Hangdog Reef - Québec
Tortugas Banks is one of those places we always try to hit when we're in the Lower Keys. It’s a proper reef, a bit different from some of the wreck diving the area is known for, with some really healthy coral formations. We’ve had some fantastic dives here, often spotting big schools of Caesar and Atlantic Spanish Mackerel cruising past. It’s pretty exposed out there, so checking the forecast for calm seas is a must. If it’s windy, you’ll feel it. What we love most about Tortugas Banks is the sheer number of fish, especially the smaller, colourful ones like Indigo Hamlets and Fairy Basslets darting around the coral heads. We’ve spent whole safety stops watching Whitespotted Filefish nibble on algae. Keep an eye out for Hogfish, too; they’re often hanging out near the sandy patches. This site is brilliant for divers who appreciate a thriving natural reef and don't mind a bit of a boat ride to get there. It’s not a drift dive, typically, but currents can pick up, so be prepared for some finning.
- Location
- Québec, Canada, North America
- Coordinates
- 45.583390, -80.533010
- Type
- reef
Nearby Dive Sites in Québec
- Alice G.Tobermory Tugs (Wreck) - 12m (wreck)
- Aloha- Effie Mai (wreck)
- Amburgs Reef (reef)
- Arabia (Wreck) - 34m (wreck)
- Ash Island Barge (wreck)
- Barrett Reef (reef)
- Beaufort Reef (reef)
- Beaufort Reef (reef)
- Big Bay Point - 5-20m (reef)
- Boarding House Reef (reef)
- Boulton Reef (reef)
- Bourinot Reef (reef)
- Boyer Reef (reef)
- Bray Reef (reef)
- Brockville Underwater Sculpture Park
Nearest Dive Centres to Hangdog Reef
- Aquarius Scuba
- Aqua Service
- AquaSystems - NAUI
- Barrie Scuba House - ["PADI"]
- Canadian Sport Subs, Ltd. - ["PADI"]
- Carlos Lopez
Marine Life in Québec
Home to 44 recorded species including 37 reef fish, 3 sea snails & nudibranchs, 2 other, 2 clams & mussels.
Notable Species
- Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) - Reef Fish
- Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax) - Reef Fish
- Slimy Sculpin (Cottus cognatus) - Reef Fish
- Cisco (Coregonus artedi) - Reef Fish
- Spawn (Gasterosteus aculeatus) - Reef Fish
- White Sucker (Catostomus commersonii) - Reef Fish
- Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) - Reef Fish
- Mottled Sculpin (Cottus bairdii) - Reef Fish
- pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) - Reef Fish
- sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)
- Lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) - Reef Fish
- Spottail Shiner (Notropis hudsonius) - Reef Fish
- White Perch (Morone americana) - Reef Fish
- Golden Shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) - Reef Fish
- Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) - Reef Fish
- Sea Trout (Salmo trutta) - Reef Fish
- Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) - Reef Fish
- brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) - Reef Fish
- American Gizzard Shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) - Reef Fish
- burbot (Lota lota) - Reef Fish