Coral Reef Diagnostics

Florida - Brewster Reef (Miami)

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Part of the regional summary: USA - Florida

05
Coral Health Index: TBD
Country
USA (Florida)
Date(s) visited
2019-05-15
Coordinates
25.6700, -80.0900
Approximate position.
Coral cover
3.0%
newest survey within 0.5 km, not this site: NOAA NCRMP Florida, FLK PSU 1246-1 station, 2024-11-12, 0.18 km away
Observations
None tagged; see Stressors below
Heat stress
Most recent heat load record
28.6°C9.6°C-weeks
26 Oct 2026 · NOAA alert that day: no stress (water now below the bleaching threshold; 9.6°C-weeks built up over the last 12 weeks)
5-year thermal stress load
5-year mean max. degree heating weeks (DHW)
9.4°C-weeksi
2021–2025
NOAA Coral Reef Watch — Southeast Florida virtual station
i 5-year mean max. DHW is the mean of the annual maximum DHWs over the five complete years named above, not conditions today.
More infoSoutheast Florida (NOAA CRW virtual station)
Site summary

Two dives on Key Biscayne's Brewster Reef in 2019, with no photographs or coral-cover survey; Anderson's log notes glassy seas, water clogged with ctenophores, and few of the target organism, Ciona varians, and nearby published monitoring reports low hard coral cover for this stretch of the northern Florida reef tract.

Max. depth dived
14.6 m
Water temp. during survey
27.9–28.2°C
range of the logged dives

Seventeen independent survey stations shown with the program’s logo — click one to see how far it is from this site.

Five other CRD dive sites with their own pages within 5 km shown in orange — click a marker to open its page.

Site description

Setting

Brewster Reef lies off Key Biscayne on the northern Florida reef tract, a short run from the Rickenbacker Causeway.

Coral cover

Stressors

As regional context only: published monitoring for this section of the northern Florida reef tract reports low hard coral cover.

Comparisons with other data

FWC CREMP (SECREMP) surveyed a nearby station (Dade County 4) between 2010 and 2017, 0.33 km from the pin. Within 5 km, seventeen independent stations recorded station-year means of 0.1–5.8% hard coral cover between 2004 and 2024; the nearest, NOAA NCRMP Florida at FLK PSU 1246-1, 0.18 km away, read 3.0% in 2024.

Dive record

Anderson logged two dives here on 2019-05-15: entering at 10:27 for 23 minutes to a maximum of 14.6 m (average 10.36 m, 27.9°C average), and again at 11:20 for 22 minutes to a maximum of 12.5 m (average 8.84 m, 28.2°C average). Anderson's log notes glassy seas with the water absolutely clogged with ctenophores on the first dive, and few of the target organism, Ciona varians, on the second.

Dive history

DateTime inMax depth (m)Bottom time (min)
2019-05-1510:2714.623
2019-05-1511:2012.522

Independent surveys nearby

Data availability near this site
Agency / programYear(s)Stations / distanceLink
FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP)2010–202412 stations, 0.33–3.02 kmRecords ↓
Lirman et al. (2007)20041 station, 1.50 kmRecords ↓
NOAA NCRMP20161 station, 1.11 kmRecords ↓
NOAA NCRMP Florida20243 stations, 0.18–4.14 kmRecords ↓
Hard coral cover over time — every independent station within 5 km. Programs are shown separately because they use different methods at different stations; the lines are not one comparable series.
0%10%200420142024Lirman et al. (2007) 2004: 1.4%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2010: 0.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2010: 0.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2010: 0.9%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2010: 1.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2010: 2.1%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2010: 2.4%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2010: 2.6%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2010: 2.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2011: 0.3%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2011: 0.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2011: 0.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2011: 1.0%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2011: 1.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2011: 1.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2011: 1.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2011: 1.9%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2012: 0.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2012: 1.1%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2012: 1.5%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2012: 1.5%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2012: 1.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2012: 1.9%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2012: 2.6%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2012: 2.9%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2013: 0.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2013: 0.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2013: 0.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2013: 0.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2013: 1.0%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2013: 1.3%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2013: 1.3%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2013: 1.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2013: 1.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2013: 2.2%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2013: 2.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2013: 3.1%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2014: 0.5%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2014: 0.6%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2014: 0.9%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2014: 1.0%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2014: 1.1%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2014: 1.3%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2014: 1.4%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2014: 1.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2014: 2.4%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2014: 3.0%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2014: 3.5%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2014: 5.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2015: 0.4%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2015: 0.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2015: 0.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2015: 0.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2015: 0.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2015: 1.2%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2015: 1.3%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2015: 1.3%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2015: 1.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2015: 1.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2015: 1.9%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2015: 2.0%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2016: 0.2%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2016: 0.5%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2016: 0.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2016: 0.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2016: 0.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2016: 0.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2016: 1.0%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2016: 1.1%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2016: 1.1%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2016: 1.4%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2016: 1.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2016: 2.6%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2017: 0.5%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2017: 0.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2017: 0.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2017: 0.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2017: 0.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2017: 0.9%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2017: 0.9%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2017: 1.0%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2017: 1.1%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2017: 1.3%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2017: 1.6%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2017: 1.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2018: 0.3%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2018: 0.3%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2018: 0.4%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2018: 0.4%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2018: 0.5%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2018: 0.5%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2018: 0.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2018: 0.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2018: 0.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2018: 0.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2018: 1.2%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2018: 2.2%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2019: 0.3%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2019: 0.5%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2019: 0.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2019: 0.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2019: 0.9%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2019: 1.0%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2019: 1.1%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2019: 1.2%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2019: 1.2%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2019: 1.5%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2019: 1.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2019: 1.9%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2020: 0.4%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2020: 0.4%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2020: 0.5%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2020: 0.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2020: 1.0%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2020: 1.1%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2020: 1.2%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2020: 1.4%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2020: 1.5%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2020: 1.6%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2020: 1.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2020: 3.0%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2021: 0.1%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2021: 0.3%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2021: 0.6%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2021: 0.6%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2021: 0.6%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2021: 1.0%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2021: 1.0%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2021: 1.2%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2021: 1.2%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2021: 1.2%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2021: 1.4%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2021: 1.6%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2022: 0.4%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2022: 0.6%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2022: 0.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2022: 0.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2022: 0.9%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2022: 1.1%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2022: 1.2%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2022: 1.3%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2022: 1.6%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2022: 1.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2022: 1.9%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2022: 2.5%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2023: 0.2%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2023: 0.4%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2023: 0.5%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2023: 0.6%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2023: 0.6%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2023: 0.6%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2023: 0.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2023: 0.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2023: 1.1%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2023: 1.4%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2023: 1.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2023: 1.8%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2024: 0.4%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2024: 0.5%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2024: 0.6%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2024: 0.6%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2024: 0.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2024: 0.7%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2024: 1.1%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2024: 1.2%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2024: 1.2%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2024: 1.3%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2024: 1.5%FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) 2024: 1.8%NOAA NCRMP 2016: 3.0%NOAA NCRMP Florida 2024: 2.0%NOAA NCRMP Florida 2024: 3.0%NOAA NCRMP Florida 2024: 3.0%Year-averaged across all programs: illustrative only; the programs differ in stations and method, so no trend is claimed (16 years)
Lirman et al. (2007) FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP) NOAA NCRMP NOAA NCRMP FloridaYear-average (illustrative only, programs differ)

