Any good places to snorkel around Florida?

[Hobbz]

Hi, I'm new here. My wife and I tried snorkeling in the Galapagos last year and loved it. We would like to try something a little cheaper and we were thinking Florida? Are there any good places to snorkel around Florida? And what kind of wildlife might we expect to see at different locations? Oh and what places should we avoid? We would appreciate any advice and would love to hear any details or stories.

 

[holdingmybreath]

no details here from me, but check out the inland springs like crystal river and similar.. there's a marine preserve on the keys..look into john pennenkamp marine reserve, there's also corals off the coast accessible by boat and a few you can swim to.. like off the shores near fort lauderdale.

fortunately for me... anywhere in the water is a good place to snorkel. Sorry, I haven't spent much time in florida. but there's some things for you to "google" anyway.

 

[OceanObsessed]

All the places that holdingmybreath mentioned are very good. If you come to Fort Lauderdale then you might also consider Pompano Beach and Lauderdale by the Sea. They are all somewhat comparable and offer good shallow water snorkeling/freediving. Lauderdale by the Sea is my favorite. I moved to Lauderdale by the Sea because I knew it was a great area for freediving. They keys are also terrific and have some great spots. I think you will get a much better response if you post this question in the Florida Conch Forum.

 

[scubacoots3]

St. Andrews Jetties in Panama City is great for snorkling just make sure you stay on the inside if the jetty wall that is called the pool.

 

[robint]

Hobbz - could you fill in your profile so we can better understand your needs?

Key Largo has some decent snorkeling, lots of the Caribbean tropicals (get the Paul Humann Reef Fish ID book which has all the fish for the entire Caribbean). Hawaii has some excellent snorkeling though, I would go there instead if you want to stay in USA. Get a Hawaii Fish ID book like Shore Fishes of Hawaii by Randall or the Lonely Planet book Diving and Snorkeling Hawaii.

If you do decide to go out of the country and want better snorkeling than Florida, I would say try the Bahamas or Belize. Both would be about the same price as Hawaii but totally different experience, fish, etc.

 

[shotthebreeze]

Hobbz,

I've never heard anything remotely disappointing about the Keys. You can usually rent a boat or go out on a snorkeling charter for minimum $$. My relatives live down by Marco island and there's some excellent snorkeling there as well. The more south you go in Florida, the clearer the water.

A word of advice, though. Make sure you take any flashy metallic jewelry off. A friend of mine was down there scraping hulls for a side job and a barracuda was attracted to the metallic scraper. The Cuda wound up taking the scraper and my buddies right hand...

 

[Pirate Lady]

The Keys offer many different sites to snorkel. Of course Key Largo with Molasses Reef, Christ Of the Abyss, Grecian Rocks, many many more!!!
Bahamas, Nassau has great sites that are perfect for snorkelers.

 

[cstephens13]

Key west and the southern keys are great. I was down there 2 years ago, water is very clear. The farther south you go in Florida the clearer the water gets. Its great this time of years to the water is already up into the 80's.

 

[the gooch]

Key Largo has some decent snorkeling

Decent?? Key Largo has awesome snorkeling provided you are ok with taking a boat out to the reef.

 

[Trackerway]

Are any places around Florida NOT good for snorkeling? I once went to a spot a mile or two off shore from Homestead, FL. It was beautiful there.

I'd figure you could find good snorkeling nearly anywhere, just decide where you want to go and then snorkel when you get there!