Straits of Florida
Strait between Florida and Cuba carrying the Gulf Stream.
The Straits of Florida (also called the Florida Straits or Florida Strait) lies south-southeast of the North American mainland, between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, with the Florida Keys on one side and Cuba on the other. At its narrowest point, between Key West and the Cuban coast, it measures 93 miles (150 km) across, and its maximum recorded depth is 6,000 feet (1,800 m). Through this passage flows the Florida Current, which marks the start of the Gulf Stream, as it leaves the Gulf of Mexico.
Between 1947 and 1962, five wells were drilled in state waters south of the Florida Keys, and Gulf Oil drilled three more in federal waters there in 1960 and 1961; all turned out to be dry holes. The boundary between the U.S. and Cuban Exclusive Economic Zones runs halfway between Cuba and Florida, as set by the 1977 Cuba–United States Maritime Boundary Agreement.
Cuba has three producing offshore oil fields within 5 km of its northern coast, opposite Florida. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the North Cuba Basin holds 5.5 billion barrels of undiscovered petroleum liquids and 9.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, nearly all of it offshore. In the 2008 U.S. elections, offshore drilling near Florida became a heated issue. Syndicated columnist George Will wrote in June 2008 that a Chinese company was drilling in Cuban waters 60 miles from Florida, a claim repeated by pro-drilling candidates, but no such drilling was actually happening there at the time. In 2004, Spanish company Repsol drilled in deep Cuban waters between Cuba and the Florida Keys, finding an oil deposit that was deemed noncommercial and plugged. In October 2008, Cuba signed an agreement with Brazil’s Petrobras to drill for oil and gas in deep waters off Cuba’s north shore. In July 2009, Cuba made a deal with Russia allowing Zarubezhneft to explore for oil off that same coast. By May 2011, Petrobras had pulled out of the 2008 agreement due to poor prospects.
In 2009, Bharat Petroleum Company Ltd. (registered in the Falkland Islands) and Norway’s Statoil announced a joint venture to drill for oil in Bahamian waters north of Cuba and southeast of Florida. The Bahamas government stated that offshore drilling applications were on hold while it negotiated exact Exclusive Economic Zone boundaries with Cuba, the United States, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Quick Facts
- Depth
- 1800 m
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The strait has been the site of oil and gas exploration. Five wells were drilled in state waters south of the Florida Keys from 1947 to 1962, and Gulf Oil drilled three wells in federal waters south of the Florida Keys in 1960 and 1961; all were dry holes. The boundary between the Exclusive Economic Zones of the U.S. and Cuba is halfway between Cuba and Florida, as determined by the 1977 Cuba–United States Maritime Boundary Agreement. Cuba has three producing offshore oil fields within 5 km of its north coast opposite Florida. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the North Cuba Basin contains 5.5 billion barrels of undiscovered petroleum liquids and 9.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, almost all offshore. In 2004, the Spanish oil company Repsol drilled in deep Cuban waters between Cuba and the Florida Keys and found an oil deposit judged noncommercial. In October 2008, Cuba signed an agreement with Petrobras to drill for oil and gas off the north shore of Cuba, but by May 2011 Petrobras had withdrawn due to poor prospects. In July 2009, Cuba signed an agreement with Russia giving Zarubezhneft exploration rights off the north shore of Cuba. In 2009, Bharat Petroleum Company Ltd. and Statoil announced a joint venture to drill in Bahamian waters north of Cuba and southeast of Florida, but the government of the Bahamas indicated applications were on hold pending boundary negotiations.
Reader's Guide
The Straits of Florida are significant for their role in global ocean circulation and climate. The Gulf Stream, which begins as the Florida Current in the strait, transports immense volumes of seawater, heat, carbon, and other elements, affecting sea level along Florida's coastline and temperature and precipitation patterns across continental Europe. Recent studies have shown that climate variability in the tropical Pacific can influence the Florida Current, and the current has been studied as a potential renewable energy resource. A thirty-year high-resolution simulation demonstrated consistent energy flow in the straits, suggesting the region could be a site for marine energy research. Despite sub-seasonal variability due to wind stress and boundary interactions, long-term observations over four decades show the Florida Current’s overall transport has remained steady. Localized features such as mesoscale eddies also shape the straits; a 2022 study documented a long-lasting cyclonic eddy that increased primary production and redistributed nutrient-rich waters. The strait is also notable for crossings: Australian Susie Maroney swam it with a shark cage in 1997, and American Diana Nyad swam it without a shark cage in 2013 at age 64, taking 52 hours and 54 minutes to cover 106 miles between Havana and Key West.
Did You Know?
- The strait is 93 miles wide at the narrowest point between Key West and Cuba.
- In 2004, Repsol found a noncommercial oil deposit in deep Cuban waters between Cuba and the Florida Keys.
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