Snorkeling spots relatively close to TV?
 

As novice snorkelers, we're wondering where to go that is within a hour or so from TV. If you have experience, opinion and advice will be appreciated. If you went to a spring, did you need protection against the 70 degree water?

Blue Springs (my favorite), Salt Springs and Alexander Springs.

There's many others.

If cold sensitive, a wet suit top.

I’d recommend a book…..

Ned DeLoach (author). Underwater Florida. It has a listing of all the dive sites and shore dives in Florida.

If we arent willing to leave the country, Phil Foster park and the Blue Heron Bridge and peanut island in Riviera Beach (about 4 hrs) are our preferred FL snorkel spots from shore. Check the tide times - only good within an hour of high tide. The Keys pretty much requires a boat trip.
Otherwise, may I recommend Curacao? 40 spots to park your car and snorkel. Wonderful, safe, island. Great for beginners. We head to Bonaire in January, another great snorkel spot - water temps 80 degrees lol. Both are less than 3 hours from Orlando.

We are avid snorkelers, so our vacations revolve around snorkeling. Sunscape Curacao has a wonderful home reef - weve seen octopus, sea horses, and all the usual suspects there. And the Plaza in Bonaire is similar.

We golfed at Southern Oaks with a home owner and the owner of a Grand Cayman dive company. . . How does Grand Cayman stack up to Curacao?

The Caymans and even T&C are very nice, but seasonal. Jan and Feb the water is cold!! Plus they are in the hurricane belt. Bonaire and Curacao only vary by 4 degrees during the year since they are so near the equator.

If you like the idea of swimming and snorkeling with manatees, I highly recommend going to Crystal River in the Nov-Jan timeframe. You can rent a kayak and paddle on over to The Three Sisters. Snorkle away - it’s a real treat. Don’t forget your wet suit.

You might want to spend a day at Discovery Cove in Orlando. They have a beach and an awesome snorkeling area with all the fish, rays, sharks, etc. They also have a lazy river and an aviary. It’s pricey but all inclusive (parking, food, drinks).

Nonsense, water is beautiful there during the winter. Snorkeling during the day the water is a perfect temperature. When scuba diving or night snorkeling you might need a rash guard to take off the edge. If you want cold, try diving for lobsters in Gloucester/Rockport during the spring or fall.

Im from MA and never went into the water at the beach a second time after freezing the first time. I like my ocean a perfect 79-80 degrees all year with no hurricane threats.
T&C gets down to 75 - too cold for me. The Caymans get a bit warmer, but dont hit that sweet spot where I can be in the water for hours without getting cold in February.

We did this last Christmas with the kids. Had a great time.

Thanks for the book suggestion. Sounds very useful.

Good book. We snorkeled on the book’s recommended spot at the old concrete pylons near Key West once. They are a vertical reef now. Unfortunately we also encountered Man of War jellyfish there so our memories are tainted with the fears they caused. Until the jellyfish ruined our dive, it had been a beautiful place & exactly as it was described by the author. Thankfully we only got a few small stings but it could have been deadly.

Before traveling internationally consider the US Virgin Islands since they offer some excellent snorkeling spots. Buck island’s accessible by boat from St. croix & maybe from st. johns too. Buck Island has an underwater reef that’s a US National Park. Buck Island itself is the subject of many photos appearing repeatedly in tropical calendars since it is unspoiled, undeveloped & very idillyic.try not to gawk at Epstein Island (little St. james?) while you pass by on the boat trip to Buck Island 🥴

When my wife and I were younger we went to Maho Bay camp ground on St. John every year for about 20 consecutive winters. It’s our favorite place on the planet. We have explored just about every nook and cranny of the beautiful island and found some absolutely beautiful hidden snorkel spots. We loved to go night snorkeling and witness the underwater transformation, when all the nocturnal creatures come out. I did several two tank scuba dives via charter boat and we often dove the beautiful reefs around Little St. James Key (Epsteins Private Resort). The locals referred to it as Pedafile Key. If you’re looking for glitter and night life, St. John isn’t where you want to go. If you’re seeking an absolutely beautiful tropical island with lots of undeveloped national park land, St. John is the best. We are still heartbroken that Maho Bay’s lease ran out and they were forced to close down: (

So happy to get all the information from experienced Villagers. How abour Clearwater Beach for snorkeling ? Has anyone tried it. I mean also the island parks nearby.

