Snorkeling Coffin’s Patch in Marathon, Florida
Jackie and I recently traveled to the Florida Keys for a class on Marine Habitat Restoration. During the three day visit, we stayed in a canal-front rental home in Marathon. We love waterfront places in Florida, especially when one of our housemates brings along a boat. When that friend invited us for an afternoon snorkeling trip to Cofifn’s Patch, we were pretty damn happy.
Coffin’s Patch was once considered a stellar snorkeling locale, but in the past several years, due to coral bleaching, the underwater landscape has changed substantially. Bleaching of coral happens when the coral is stressed, typically due to changes in temperature (in this case, warmer ocean temps). Despite the bleaching event, we were excited to do some snorkeling. Anytime we’re floating face down on top of a reef, we’re happy – you know, as long as we’re still breathing…
We never saw the pre-bleaching Coffin’s Patch, so we can’t provide a before and after comparison. But what we saw was a bit sad, as the reef literally looked pale and muted, but there were still plenty of beautiful tropical reef fish swimming below.
We anchored to a mooring buoy and slipped into the warm water. The depths were typically 8-10 feet and visibility was excellent. Plenty of colorful fish were visible as we coasted on the surface, but the views were typically better when we dove to the bottom. Highlight fish we spotted included Blue Tangs, Angel Fish, Sergeant Majors, Parrotfish, Hogfish and Cowfish plus a slew of others. Between Jackie and I we spotted 20+ species.
Jackie had an awesome encounter when a Nurse Shark passed just beneath her. Nurse sharks are not aggressive to humans. Still, there are countless stories of dumbass divers getting too close and suffering bites. Jackie was smarter than that, and this 5 footer sailed peacefully by. I missed it and I had the GoPro, so you won’t see the shark on our video above (but you will see plenty of cool reef fish).
Other members in our group saw lobsters and sting rays during the dive, but neither of us saw them. Still, it was encouraging to see the diversity in sea life. As I exited the reef and headed back to the boat I was greeted with a cool surprise. Not Nurse Shark cool, but still memorable. A huge school of Grunts and Yellow-Tailed Snapper swarmed around me looking for handouts just inches from my face. Pretty cool moment for me.
When we returned to the boat, we realized that we’d snorkeled for two plus hours! Coffin’s Patch might not be as vibrant as it once was, but it’s still vibrant, exciting place to spend a few hours. We’ll be back!
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Bob and Jackie
Sunshine Vagabonds