sand divers, scorpionfish, Goliath groupers and nurse sharks. Other species of sharks are rare encounters.
To see more photos, see our Life on the Reef gallery
Blennies, gobies, batfishes also inhabit the reefs, but we haven’t had the chance to see these often and I have yet to see a seahorse… The Blue Heron Bridge is a good place to dive to see these species. Hopefully I’ll see one soon!
We haven’t had much luck seeing sea turtles despite the fact that they nest on South Florida’s beaches during the summer. Ditto with manatees, no luck in seeing these gentle giants while diving but we have seen them from the shore in some inlets.
Photogenic critters found on the reef
Diving slow is the only way to spot hidden little critters like cleaner shrimps, arrow crabs, hermit crabs, flamingo tongues, Christmas tree worms and feather dusters to name only a few.
Flamingo tongues, a small marine snail, are often found clinging to soft coral or sea fans. They are easy to photograph, unlike Christmas tree worms and feather dusters that tend to retract in a blink of an eye making them hard to capture in a photo.
Cleaner shrimps and arrow crabs have such delicate features and are incredibly beautiful when magnified by a camera lens. We usually find them hiding in nooks and crannies or inside barrel or vase sponges. Sometimes we see them huddled together like peas in a pod. I can’t help but smile when I see this—it’s so cute!
Hermit crabs are interesting too, as they use a discarded shell and move in. I just love seeing them peek out from underneath their make-shift homes.
Other critters we see regularly while diving include sea urchins, crabs and lobsters. Here, in Florida people like to go lobstering, but since I don’t eat lobster, they are safe with me. I do however enjoy finding them and discretely take a few pictures before moving on.
Close encounters
On a recent dive, we had a remora following us and it was really cool to see its suction pad up close. It looked almost like the sole of a running shoe. I had never seen one without a host, I guess it had lost its shark! Visibility was really bad that day (5-10 ft) and I didn’t have my camera, but I remember it well.
I don’t think I’ve ever done a dive in South Florida without seeing at least one eel. Spotted moray and green moray eels are quite common but the purplemouth moray is rare. On one occasion while I was busy taking a photo of a beautiful lionfish, a huge green Moray eel startled me by coming out of the reef unexpectedly. It went after my camera and I guess it though I wanted to steal her lunch. No worries, I backed away so she could have it, no contest!
Lionfish are beautiful and make excellent photo subjects, but they don’t belong in the Atlantic Ocean. Without any natural predators they thrive and compete for food with endemic fish species (ex: grouper). Also, since they reproduce quickly (every year a female lionfish can produce as many as two million eggs!) they are a menace to our reefs. Well maybe nature will take care of itself as the Green Moray didn’t seem to mind eating lionfish!
Scorpionfish are masters of camouflage and blend in with their surroundings and are very difficult to spot. Once while doing a pier cleanup dive my husband almost touched one of these very poisonous fish, he got a showing of the colorful fin as a warning.
South Florida’s Artificial Reef System
On top of beautiful reefs, there are many purpose-sunk wrecks in South Florida. These artificial reefs are inhabited by numerous species of fish, crustaceans and mollusks looking for a good hiding place. What’s more, as the corals grow these wrecks get transformed into beautiful artificial reefs and attract an abundance of marine life. There’s even an underwater cemetery, the Neptune Memorial Reef.
For more information about some of these artificial reefs see our list of South Florida Dive Sites
Conclusion
Reefs are living ecosystems worth protecting and when taking photos, it’s important to be aware of our surroundings in order to avoid damaging the fragile aquatic life. Also, it’s important to respect the wildlife and refrain from touching anything. No photo is worth destroying any of these incredible living organisms.
Here in South Florida, reef dives are usually done as drift dives and the law requires that you drag a buoy with a dive flag at the surface to point out your location to boaters. The same rules apply to shore dives. There are lots of recreational boaters on the water so best to make sure you are visible when you surface and deploy your safety sausage before coming up.
There’s always a current and sometimes it can be quite strong, and at times it can be pretty choppy too. However, this doesn’t mean that the dive conditions will be bad. It all depends on the current’s direction and wind conditions.
The weather is often unpredictable here, we have actually cancelled a dive because of pending weather only to wake up to a sunny sky and calm seas. Of course, the opposite has also happened and we’ve surfaced after an hour-long dive to find the boat rocking in 7-8 ft waves. We have gotten lots of practice climbing boat ladders in high seas (as well as a few bruises). Of course, diving on a calm sea is much better.