Christ Of The Deep — Attraction in Key Largo

One of the most iconic underwater things to see while snorkeling in the US, this statue lies in about 25 feet of water in the Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

This is a deeper reef, and often the seas are a bit rougher here than other nearby reefs, but it's well worth the trip. Use caution, as Jesus is covered in fire coral, except his hands, those are safe to touch. It's around 10 feet to his hands, give or take depending on the tide. The nearby reef is shallow and amazing, hords of purple sea fans and tropical fish abound.

Consider taking Bonine before your trip, it's like Drammaine but without the drowsy feeling. I have seen many folks getting sick at this reef while enjoying the sight of Jesus while floating in seas a bit rougher than other...

Charter boat chaos. Been here a few times but expect to get kicked, bumped into, and scratched. At any given time multiple charter boats just dump 20 people in the water at the same time all floating above a statue with a 10 foot wide arm span. On top that the charter captains think they own the place, I've been yelled at for being too close to his people, yelled at for showing off while free diving with weight, yelled at for trying to use a mooring buoy adjacent to a charter boat, yelled at for diving with a hooka-rig. You name it. Happens every time year after year. The statue isn't even that impressive, much smaller then you think. However, the reef here is nice for diving. Lots of tall canyons full of vibrant living...

I was more interested in the reef itself and the fish than the statue, but the statue is cool and easy to reach if you're into that sort of thing. The tops of the hands were maybe 7-8 feet below the surface when I was there, and I saw several snorkelers dive down to it. (I tried a few times but couldn't get far enough down 'cause I'm just not a great swimmer.)

The reef itself is beautiful - a little deeper than Grecian Rocks and seemed like not quite as many fish. But definitely still plenty to keep you interested. This was probably my 10th snorkel trip in the Keys (first at this location), and I finally saw my first eel! I also saw several different types of coral that I don't recall seeing at Grecian Rocks or at the...