Lobstering in Marathon, Florida: Spots, Access & Tips

Marathon sits dead center in the Florida Keys, and that location is its whole advantage. From one town, on one tank of fuel, you can lobster the Atlantic reef or run to the Gulf-side backcountry, two completely different fisheries reachable from the same ramp. No other stretch of the Keys gives a recreational diver this much variety this close together. Here's how to use it.

A gateway to two ecosystems

Most Keys towns hand you one kind of water. Marathon hands you two. The island chain is barely a mile wide here, so the Atlantic reef tract on the ocean side and the shallow Gulf of Mexico backcountry on the bayside are both a short run away. That's the thing to plan around: you almost never get blown off the water entirely, because if one side is rough, the other is usually diveable.

It also means two different styles of lobstering. The oceanside is classic reef diving over coral and rock. The Gulf side is sight-hunting in skinny, calmer water where bugs tuck into potholes and isolated hard bottom. Learn to read both and Marathon will produce in almost any conditions.

If you're new to all of this, start with how lobstering works and pack from the gear checklist first.

Where to lobster around Marathon

Oceanside: patch reefs and hard bottom. Run out toward the reef line and work the scattered coral heads, rock piles, and ledges in Hawk Channel, generally 8 to 25 feet. These isolated patches hold bugs under almost every overhang and get less pressure than the marquee reefs. This is your bread and butter on a calm day.

One important caveat, same as the rest of the Keys: the famous named reefs off Marathon, Sombrero Reef with its lighthouse and Coffins Patch, are no-take Sanctuary Preservation Areas. They're beautiful to snorkel, but lobster harvest is banned inside them. Work the unprotected patch reefs and bottom around them, and check a no-take zone map before you drop.

Gulf-side: the backcountry. When an east wind has the ocean stacked up, cross to the Gulf side and hunt the backcountry. Potholes, ledges, sponge bottom, and isolated rock in skinny water (often under 10 feet) hold lobster and stay diveable when the reef is a mess. Visibility can be lower back here, but the calm water and easy depths make it forgiving. Mind your draft on the flats, and stay clear of any Everglades National Park waters, which are closed to all harvest.

The Seven Mile Bridge: know before you go. No honest Marathon guide skips it, because the bridge rubble and pilings absolutely hold lobster. But the current rips through that channel, visibility is often poor, there's entanglement hazard in the structure, and the boat traffic is relentless. It is not beginner water. We cover why, and how to approach it if you're experienced, in the lobstering around bridges guide.

Getting on the water

Marathon has real boating infrastructure: multiple public ramps, marinas, fuel, and dive shops. The main public launches:

• 33rd Street ocean-side ramp is the go-to for getting to the reef and patch reefs quickly.
• Aviation Boulevard / North Marathon Shores ramp puts you on the Gulf side for backcountry runs.
• Little Duck Key / Veterans Park (around MM 40, gulfside near the Seven Mile Bridge) is another option toward the south end.

Paid marina launches are available too if the public ramps are jammed. As everywhere in the Keys, parking and trailer spots are the real bottleneck on busy weekends and during the two-day mini-season, so arrive early.

Marathon falls inside Lobsterly's Middle Keys region (Marathon to Ramrod Key), so you can map both sides of town without buying the rest of the chain.

The rules that apply in Marathon

Marathon is in Monroe County, so the Keys version of the rules applies. Don't bring 12-bug expectations:

• Bag limit: 6 per person, per day, in both mini-season and the regular season. The 12-per-day mini-season limit is for most of Florida, not the Keys.
• Size: carapace larger than 3 inches, measured in the water. Carry a gauge and check every bug; measuring shorts on the boat is how tickets happen.
• License plus a spiny lobster permit are both required to harvest.
• Night diving for lobster is banned in Monroe County during the two-day mini-season. It's allowed the rest of the season.
• No-take zones include the Sombrero and Coffins Patch SPAs, Everglades National Park, and other protected areas.

Full breakdown in the Florida lobstering rules guide and the mini-season dates and limits.

Stay safe out there

The lobster won't hurt you; the boats and the current will. During mini-season especially:

• Fly a dive flag and stay near it. Within 300 feet in open water, 100 feet in channels. Boats must slow to idle within 100 yards of a flag.
• Respect the channel current. Flow rips through the cuts and under the bridges on a moving tide. Plan your drift and your pickup.
• Dive with a buddy, track your own boat's position, and watch the afternoon weather.

Headed up the chain? The Islamorada guide and the Duck Key guide cover the next towns north.

Frequently asked questions

Where can you go lobstering in Marathon?

Marathon gives you two options from the same town. Oceanside, work the patch reefs and hard bottom in Hawk Channel out to the reef line in 8 to 25 feet. Gulf-side, run to the backcountry and pick apart potholes, ledges, and hard bottom in skinny water. Stay out of the no-take SPAs at Sombrero Reef and Coffins Patch, and out of any Everglades National Park waters.

Should you lobster the Seven Mile Bridge?

The Seven Mile Bridge holds lobster, but the strong tidal current, poor visibility, entanglement hazards, and heavy boat traffic make it a poor choice for new or inexperienced divers. Marathon has far better beginner water on the patch reefs and in the backcountry. See the bridges guide before you consider it.

How many lobster can you keep in Marathon?

Marathon is in Monroe County, where the daily bag limit is 6 lobster per person, per day, in both mini-season and the regular season.

Regulations change. Always confirm the latest rules on the FWC spiny lobster page before you dive. Last updated June 2026.