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: (