Florida Keys
Snorkeling Christ of the Abyss is probably the most famous underwater attraction in Key Largo, Florida. It is also known as Christ of the Deep. There is a bronze statue of Christ mounted on a cement base in one of the grooves of a patch reef.
To see the statue you are actually snorkeling the area called Dry Rocks. There are a couple of patch reefs with spur and groove formation, with some areas coming out of the water at low tide, hence the name Dry Rocks. This is a decent snorkel spot, but the statue is in about 25 feet of water, and resides in a small canyon. So, the top of the statue is probably 8-10 feet deep, unless it’s a really low tide. As a snorkeler, you will be quite a bit above it, but will certainly be able to see it.
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2023 Coral Bleaching Event – Please note that very high water temperatures in the summer of 2023 have caused widespread coral bleaching and death in the Florida Keys. So the descriptions on this page are not accurate. If you wish to see healthy coral reefs we now recommend you visit the Coral Triangle.
What You Can See Snorkeling Christ of the Abyss
This nine foot tall underwater statue is an identical replica of a statue called “Il Christo Degli Abissi” that is in the Mediterranean Sea off Italy. Learn the history of the statue here. We found this picture of the statue on the creative commons at flickr.
There is some nice underwater topography and coral around the Christ statue, both soft and hard. But the area is heavily visited and shows signs of wear on the reef. So for healthy underwater sea life, it is not the pinnacle of snorkeling in the area.
Blurry Fish, Rotten Colors, Garbage Pictures
That does not look like what I saw! See our snorkeling camera pages for tips on selecting a good snorkeling camera, and how to use it for great pictures.
A couple of things you may find when snorkeling Christ of the Abyss (Deep) is that some of the barracuda are very friendly because they have been fed by hand (don’t do this). Rays are a common sight at this location. And you may also come across a wedding happening underwater at the statue. Hundreds of people have been married here.
Check out the video below to get a sense for what snorkeling Christ of the Abyss is like. Keep in mind that how far they are freediving down to see the statue, and for the other reef footage. So if you don’t dive, you won’t see it all as well as in this video.
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Find a Boat Company
To get out to Christ of the Abyss, you need to get on a boat. Boat tours leave from Key Largo and Pennekamp State Park. You will likely visit more than one snorkel spot along Dry Rocks on a snorkeling Christ of the Deep trip. The reef is not too deep, so you could get on a boat with divers and be okay.
Unless you are using the big crowded boats in Pennekamp State Park, we suggest you search TripAdvisor for boat companies to take you snorkeling Christ of the Abyss. You can also read reviews of them there. There are some community recommendations for boat companies at the link below.
