Nine Foot Stake - The Nine Foot Stake in Key West is a good spot for snorkeling, lobstering, and freediving. Located just a few
miles offshore, just inside the reef in front of Key West, it's also a good spot for windy days and when you
don't want to spend lots of money on gas. It's also good because there are two mooring balls to mark the spot
and to save you the trouble of anchoring. Also, it's a good spot if you want to stick relatively close to shore for shallower
freediving or for fun snorkeling and scuba. Depths range from 15 to 30 feet.
If the water isn't very clear at the more popular spots just west of Nine
Foot Stake, it's a good spot to try for better visibility since it's further east of the other spots with
bouys.
The area is great for snorkeling and if you want to get lobsters it provides plenty of structure in which to
search. There's a whole stretch of coral and rocks north of the buoys, as you move towards Key West, so venture
out from the boat, or drift and keep someone in the boat to keep an eye on things. Even at the end of lobster
season in March, you can still find some bugs in front of the Nine Foot Stake if you look under the rocks
and you know what to look for.
There are also snapper, passing mackeral, grouper and some jacks that will fly through. The area is great
and not too deep for beginning freedivers. For snorkeling, the are area offers a wonder array of coral types,
along with the marine life that lives amongst the coral and in the sand around it.
If you go just a little bit east of the Nine Foot Stake bouys, you'll see a lighted marker stick. Anglers
stop here for bait which likes to ball up around the structure. Pelicans like to hang out perched on the top of
the structure, and swoop down on unsuspecting bait for a nice meal. If you're snorkeling you may enjoy seeing
what's down there for a second, but freedivers may get some action with any pelagics that might pass through to
munch on bait. If you hang out long enough during the right season, like winter, you may see mackeral jumping
into the air in order to crash down in a bait ball for some food. Of course there are barracuda here as well,
which always make for good snorkeling adventure too. They learn that boats often mean free food in the form of
chum or from stolen fish off the hook. They also seem to know that freedivers often have fish to offer as well,
so they will actually stalk you! It's strange to be staked by a barracuda, but don't worry they keep their
distance and they won't attack you. They just want your fish.
Nine Foot Stake is a piling of debris amidst lots coral, including brain coral. The debris provides home to lots of variety of marine life, another reason why this is a very popular dive spot.
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