Why are there no waves in the Keys?

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.



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There may be barrier islands, artificial breakwaters, or large reefs that break large waves before they reach the beach, so only small waves make it to the beach. You may have visited on a particularly calm day.

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Boasting temperate waters and more than 3,400 hours of annual sunshine, the beaches of Key West are some of the most popular destinations on this tropical island paradise. You can enjoy the sun, sand and warm water as well as a variety of activities like swimming, snorkeling and fishing.

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Runoff and spills have periodically resulted in high levels of fecal coliform and enterococci bacteria in the Florida Keys, resulting in swimming advisories for nearshore waters and beaches.

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Our shores have shallow waters often resulting in sandbars, so the sun can reflect off the white sea floors and the surrounding microscopic plankton, which creates the gradient effect of clear-to-emerald-to azure-to-navy waters as you progress further out into the Gulf.

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Bahia Honda State Park, Big Pine Key For years, there has been widespread agreement that the best beaches in the Florida Keys are the beaches at Bahia Honda State Park at MM 36.8.

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