Top 50 most commonly seen fish and other marine life while snorkeling or diving in the Florida Keys

If you will be going snorkeling or diving in the Florida Keys, you might be wondering what kind of fish and other marine life are you likely to encounter? What do they look like? What are their names? Well, their common names or species names, not their individual names. Although I do tend to call groupers "Fred". Aside from that, you may look down this page and see a master list of the 50 most commonly observed fish and other wildlife in the Sanctuary Protected Areas (SPA) of the Florida Keys. The Florida Keys are home to Earth's second largest coral reef, after Australia's Great Barrier Reef. There are so many amazing snorkeling and diving locations in the Keys and so much to see. You can also click here to see the Top snorkeling and diving locations in the Florida keys.

Top 50 most commonly seen fish and other marine life while snorkeling or diving in the Florida Keys

Below is a master identifier photo followed by notes and/or descriptions of each after it! That part will take time to fill out!

If you have access to a color printer, you can print out this PDF version of the table (it will open in a new window ready to print) below put it in a gallon size ziplock bag which makes it waterproof and take it along with you to identify the fish . Of course, double check that your zip lock bag is sealed properly, if you want to go underwater with it or take a few backup copies

Top 50 most commonly seen fish and other marine life while snorkeling or diving in the Florida Keys

Snorkeling Fish Varieties in the Florida Keys

Dozens of fish varieties (species) are commonly seen on a typical snorkel trip at these Florida Keys spots, with 20-50+ possible under good conditions of calm, clear waters. There are 500-600+ species living in the reefs overall.

The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary has healthy patch reefs and barrier reefs teeming with tropical fish. While total biodiversity is high, snorkelers usually encounter a colorful subset: schools of reef fish, grazers, and occasional larger species: depending on the site, depth, visibility, and conditions.

Common Fish Across Sites

Frequently sighted species include Blue Tang, Stoplight Parrotfish, Yellowtail Snapper, Bluehead Wrasse, Sergeant Major, damselfish (Bicolor), grunts (French, Bluestriped), Ocean Surgeonfish, and butterflyfish. Parrotfish (multiple species with varied color phases), angelfish (Queen, French, Gray), snappers, and wrasses dominate most snorkels. Larger encounters like nurse sharks, rays, turtles, barracuda, or grouper add excitement.

Location-Specific Fish and other Life Seen

Looe Key Reef (Lower Keys):
Larger barrier reef with varied depths. Goliath/Colossal Grouper, Tarpon, sharks (Nurse, Blacktip), Spotted Eagle Rays, huge parrotfish schools, plus angelfish, tangs, snappers, grunts. One snorkler reported seeing about 30-40 species.
Alligator Reef (Middle Keys, with iconic lighthouse):
Diverse marine life including parrotfish, angelfish, snappers, grunts, Blue Tang, wrasses, barracuda, groupers, and occasional rays or turtles. Popular for the lighthouse and the abundance of fish.
Cheeca Rocks (The Donut Hole) (shallow patch reef, 6-20 ft, near Islamorada):
Smaller, juvenile fish, plus turtles, and healthy corals.
Common: parrotfish (Midnight, Rainbow), angelfish, Blue Tang, grunts, damselfish, butterflyfish, wrasses, hogfish, occasional barracuda, nurse sharks and rays.
Patch Reef (Donut Hole) (various shallow inshore sites, 5-30 ft):
Nursery habitats with juvenile fish, brain and star corals.
Common: hogfish, grouper, parrotfish, grunts, barracuda, sergeant majors, Blue Tang, damselfish, angelfish, snappers. Good for families and beginners.
Molasses Reef (popular barrier reef, Key Largo, ~10-40 ft):
Plentiful fish life with parrotfish, wrasses, snappers, groupers, nurse sharks, spotted eagle rays, turtles. Excellent visibility on good days; spur-and-groove formations.
Hen and Chickens (patch reef, Islamorada, ~10-22 ft):
Labyrinth of large brain and star coral heads. Schools of Yellowtail Snapper and grunts, angelfish (Blue, French, Gray), butterflyfish, Blue Tang, barracuda, chubs, Porkfish, damselfish, parrotfish, wrasses (Bluehead, Spanish Hogfish), Trumpetfish, Spotted Trunkfish, eagle rays.
John Pennekamp State Park Reef (e.g., various reefs including Grecian Rocks, Dry Rocks aka, Christ of the Abyss):
Parrotfish (in about 15 varieties, with many color phases), wrasses, damselfish (Sergeant Major, a common and feisty fishy), snappers, grunts, barracuda. Also turtles, nurse sharks, rays, lobsters. This is a nice, shallow, protected area well suited for beginners.
Coffins Patch - San Pedro Wreck Reef (shallow wreck + reef, ~18 ft, Upper Keys):
Grunts (white/blue striped), Gray and Lane Snapper, gobies, lobsters hide in cannons, and eels lurk between the ballast stones. This reef attracts many fish due to structure.
Pickles Reef (Key Largo, 10-25 ft):
Healthy corals with snapper, grouper, angelfish, parrotfish, butterflyfish schools. Fewer crowds; and really good for photography.
Sombrero Key Reef (Middle Keys, 5-30 ft, spur-and-groove with lighthouse):
Parrotfish (Stoplight, Rainbow, etc.), angelfish, Blue Tang, hogfish, wrasses, Yellowtail Snapper, barracuda, damselfish, sergeant majors. Larger: eagle rays, turtles, nurse sharks, moray eels.
Conch Reef (Key Largo area):
Similar to other the reefs: yellowtail and mutton snapper, grunts, tropicals, with potential for bigger fish on edges.

Print the fish identifer table and put it in a gallon size zip lock bag to take on the boat

All you need is a color printer. When you click here it will open the image above already rotated 90 degrees and ready to print out in a portrait mode on a color printer. Once you print it you can simply take a pair of scissors cut off the white borders and slide it into a gallon size zip lock bag to make it waterproof. You could also use heavier card stock paper to make it stiffer.

What Influences Sightings

Conditions (such as water clarity, weather, currents, season), group size, and guide knowledge matter. Shallow calm days improve sightings; deeper or outer reefs offer bigger fish. All sites are protected: you may observe without touching or feeding. Guided tours (with ID tips) enhance the experience for some. These reefs deliver an experience like you are inside a giant aquarium, with constant color and motion.

Also see the Top 11 best snorkeling and diving locations in the Florida keys