Nine Mile Reef is a dive area naturally crowded with fish and lobsters at such a short distance from Jacksonville.

Name Dive Site:	Nine Mile Reef
Depth:	62-72ft (19-22m)
Visibility:	19-49ft (6-15m)
Accessibility:	Boat
Inserted/Added by:	lars, © Author: Lars Hemel
Rated:	Rated 2.0, 2 votes
Specifications:

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Nine Mile Reef is one of the natural reefs running from Jacksonville all the way to Daytona Beach. It is not just a single reef; it is a reef that rises from the sea floor to disappear again in the sand. We refer to the first part of Nine Mile Reef, located at nine miles offshore the Mayport jetties, hence its name. It became famous first by fishermen because of its natural large amount of fish and because of its distance from shore. Spearfishing, catching lobsters and diving arrived later at the scene. Bottom fishing is very popular in spring and summer and results in catches such as cobia, cuda, bonito, kingfish and tuna. But it is not only bait and game fish that lives here. Species such as flounders, groupers and sheepshead are some of the inhabitants of the wrecks within this reef.

Artificial reef programs have spent more than thirty years here to create a region with a divers and healthy underwater habitat. This resulted in several wrecks such as the Open Sided Barge, Vic's Barge and a fifty foot long steamer tug named Asphalt Barge in the center of the reef. Nine Mile Reef is one of the best known areas for diving, fishing and other water activities.

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