Anniversary Reef in Biscayne National Park

#8 of 27 sights in Biscayne

Sight · Biscayne National Park

Anniversary Reef

Two official moorings mark this snorkel stop on the Florida Reef.

Photo: National Park Service

Overview

About Anniversary Reef

Why stop

  • A dedicated coral-reef snorkel stop, with sea fans and reef fish reported here.

Heads up

  • Boat-only access makes this a planned excursion, not a quick stop.

Map

Where it is

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SightAnniversary Reef25.38825, -80.16440
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Plan your stop

Before you go

Use the moorings as access points

Two visitor moorings mark the reef: Anniversary Reef 2 and Anniversary Reef 4. The map pin is Reef 2's mooring, an access point rather than the center of a surveyed reef. The listed depths at the buoys are 14 feet and 9 feet; one snorkeler described the reef itself at about 20 feet, so don't treat the buoy figures as a depth for the whole area.

The water is shallow around many moorings, so approach slowly. Each boat may use a buoy for up to four hours; tie your deck line through the buoy's tag line. Moorings can be damaged or missing, so have another destination in mind before you head out.

1 active Biscayne alert

  • CautionBoater caution: navigational markers may be missing or movedUse caution while navigating park waters: navigational markers may be missing or moved due to unforeseen circumstances. Check current park alerts before boating.Official details
Biscayne alerts
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Biscayne Tour Guide

Your drive to Anniversary Reef, narrated.

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Guide

More about Anniversary Reef

Is this the snorkel stop you want?Anniversary Reef is an offshore coral reef in Biscayne National Park, reached by boat and known…

Anniversary Reef is an offshore coral reef in Biscayne National Park, reached by boat and known as a snorkeling destination. Keep it on your list if you want to get in the water over coral and reef fish; it isn't a beach or a roadside overlook. You'll need your own boat or a guided trip, so plan it as a boat excursion rather than a quick shore stop. Authorized operators offer snorkeling charters, and guided outings are best reserved ahead.

What turns up underwaterA 2022 snorkel visit described elkhorn and brain coral, sea fans, and reef fish including…

A 2022 snorkel visit described elkhorn and brain coral, sea fans, and reef fish including yellowtail snapper, grunts, blue tang, sergeant majors, hamlets, wrasses, and blue chromis. Those are observations from one trip, not a species checklist or a promise of what you'll see; swells and visibility varied on that outing.

Part of a much longer reefAnniversary Reef sits at the northern end of the Florida Reef, a coral barrier reef tract about…

Anniversary Reef sits at the northern end of the Florida Reef, a coral barrier reef tract about 170 miles long that also includes Dry Tortugas National Park. Biscayne protects a portion of one of the world's longest barrier reef ecosystems, so this small boat stop is part of a much larger stretch of living reef.

Wildlife

Wildlife in Biscayne

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Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Biscayne. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

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