Do you love exploring shipwrecks and coral reefs? You can learn so much about the history of an area, by exploring the shipwrecks settled in the nearby sea beds. If you’re looking to explore the Florida Keys, YKnot Charters are one of the scuba diving charters in Key West, offering multiple diving and fishing tours.
Top scuba diving attractions in the Florida Keys
The Florida Keys have an incredibly beautiful and diverse reef system, boasting of being the third largest living reef system in the world. The reefs are very well preserved, thanks to rigorous conservation efforts. They are quite shallow (15-45 ft), so it is even ideal for people who just want to do a bit of relaxed snorkeling and witness the beauty of the marine life.
Some of the top reef sites include Toppinos Reef, the Sambo Reefs and the Marquesas Reef Line, which are home to a very diverse mix of marine creatures. The areas around the Marquesas are great for those wanting to do some fishing as well. The seasonal fish you can expect to catch include triggers, mangrove snappers, mutton snappers, King Mackerel, yellowtail snapper, and bluefish.
You can find some of the famous shipwrecks in the Keys deeper than usual, so they would require more diving knowledge and skills. Top sites include the Vandenburg (Vandy), and the Caymen Salvager. We are among some of the scuba diving charters in Key West that arrange both diving and fishing tours around the Keys.
What are the shipwrecks like?
The Vandy is the closest shipwreck to our site and is frequently the first stop made during our wreck tours. Quite often decommissioned ships like the USS Vandenburg are purposely sunk to create artificial reefs.
The site is at a depth of 522 ft in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The Vandy is quite a tall wreck, about ten stories high with sites varying between 41-140 ft in depth. Apart from being a fascinating site for divers, an artificial reef is a great way to revitalize the marine life of the area by acting as a habitat.
The Cayman Salvager is another great shipwreck site and is the most intact of the shipwrecks in the Keys. So, it is excellent for people who want to explore the shipwreck as well as the coral reefs.
What are the tour options available?
We offer several options for scuba diving tours, ranging from half-day trips to multiple day trips. A half day trip lasts between 8 AM to 12 PM, costs $700 with snorkeling equipment included, and an additional rental fee of $35 per day for scuba diving gear.
A full-day starts at 8 AM and ends at 5 PM, costing $1100. For multi-day trips, options include 2-day and 2-night trips, which cost $3,200, 3-day and 3-night trips costing $4,500 or 4-day and 4-night ones costing $5,800.
Are you planning to come down to the Florida Keys, and looking for great scuba diving charters in Key West? Give YKnot Charters a call to learn about the many options available to suit your budget and preferences!