It is 93 mi (150 km) wide at the narrowest point between Key West and the Cuban shore, and has been sounded to a depth of 6,000 feet (1,800 m).
| Straits of Florida | |
|---|---|
| Straits and channels around the Bahama Islands. | |
| Coordinates | 24°00′00″N 80°50′00″WCoordinates: 24°00′00″N 80°50′00″W |
Contents
How deep is the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida?
2,800 feet
By way of comparison average depth of the Pacific Ocean is 13,740 feet (4188 meters) and the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean is the Puerto Rico Trench at 5.4 miles, 28,374 feet (8,648 meters) and the deeps part of the Atlantic off the Florida coast of Port St. Lucie is only 2,800 feet deep (850 meters).
How deep is the ocean near the Bahamas?
The banks’ distinct contours, sharply outlined in dark blue, indicate that the ocean floor drops dramatically around them. In fact, over the banks, the water depth is often less than 10 meters (33 feet), but the surrounding basin plunges to depths as low as 4,000 meters (13,100 feet).
How deep is the ocean around Florida?
It has an average depth (with its seas) of 11,962 feet (3,646 metres) and a maximum depth of 27,493 feet (8,380 metres) in the Puerto Rico Trench, north of the island of Puerto Rico.
How deep is the water around Florida Keys?
Ocean depths from the shoreline to the reef rarely reach 20 feet. The reef lives in waters as shallow as five feet and as deep as 50 feet. Most Keys reef divers log a maximum depth of 20 to 30 feet.
What is the deepest body of water in the Bahamas?
The Tongue of the Ocean
The Tongue of the Ocean (TOTO) is the name of a region of much deeper water in the Bahamas separating the islands of Andros and New Providence.
How deep is the water off the east coast of Florida?
Florida Bay
The average depth is about 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 metres), and the area is scattered with small islands. Mangroves and sea grasses provide habitat for animals such as manatees and sea turtles.
Why is the water around the Bahamas blue?
One reason for this is attributed to the shallow waters surrounding the islands.In fact, the word Bahamas comes from the Spanish phrase “Baja Mar,” which means shallow ocean. The blue color of the ocean comes from the absorption of red and green light wavelengths by the water.
Where is tongue of the ocean?
the Bahamas
The Tongue of the Ocean is a deep water basin in the Bahamas that is surrounded to the east, west and south by a carbonate bank known as the Great Bahama Bank. The deep blue water of the Tongue is a stark contrast to the shallow turquoise waters of the surrounding Bank.
What percentage of the Bahamas is underwater?
Geography of the Bahamas
| Continent | North America |
|---|---|
| • Total | 13,878 km2 (5,358 sq mi) |
| • Land | 72.12% |
| • Water | 27.88% |
| Coastline | 3,542 km (2,201 mi) |
What is Florida built on?
Underlying all of them is the fact that Florida is built on a bedrock of carbonate, primarily limestone. That rock dissolves relatively easily in rainwater, which becomes acidic as it seeps through the soil. The resulting terrain, called “karst,” is honeycombed with cavities.
Are there alot of sharks in Key West?
Yes, of course there are sharks in Key West. We’re situated on a small island surrounded by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico–shark’s natural habitat. What kind of sharks can I see at the reef? The most common shark to see at the Key West reef is the docile nurse shark.
Can you swim in the Florida Keys?
The Keys are made up of the remains of an ancient coral reef, almost all stone. You certainly can swim from the beach, if you can find one. There are a few natural beaches and many small man-made beaches at resorts, etc. The nicest beach we saw was Sandspur in Bahia Honda State Park and we swam from it many times.
Is the Bahamas saltwater or freshwater?
While freshwater bodies of water are relatively scarce, the Bahamas do have a decent collection of lakes, from deep, clear blue holes to brackish, shallow expanses, in addition to many tidal creeks and mangrove swamps.
How deep in feet is the Mariana Trench?
36,201 feet
Then explain to students that the Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the ocean and the deepest location on Earth. It is 11,034 meters (36,201 feet) deep, which is almost 7 miles.
Where does Bahamas get fresh water?
Andros Island
The freshwater lens on Andros Island, Bahamas, is an important source of potable water for local use and for export to the city of Nassau on New Providence Island.
How deep is the water around Miami?
Miami Main Channel on the north side of the Port of Miami has a depth of 36 feet to Main Turning basin with the same depth which is off the northwest corner of Dodge Island. The Lummus Island Turning Basin off Lummus Island as of 1997 had a depth of about 25 feet.
What is the clearest water in the world?
The Weddell Sea has been claimed by scientists to have the clearest waters of any ocean in the world.
How deep is the Caribbean Sea?
7,686 m
Why are Bahamian waters so clear?
The reason that the water in the Bahamas and Hawaii is clearer than along the California coast is likely a combination of both of these factors: 1) the sediments in the Bahamas and Hawaii tend to be composed of heavier particles that are not as easily stirred up or suspended, and 2) there tends to be far less
What is the deepest part of the ocean?
Mariana Trench
Mariana Trench
Located in the western Pacific Ocean, the Marina Trench is considered to be the deepest part of the Earth’s surface. In fact, it is the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench that is known as the deepest point.
