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Davis Ledge has more schooling fish than any reef I’ve dived in the Florida KeysDavis Ledge is marked with lighted marker number 14. The depth here ranges from 15' to 85'. There are mooring buoys but I don’t know the exact number of them. It’s located approximately 5 miles southeast of Plantation Key. There’s a Sanctuary Preservation Area that’s marked with yellow buoys. You’re not allowed to take fish or lobster from this area, but outside this area it’s OK to do so as long as you have your Florida Saltwater Fishing License and a lobster stamp. The GPS coordinates are 24'55.320N and 080'30.366W.
This dive site has two unique features. The first would be the five to ten foot high ledge that runs the full length of this reef. It attracts many schooling fish. They use it to hide under from would be predators. There’s schools of grunts, yellow goat fish, and pork fish that only leave their cover if you approach too close or if a larger fish appears. It’s home to many unique deep water corals. The second unique feature is a small smiling Buddha statue that sits on a concrete block in the middle of a sandy area. This Buddha was placed there in 1989. If you see him on your dive, you have two choices, you can rub his head for wisdom or you can rub his belly for fertility. But you never do both. That brings you bad luck. I’ve heard that there’s a second statue that’s been added close to the Buddha. It’s a Saint. Davis Ledge is an outer reef. It’s on the edge of a deep water flat. There are a large number of mature Gorgonian corals growing at this dive site. It seems to have more fish life than the other reefs in this area. Probably due to its location. You’re likely to see lots of angle fish, sergeant majors, green moray eels, lobster, butterfly fish, blue tangs, blue surgeon fish, sharks and sea turtles on your dive. Don’t get out of the water until you’ve snorkeled up close to the light marker. This area is literally teeming with thousands of small tropical fish. This Florida Keys dive site attracts lots of divers each year. Return from Davis Ledge to Dive Site List
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