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  • Nº158 # Date: 2021-04-22 - 14:03
  • # Max Depth: 8.1m Duration: 53mins
Diver's Notes

Elbow Reef is among my favorite reef dives in Key Largo, and the Hannah M. Bell one of my favorite sites at Elbow Reef. I remember this wreck as being flanked by a huge field of sea fans, in which scrawled file fish and other remarkable marine life abound. The other side of the wreck borders the sandy sea floor that stretches out into the blue, and is often visited by reef sharks and other larger sea life.

I was figuratively holding my breath in anticipation after witnessing the devastation of French Reef. Were the sea fans gone? Was the coral dead, and wreck covered in algae? Would I see an nearly unrecognizable site, as I did at Hardbottom Cave?

We entered the water at buoy #6, opposite of the entry point I have typically found myself. Nonetheless, the site was familiar. And to my delight, much of the sea fans were still intact! There was a noticeable difference in the quantity of healthy coral, but stands of elkhorn were still present, and the marine life seemed more abundant and varied here than at French Reef. Perhaps if this had been my first dive of the trip, I would have been a bit disappointed in the shape of the reef, but after French Reef, I found myself more relieved.

The spiny lobsters were out and about, apparently aware of the restrictions on harvesting any marine life on or around Elbow Reef. A large school of great barracuda were hovering above the bow of the shipwreck. Scrawled filefish swam among the sea fans; a stingray fed on something indiscernible in the sandy channel along one of the finger reefs; seargent majors, surgeonfishes, grunts and chromis patrolled the wreck; a Nassau grouper stayed out-of-site, tucked under a low reef overhang. Jen and I spent a bit of time on the edge of the wreck staring into the blue hoping to catch site of a shark or eagle ray, but none would show themselves. Nearby, bluehead wrasses hurriedly cleaned a large queen parrotfish.

I returned to the Quiescence II a bit happier than before, and looking forward to our last dive of the day a short distance away at Five Fingers.

Dive Profile
Dive Location

  • Temp: Surf 30°C Bottom 25°C
  • Dive type : Recreational, Reef
  • Visibility: Average Water: Salt
Specific gear used
  • Weights: 2.7 kg
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Dive Shop & Buddies
  • Dive buddies: Jennifer McDonald, Vince Knick, Jenny Kearney, Bryan Kearney, Gary Miller
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Dive Profile

  • 1. Nitrox 31
  • 10L Aluminium     220 → 40 bar
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  • Average depth: 5.8m
Data provided by EOL.org

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