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Travel Tips and Introduction to Marathon
Recreational Activities (PHOTOS)
Recreational Activities- Sombrero Reef Snorkel & Dive
Sombrero Reef is the rated #1 in the U.S. of all snorkel and dive spots by numerous publications and organizations. This reef is a short boat ride from Atlantic Breezes located directly off Sombrero Beach. There is a large number of excellent snorkeling and dive trips 7 days a week.
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Diving opportunities are as varied as the fishing in Marathon. Coral Reefs abound in the area and are easily accessible to both snorkelers and divers. The most popular destination is Sombrero Reef where towering coral fingers or "spurs" rise up from the 25-foot depths. Known as a "spur and groove" reef system, the grooves are parallel channels of reef.
Sombrero Reef sits about 4 miles offshore (about a 30-minute boat ride out of Marathon) and is marked by the antique Sombrero Reef Light, a tower that straddles some of the more dramatic coral formations. Snorkelers can drift along in the clear water and get a bird's eye view of multihued parrotfish, angelfish, yellowtail snapper, jacks, and clouds of sergeant majors swimming among the red, yellow, and green coral formations and the decorative, branching soft corals and sponges. Divers will be able to peer at eye level into nooks and crannies where lobsters, crabs, and maybe even a grouper will be peering back at them.
Many of the dive shops can provide quick and safe diving courses that will get you out on the reef the same day. They'll also provide snorkeling advice and rental equipment. A vast number of dive and snorkel tours are available from the area's dive shops and resorts. Glass bottom boats are also available for drier trips to the reefs. They still provide an excellent opportunity to clearly see the reef and its inhabitants.
Between the main line coral reefs and Marathon's shore are a number of patch reefs too numerous to count. Each patch nurtures its own family of fish, shells, crabs, and corals. Should you meet a reclusive lobster, don't take it home to dinner unless it's in season.
Wreck diving is also popular in the waters surrounding Marathon where there are more than 50 sites to choose from, including sunken Spanish treasure ships and the 189-foot research vessel Thunderbolt, which was intentionally sunk in 120 feet of water. With the doors, hatches, and windows removed, divers are free to swim through and explore the five-story ship and see the community of sea life that has been established.
