Christmas Tree Cave
Conditions & tides
Scored by DiveConnect's site-physics model
Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
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About this site
Christmas Tree Cave is a swim-through on French Reef, off Key Largo, Florida. Despite the name it is not a true cave. It is an open reef formation where sand has washed away beneath part of the coral spurs, leaving an opening that divers swim beneath and through. The site is shallow, with a maximum depth of about 41 ft (12.5 m).
The feature lies about 50 ft (15 m) inshore of mooring buoy F3.
The passage. It is only about 15 to 20 ft (5 to 6 m) long and narrow enough that divers go through in single file. Light from the exit stays visible from the entrance, so it is easy to navigate. Good buoyancy control is essential to avoid touching the coral around it.
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The passage is filled with the Christmas tree worms that give it its name, and moray eels and grouper are found here too.
Marine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
Eagle rayEagle rayReported here · unconfirmed
Caribbean Bluehead WrasseThalassoma bifasciatumReported here · unconfirmed
Bicolor DamselfishStegastes partitusReported here · unconfirmed
Redband ParrotfishSparisoma aurofrenatumReported here · unconfirmed
Striped ParrotfishScarus iseriReported here · unconfirmed
Brazilian Ocean SurgeonfishAcanthurus bahianusReported here · unconfirmed
Yellowhead WrasseHalichoeres garnotiReported here · unconfirmed
Clown WrasseHalichoeres maculipinnaReported here · unconfirmed
Atlantic Blue TangAcanthurus coeruleusReported here · unconfirmed
Yellowtail SnapperOcyurus chrysurusReported here · unconfirmed
Slippery DickHalichoeres bivittatusReported here · unconfirmed
GrouperGrouperReported here · unconfirmed
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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