The area is characterized by the highest percent living coral cover in the Florida Keys and represents one of the most pristine coral reef areas in the continental United States. The remoteness of the Tortugas has been its saving grace and has contributed to its high water quality, low incidence of coral disease, and overall healthy reef environment. The crystal clear waters in Tortugas north range in depth from forty to 150 ft and encompass the shallow reef areas of the Tortugas Bank, an area known as Sherwood Forest, and the Pinnacles.

This area of convergence also makes the Tortugas a critical area for spawning marine organisms. Larvae spawned in the Tortugas are carried by various ocean currents along the Florida Keys and upon meeting the Gulf Stream can be carried as far north as the Carolinas.

Habitats at the Tortugas

• Submarine canyons
• Algal sponge communities
• Pinnacles
• Drowned reefs
• Patch reefs
• Deep rocky reefs
• Bank reefs
• Soft sediment
• Sand flats

Key Species

• Grouper
  • Goliath
  • Red
  • Black
  • Snowy
  • Tiger
• Snapper
  • Yellowtail
  • Mutton
  • Grey
  • Cubera
  • Dog
• Sea turtles
  • Loggerhead
  • Green
  • Kemps ridley
  • Leatherbacks
  • Hawksbill
• Spotted eagle rays
• Sharks
  • Bull
  • Grey reef
  • Nurse
  • Lemon
  • Sandbar
  • Blacktip
• Corals
  • Includes every variety of soft and hard Caribbean corals
• Black coral
• Sponges
• Crinoids
• Reef fish

Interesting Facts about the Tortugas

• The current patterns in the Tortugas interact with the Gulf and Atlantic portions of the Gulf Stream making it a critical area for spawning marine life.
• The Tortugas is a remote location with the highest coral coverage in the Florida Keys and is located at the convergence of the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, and Caribbean Sea.
• The Tortugas contains the most pristine coral habitat in the continental United States.
• The Tortugas Ecological Reserve is the largest fully protected no-take marine area in the United a States.
• The Tortugas Ecological Reserve was designated through a Working Group process involving a variety of stake-holder groups including commercial and recreational fishermen, environmentalists, government agencies, and concerned citizens who came to 100% consensus on a set of boundaries and regulations for the Reserve.
• Sherwood Forest, a unique area located in the northwestern portion of the Ecological Reserve, was discovered by a local dive operator and is distinguished by a plating coral coverage, which has created a false bottom several feet above the ocean floor.

-Ocean Explorer-