There will be some areas near shore in any shallow water off of any beach, including Clearwater, with creatures to see. But not coral reefs—unless there is a manmade structure like an old concrete pylon or an old sunken vessel (shipwreck) etc for the corals to grow on. Some places have intentionally sunken vessels (decommissioned) so coral can grow & sea-life can flourish. Search online for terms like the ones I’ve used such as “decommissioned sunken ship Clearwater” to see if any are near where you want to go. Also, the normal surf’s action has a lot of impact on which critters live in the water. The book referenced earlier is a good resource that we have used & it gives very specific locations, where to park, what types of things have been seen there & how deep. A spot that I might try sometime is a few hours drive south on the Atlantic coast called Key Biscayne or Biscayne Bay. where there are some small reefs. We have snorkeled out about 30 feet from Hollywood, FL into Atlantic water about 20-30 feet water depth to see a nursery with many beautiful baby fish, squid, cuttlefish, baby sharks, an octopus. & tiny green eel. We found it by looking down from several floors up with filtering sunglasses. We saw dark mounds so we figured those were probably sea grasses. There will be some things to see in sea grasses depending on the surf & water clarity. These areas will not wow you like Molokini in Hawaii should, but there are still pretty enjoyable for an easy day-trip. If you want an overnight trip, John Penecamp park off shore from Key Largo, FL is good. Another wonderful place accessible from Key West, FL ( but requires a boat or a seaplane) is the Dry Tortugas—a US Civil War vintage military fort turned island park—where there is a giant old brick sea wall/moat. On a clear sunny day with mild wind, you can simply walk along wide sea wall & look down into the water without ever having to even get wet, if you don’t want to get in. One caution: there are a lot of boats everywhere so use a diver-down floating flag & always dive with at least one other person. Enjoy!

Im also sad that Maho Bay (rustic) resort no longer exists. It was on my bucket list. Try to always remember it with gratitude because you were able to experience it.

We were married at sunset on the black sand (lava) beach of Kona Village Resort on the big island, Hawaii. For anyone who doesn’t know, KVR was severely damaged by the March 11, 2011 tsunami which followed the devastating Fukushima Japan earthquake. Think of that: The ocean water was sloshed so hard from the earthquake’s jolts that it caused a small tsunami thousands of miles away in Hawaii! KVR has finally re-opened under new ownership but had to be “brought up to code” so it has lost a lot of its rustic charm not to mention affordability.

do not go to new smyrna beach , unless you like sharks.........

Growing up in the Midwest where all lake waters have murky muddy bottoms, it took a lot for me to go snorkeling. But salt water bears no resemblance to my previous water experiences. In salt water on a clear sunny low-wind day, one can simply float effortlessly (due to human buoyancy) & safely watch the beautiful creatures which are many feet below. Until you stick your face mask in & see what you’ve been missing, it’s impossible to describe.

It is mesmerizing.

Right. Cocoa Beach, near New Smyrna, has had many shark “attacks” (bites) over the years. It’s probably a natural feeding site for sharks.

Yes, it is! I have a few wonderful videos of snorkeling with the many schools of Tang and an octopus. The water near Curacao is so salty its almost impossible to sink lol. Tugboat beach where they sunk a small tugboat is a nice snorkel there. There is the occasional seahorse (my personal favorite find) but mostly the usual reef fish are found. Nothing in Florida compares. Not having to worry about hurricanes (last one to hit Curacao was 1877) or alligators or crocodiles is a bonus!

natural feeding site..... aka..... tourist :icon_hungry::icon_hungry::icon_hungry:

Thanks for the info about Curaçao! Sounds like my kind of place too. You’d love the volcanic crater which is now a vertical reef called Molokini. It is a short boat trip offshore from Maui, Hawaii. It’s snorkeling nirvana since the waters are crystal clear & bright blue with the black lava backdrop, causing every color to appear even more vibrant. One trip out is not nearly enough!

Another consistent habitat for seahorses is near the old docks in the bay at Christiansted, St. Croix (US Virgin Islands.) Seahorses are so stinking cute but they also humorously clumsy!

Kona Village was our favorite place.

snorkelers . . the other white meat!

:popcorn:

Darn - been there a couple of times and didnt see any!

I am not a great swimmer, and have never felt comfortable swimming in the sea, but I did snorkel over the Great Barrier Reef, and off some of the islands when in Oz.
Great experience, with an amazing collection of fish and coral, even saw a massive turtle go past within feet of us, but I still like terra firma best! :shrug: