Why are there no waves at Key West?

You see, Key West and the rest of the Florida Keys are coral islands – former reefs, created when the ocean was deeper and the region was submerged below the sea. Today, the ocean is shallower and the living coral reefs are six miles offshore, providing a barrier to waves and swells.



People Also Ask

The island chain has the unique geographic good fortune of having the only living coral reef in the continental U.S. running parallel along its length. The reef acts as a barrier to the waves coming in from the Atlantic Ocean, preventing waves from pounding against shoreline rocks, thereby inhibiting sand build-up.

MORE DETAILS

The Keys has the longest living coral reef in America, running 221 miles from Key Largo FL and continuing southwest to the Dry Tortugas National Park. The coral reefs protection keeps the waves from crashing ashore, which causes erosion. This also means the water inshore of the coral reefs is shallower, and calmer.

MORE DETAILS

You can also swim and enjoy other water sports like windsurfing and snorkeling as well as kayaking and paddleboarding in the clear, clean water inhabited by tropical fish.

MORE DETAILS

As sargassum washes ashore every year in Key West, locals and visitors alike are primarily annoyed by the smell of the sargassum quantity on the beach. This giant blob of seaweed breaks up along the shore to create a mess on public beaches in Monroe County, but there's not too much danger involved.

MORE DETAILS

Sea level rise projections from the Interagency Sea Level Rise Scenario Tool (published by NASA's Sea Level Change Team) indicate that Key West could experience between 0.45 and 2.16 meters (1 and 7 feet) of sea level rise by 2100.

MORE DETAILS

47th Annual Swim Around Key West on June 3, 2023.

MORE DETAILS

This mass bleaching event has made an already bad situation worse. Well before summer, the area of healthy reefs in the Florida Keys had already declined by 90 percent, due to past heat waves, diseases, ocean acidification, and other threats. The majority of Florida's reefs that remain, meanwhile, are eroding.

MORE DETAILS

Know the Facts. In Key West, there has never been a fatal shark attack, and there's only been one incident reported in the record books since the 1800s. For those who like statistics, you're 45,000 times more likely to die from a car accident than from a shark attack.

MORE DETAILS

Key West, Florida: Not only has Key West never experienced snow, it's never seen frost, ice, or sleet either.

MORE DETAILS

Key West beaches are similar to The Bahamas, with white sand, coral rocks, and shallow turquoise water with tropical fish right off shore.

MORE DETAILS

Florida Keys Could Be Underwater by 2025.

MORE DETAILS

Hurricane season has been a part of Key West since the 1500s. The area has a 16 percent chance of being hit by a hurricane or tropical storm. The first hurricane recorded as most likely hitting Key West took place in 1557.

MORE DETAILS

The water provided to customers in the Florida Keys is continuously monitored and tested to ensure the water quality is consistent, safe, and meets all federal and state drinking water standards.

MORE DETAILS