Sombrero Key Explained

Sombrero Key
Location:Caribbean
Pushpin Map:Florida#Caribbean
Country:United States
Type:reef

Sombrero Key is a coral reef in the Florida Reef. It lies to the south of Vaca Key.

The reef lies within the Sombrero Key Sanctuary Preservation Area of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.[1]

The Spanish called the reef Cayo Sombrero. As part of the reef was above water at low tide, it was also called "Dry Bank".[2]

The Sombrero Key Light was built on the reef in 1858,[3] and continued in use until 2015.[2] The lighthouse tower is unsafe, and boaters are forbidden from tying up to the tower or climbing on it.[4]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sombrero Key Sanctuary Protection Area. NOAA. October 28, 2018.
  2. Web site: Sombrero Key Lighthouse. lighthousefriends.com. October 28, 2018.
  3. Book: Love, Dean. Reef Lights: Seaswept Lighthouses of the Florida Keys. The Historic Key West Preservation Board. 1982. 0-943528-03-8. Key West, Florida. 65.
  4. Web site: Coast Guard cautions boaters of unsafe reef lights in Florida Keys. January 29, 2015. Coast Guard News. October 28, 2018.