Within 5 km, 17 independent survey stations recorded hard coral cover in 173 records between 2004 and 2024. Of the 12 stations surveyed in more than one year, 10 declined (by 0.2–2.2 points) and 2 increased (by 0.2–0.5 points) between their first and latest surveys. 8 stations share the longest span (2010–2024); one, Dade County 4 #991 (FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP), 0.33 km away), went from 0.9% in 2010 to 1.1% in 2024. Since 2021, station-year means average 1.1% (range 0.1–3.0%; n = 51 station-years from 51 records).

Collected by other programs using different methods (NOAA rows come from NOAA monitoring programs (NCRMP, PIFSC, NCCOS), and each row's method is in its hover text; FWC-FWRI uses fixed-station point counts), so these are context for the figures above, not a like-for-like comparison. Where a station was surveyed more than once, the cell shows either the range of its values or, as a single value, the mean of surveys made in one year. Station names are not dive-site names.

Show all 173 independent survey records
Independent survey data near this site
AgencySite / locationDateHard coral cover (%)DistanceLink
Lirman et al. (2007)Key Biscayne20041.4%1.50 kmdoi:10.1007/s10661-006-9239-0
FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP)Dade County 4 #9912010–20240.5–1.9% (15 surveys)0.33 km—
FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP)Dade County 4 #9922010–20240.5–1.5% (15 surveys)0.33 km—
FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP)Dade County 4 #9932010–20241.1–3.0% (15 surveys)0.33 km—
FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP)Dade County 4 #9942010–20240.2–1.9% (15 surveys)0.33 km—
FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP)Dade County 5 #12010–20240.3–2.8% (15 surveys)2.08 km—
FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP)Dade County 5 #22010–20240.4–1.7% (15 surveys)2.08 km—
FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP)Dade County 5 #32010–20240.3–5.8% (15 surveys)2.08 km—
FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP)Dade County 5 #42010–20240.4–3.5% (15 surveys)2.08 km—
FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP)Dade County 8 #612013–20241.2–3.1% (12 surveys)3.02 km—
FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP)Dade County 8 #622013–20240.4–1.0% (12 surveys)3.02 km—
FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP)Dade County 8 #632013–20240.1–2.4% (12 surveys)3.02 km—
FWC CREMP (Southeast Florida, SECREMP)Dade County 8 #642013–20240.2–1.1% (12 surveys)3.02 km—
NOAA NCRMPFLK-40820163.0%1.11 km—
NOAA NCRMP FloridaFLK PSU 1246-120243.0%0.18 kmNCEI 0306238
NOAA NCRMP FloridaFLK PSU 1287-120242.0%2.65 kmNCEI 0306238
NOAA NCRMP FloridaFLK PSU 1177-120243.0%4.14 kmNCEI 0306238

Data & links

Data on this page are from Coral Reef Diagnostics (the dive record) and the organizations named in the data sources above; Coral Reef Diagnostics has no coral cover estimate of its own at this site.

© Coral Reef Diagnostics.