Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary is located in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico and consists of three separate areas: East Flower Garden, West Flower Garden and Stetson Banks. The two Flower Garden Banks are 12 miles apart and located 100-115 miles directly south of the Texas/Louisiana border. Stetson Bank is located about 70 miles south of Galveston, Texas, about 30 miles northwest of the other two banks.

The coral reef cap begins at about 55 feet (~ 17 m) in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary and continues to a depth of about 160 feet (~ 49 m). But, that’s not the bottom of the sanctuary. A variety of other habitats are found deeper than the reef cap, where depths range from 160 to 476 feet (~145 m) depending on your location within the sanctuary.

The West and East Banks of the Flower Gardens coral banks covered with 21 different species of coral—mostly hard corals, no fans or whips. Stetson is a clay bank with approximately 40% sponge cover and very few places for the fish to hide! Over 200 species of fish, 250 species of invertebrates and 21 species of coral inhabit the Flower Gardens. Loggerhead turtles are year-round residents. In February and March, hammerhead sharks school on the banks, with the occasional spinner shark and tiger shark. In late summer around coral spawn time, whale sharks are frequently sighted. Other large pelagics include manta rays, eagle rays, southern and roughtail stingrays, and occasionally spotted dolphins.