Pickles
Common sea fans cover the crest of Pickles so thickly it looks like a sea fan farm. The 19th century wreck that gives this reef its name also lies in the shallows, in about 10ft of water near two metal stakes that mark the reef top. The Pickle Barrel Wreck was a barge that carried mortar in wooden barrels, possibly for the construction of Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas. The wood of the barrels is long gone, but seawater set up the mortar, and a number of barrel-shaped concrete plugs litter the bottom. The sides of the vessel are surprisingly intact for such an exposed wreck and shelter many juvenile fish and invertebrates.
Three mooring buoys are in place at Pickles. Depth at the buoys is about 15ft. A short snorkel toward land will take you along the reef crest; if you head seaward on scuba, you’ll descend a gradual slope to 70 or 80ft before the reef peters out.
The highlights of the reef, though, are near the buoys. Several wedge-shaped sand channels run past the buoys. The sides are formed by 5ft-high coral ledges that are undercut 2 to 3ft. During the day hundreds of grunts and snappers line the ledges, giving way graciously to the parrotfish that munch their way along the coral. Several large, healthy colonies of star, starlet and brain corals sit in isolation on the sand.
When you first enter the water, look carefully around at the limits of your vision. Turtles and nurse sharks often shelter along the margins of the sand channels and can be closely approached if you are patient and careful.
Reproduced with permission from Diving & Snorkeling Florida Keys 2001 Lonely Plant Publications www.lonelyplanet.com