ReefsnWrecks Home Page

About The Maps

The Reefs and Wrecks Detail Nautical Reef Charts present a never before seen view of Florida's reefs and wrecks.  These maps present an exciting new view of the sea bed, showing the exact size, location and topography of bottom structures in very fine detail.  Fishermen and scuba divers will love the ability to see the exact depth, relief and position of each underwater structure, allowing them to drop anchor and position their boat exactly where needed to catch more fish.  Eliminate wasted time and gas searching around or fishing over sand.  Explore new areas with confidence.  No need to spend thoursands of dollars on a new "bottom view" sonar unit.   We scan the entire area of the reef with sophisticated GPS and sonar equipment and process the combined data to create highly accurate charts with a 0.1ft. depth and a .001 minute (6ft) resolution.  Don't get your anchor snagged on unknow structures.   Just open our Detail Nautical Reef Charts and see everything at once.   Spend more time on the high relief structures that fish love.

We have divided up the website by Florida county.   We currently have the counties that are featured on tabs on the top of the screen.   Other reefs in other counties are being added all the time so please check back if you do not see your county listed. The green shaded counties below have reefs we have currently scanned. Just mouse click on the county you are in interested in.   When you get to the county page just click on one of the little red X's to jump directly to that reef. 

What are Detailed Nautical Reef Charts

The picture on the left below shows the lack of detail of a standard NOAA chart.   You can see that the reef is shown only as a small light blue half circle and labled as a Fish Haven with a minimum authorized depth.   It does not show any detail as to the location of structure, which is imperative for fishing and diving.    So we scanned the bottom of the entire reef areas with sonar for many hours and then processed the data to produce our Detailed Nautical Reef Charts.   (Zoomed in view seen on the right).   Now you know exactly where to go fishing or diving, no hunting around looking on your depth sounder.   Move around and check out all the structures in the area not just one or two waypoints you got from a friend.  See your boat positioned right on the charts (shown with range rings on) in real time as you move around and anchor up.

 How To Use The Charts

Brighter reds have greater profiles (peaks) while light blues have lower profiles. The color key scale on the right indicates the respective reliefs. The left side of the map indicates the GPS latitude (North-South) and the bottom of the map indicates the GPS longitude (East-West) coordinates.   Each reef contains a numeric key, the date it was deployed, a description and the relief in feet off the bottom.   Know what is on the bottom before you drop anchor, and when you do, drop it right where you want it!

Formats available:

NOTE:   All downloadable files are packaged in a self extracting ZIP file with the .EXE extension.   This file can only be extracted on a Microsoft Windows platform.   The file cannot be extracted on a tablet or Apple computer without special software that allows it to run Windows programs.   The .EXE file must be run to accept the license agreement, specify a file folder and automatically UNZip them for use.   Never load the raw .EXE file into any non Windows device.

The GPX file which contains only the latitude and longitude of all the waypoints associated with that particular reef.   There are no nautical charts included with the file, only waypoints.  The waypoints are chosen to be in the center of each large pile of reef material, or a number of interesting spots along a particular ledge or wreck.   Each waypoint contains a description of the material or reef that is at the waypoint, the depth and relief off the bottom.   (Example of GPX file below.)  Most GPS units will accept an import of a GPX file.   Check with the manufacturer of your GPS unit for detailed instructions for loading a GPX file into your chartplotter.  The GPX User Manual explains how to use the file and can be downloaded for FREE by selecting (SAMPLE) by any GPX file selection or this link:  GPX User Manual

The KAP format is the same format as all standard NOAA raster charts and can be used in many chart navigation programs.   As you zoom into a smaller and smaller area, our detailed reef and wreck charts will open and display exactly what is on the bottom.  All the charts show details with resolution down to .001 minute (6ft).   This format is used with OpenCPN on a PC or with SeaIQ Open on an iPad/iPhone or Android device.  The KAP User Manual explains how to use the file and can be downloaded for FREE by selecting (SAMPLE) by any KAP file selection or this link: KAP User Manual

The KMZ format is used with Garmin hand held GPS units and on a PC with Garmin Homeport and Google Earth.  The KMZ User Manual explains how to use the file and can be downloaded for FREE by selecting (SAMPLE) by any KMZ file selection or this link: KMZ User Manual

The PDF Format is formatted to let you print out the pages and bring them with you fishing or diving.    The pages are laid out with a description of the reef and a table of callouts with deploy data, reef description and height off the bottom or relief.   Place the pages in plastic sleeves or laminate them for use on the boat.    Bring them with you on a friends boat or your own if you want a simple hard copy way to view the detailed reef charts.  The PDF User Manual explains how to use the file and can be downloaded for free by selecting (SAMPLE) by any PDF file selection or clicking this link: PDF User Manual

The QDC format (Quickdraw Contours) is used with Garmin marine GPS units.  Refer to the Garmin website to check if your marine depth sounder is compatable with Garmin Quickdraw Contours.  The QDC User Manual explains how to use the file and can be downloaded for FREE by selecting (SAMPLE) by any QDC file selection of clicking this link: QDC User Manual.

 The AT5 format (Atlas Version 10) is used with Lowrance, Simrad and B&G marine GPS units.  Refer to the Lowrance, Simrad and B&G website to check if your marine depth sounder is compatable with the AT5 Version 10 raster charts.  The AT5 User Manual explains how to use the file and can be downloaded for FREE by selecting (SAMPLE) by any AT5 file selection or this link: AT5 User Manual  The picture below is a screen shot taken from a Lowrance HDSLive Chartplotter.

GPX files start at $2.99 and the KAP, KMZ, PDF, AT5 and QDC files are only an additional $1.99.  The GPX file is included in all formats.  You can order multiple formats at the same time for only $1.99 more and save some money.

Go to the Sarasota tab, select Fisher Reef and download all the available file formats for FREE and give it a try.  You will be amazed at the detail and accuracy of our Detailed Nautical Reef charts.