How to Get the Most Out of Snorkeling Adventures in the Florida Keys and Biscayne National Park
I had three main goals on this trip to Florida, besides not catching Covid, and they were:
Snorkeling (Praying I would see a shark!)
And I achieved all my goals!
In this post, I will discuss all my snorkeling trips, where I went, how much I paid then, and if it was worth it. I will also discuss the mishaps, my combined love and fear of snorkeling, and the importance of taking care of the ocean.
Protecting the Ocean
We all hear that we need to protect our oceans, lands, animals, etc., and it can sometimes be hard to keep up. But I will give you some easy options that won't cost much yet still make a significant impact.
1. Reef-Safe Sunscreen
If you plan to go to the ocean, I highly recommend bringing sunscreen that is coral reef safe! Most places in Florida and the keys will not allow you to use regular sunscreen. The graphic below from the Ocean Service, NOAA explains why.
2. Leave No Trace
When you are at the ocean or on a boat, kayak, paddleboard, or just laying at the beach, please practice leaving no trace, which means leaving the place cleaner than you found it. Bring an extra bag and clean up after yourself and even if you didn't make the mess, still clean it up.
3. Volunteer to Do Clean-Ups
You can always volunteer to do clean-ups or help rebuild coral reefs if you have time. Florida is the third largest coral reef brier in the world! But the area has since been damaged because of humans.
On one of my tours, I went to the Coral Restoration Foundation. This place was cool because they showed you how they are trying to rebuild the coral reefs in the keys!
4. Donate
If you don't want to volunteer but have extra money, you can always donate to the Coral Restoration Foundation or other places to restore the reefs/ oceans.
Free Snorkel Trips
I booked four tours and two non-tour snorkeling adventures on this trip. I will break each trip down, starting with non-tours.
There were two places people recommended for snorkeling or at least swimming.
Rowell's Waterfront (Key Largo, Fl) is an 8-acre waterfront park with picnic tables, benches, a place to swim (at your own risk), and a kayak and paddleboard launching area. Boats and personal watercraft are not allowed.
Ann's Beach (Lower Matecumbe Key, Fl) is a rare natural sandy beach.
Both have parking, but Ann's Beach is hard to park in since it doesn't have a lot of spots.
Now, as far as snorkeling goes, neither was the best.
Ann's beach was the worst. The water was way too shallow, and it felt like a hot spring. The wildlife I saw there were tiny minnows.
The water at Rowell's Waterfront was cloudy, and it wasn't the picturesque blue water you see on Florida postcards. However, this spot is good if you want to see manatees and nurse sharks—I even missed seeing a manatee by mere seconds. But I did see bigger fish in the waterhole.
Though the snorkeling wasn't the best, I would still recommend going to both since they both have water access and are free!
Paid Snorkeling Trips
You can rent gear for each paid trip, but I didn't since I brought my own. I got my first set from Amazon in 2019 before I went to the Cayman Islands. My snorkeling gear was a full face mask and flippers. As mentioned in my Boat Failures at Biscayne National Park, I broke the side of my mask where the strap and mask connected. Little did I know, that was a blessing in disguise. I’ll cover that below.
Biscayne National Park Institute (Homestead, Fl)
Let's start with my first snorkeling tour with the Biscayne National Park Institute. I booked sailing, paddle boarding, and snorkeling! I was super excited about this tour since I could explore Biscayne National Park differently. They also had one other tour:
Sail, Paddle, Snorkel & Island Visit (the one I did)
This is a full-day tour on a sailboat (10 am-4 pm). You will dock at Adam's Key or Boca Chita, and your captain will decide which key to go to. Then you will have lunch (you bring your own lunch or snacks), get your kayaks or paddle boards, and paddle to the mangroves to snorkel.
Snorkel & Paddle Eco-Adventure
This tour is like the one above, but instead, you will be on a power boat and snorkel in the coral reef vs. the mangroves.
As much as I loved the tour that I did at Biscayne National Park and the funny story that came with it, I wish I had done the coral reef instead of the mangroves. I would totally come back and do another tour with them.
The cost was $165.36. Each tour is now $199. I still think it's worth it!
Key Divers (Key Largo, Fl)
This tour was 2.5 hours long, with one hour of snorkeling. It takes you out to shallow reef sites (15 feet) like White Banks or Sea Gardens. Once there, you will watch the sunset as you return to Key Largo. You first head to the Key Diver store in Key Largo to check in before going to the marina, which is 10 minutes away from the store.
This is where I bought my new mask and snorkel, and they told me that most tour places would not allow a person to do a full mask for safety reasons. I loved having a full mask vs. the standard setup since I like breathing with my nose and mouth, and I hate getting water in my mouth.
Sadly, it was cloudy the evening I did it, but this tour was a lot of fun, and we saw several fish. Sadly, I missed seeing a shark and a turtle! It is a common theme on this trip until my last tour! The cost was $45.35.
Clearly Unique Charters (Islamorada, FL)
I booked this last-minute tour a couple of hours before it began. I didn't know what I wanted to do that day. I was finishing up teaching my course, and we always got out early that day. I thought I might go to Hurricane to swim with sharks at the aquarium since it's on my bucket list, but then I came across this tour instead.
This tour is 3.5 hours long (2 pm–5:30 pm) on a 38-foot beach. You first head out to the reefs to snorkel, where I saw many different topical fish and more coral reefs compared to the other tours I went on.
But once again, I missed seeing a shark!
The trip's next leg was to a sandbar where you could paddle board or float on some rafts with drinks! Yes, this tour had beer and rum drinks, which I decided to fully part-take in. I may or may not have been a little tipsy, drinking rum punch and floating in the ocean talking to random people.
This tour was my favorite experience, and I would recommend that along with any of their other tours. I finally saw a nurse shark swimming around the dock when we docked. I FINALLY saw a shark, but I wish I had seen it in the water!
The cost of the tour was $100.
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park (Key Largo, FL)
This was my last tour before I left for Miami that morning. It was at 9 am and was 2.5 hours long. On this tour, I was a little uneasy because the current was strong, and the captain told us not to get too close to the other side of the reef, or we would be pulled into the open water since the water was a bit rough. But the water was clear, and you saw some unique wildlife.
This tour is where I FINALLY saw a shark while snorkeling! It was a beautiful nurse shark. They are the most docile out of all the shark family! I couldn't stop smiling, but for full disclosure, I freaked out because the current was terrible, and I was trying my best not to touch any of the coral while viewing the shark. You don't want to touch the coral because you can kill it.
Obviously, this was my favorite trip for wildlife since I snorkeled near a shark!
The cost was $45.
Recap
I enjoyed my time in the Keys exploring the water with these tours; it was the highlight of my trip. I am hoping I can get back there soon! I hope this breakdown will help you decide which tours you would like to book while you are in Florida!
Feel free to contact me in the comment section below if you have any questions!