Looe Key

Looe Key - a reef, not an island, named for the British frigate that grounded here in 1744 - is the Lower Keys' showpiece and, on its best days, the healthiest-looking classic reef in the chain. The spur-and-groove formations run tall and tight, elkhorn and star corals still holding their lines, with grunts and porkfish packed between the spurs in yellow rivers. Caribbean reef sharks patrol here more dependably than anywhere else in the Keys, joined by big barracuda, turtles, eagle rays over the sand, and midnight parrotfish in bruiser sizes. Shallow enough for snorkelers, layered enough for divers, and protected as a preservation area since the 1980s - the Keys' argument for what protection preserves.

اللحظة التي جئت من أجلها: Reliable reef sharks, tall coral spurs, joint snorkel-and-dive appeal

التضاريس: Well-developed spur-and-groove reef named for HMS Looe, wrecked here in 1744

المخاطر: Very shallow spur tops in surge; weekend boat congestion.

الحفاظ على البيئة البحرية: Sanctuary Preservation Area: no fishing or collecting, mooring buoys mandatory.