Miami is a place known for its sunshine, pleasant weather, and white sand beaches. It is an excellent place to stay for a vacation, especially if you’re an avid snorkeling fan. However, it can be hard to choose which snorkeling places near Miami are best. Choosing the wrong place can lead to the feeling of having wasted a vacation and overall dissatisfaction.
This article aims to share which snorkeling places are best near Miami so you can focus on enjoying your vacation and less on the headache around planning.
The Best Places for Snorkeling Near Miami
1. Key West
Key West, located about four hours away from Miami, is home to a treasure trove of snorkeling goodies to explore. Key West is the only snorkeling area that offers guests a front-row seat view of the only coral reef in North America. The reef itself is as large as 350 miles and comes with a viewing plethora of over 6,000 species. You’ll be able to see coral reefs, tropical fish, and even shipwrecks!
The best way to enjoy Key West is with a Miami to Key West day trip with snorkeling. That means renting a car with a reputable Luxury car rental in Miami, such as Realcar.Miami.
To ensure you’re getting the most out of your snorkeling experience in Key West, and have your fill of the Avanti Dutch Wreck, you can consider booking a Miami to Key West snorkeling tour. Booking a tour means having access to a means of transport, knowledgeable experts of the area, the right equipment, professional instruction, and even free beverages to quench your thirst.
Nowadays, snorkeling Miami keys couldn’t be easier with the number of options available to guests, vacationers, and snorkeling adventurers alike.
2. South Beach
South Beach is located about 25 minutes from the heart of Miami, and is most notable for its South Point Park, the best area in South Beach to snorkel.
There is an interesting story behind the reef located here. The brand Jose Cuervo sunk an actual bar in this location back in the 2000s, which has now flourished into a reef that is visited by spiny lobsters, angel fish, nurse sharks, and other tropical fish. The reef itself is about 15-20 feet deep, making it a hearty challenge for free divers to swim to when it comes to south beach snorkeling.
Due to the location of South Beach, it can be convenient and easy to have a SUV car rental: that way, you can pack along snacks and clothes or your own snorkel gear. Rest assured, there are rental agencies along the beach that can provide the equipment for you.
3. Biscayne Park
Biscayne Park, located about a half hour from the heart of Miami, is one of the few national parks that you find which is mostly underwater. It sports coastal mangrove hammocks, which are a type of tree where its roots spread into the water, providing shelter and a habitat for fish and other waterbound species. The park also showcases shallow lagoon waters, an offshore reef, and coral limestone keys.
While snorkeling at this park, you may catch a glimpse of endangered species such as the manatee, the American crocodile, and the hawksbill sea turtle.
If you decide to tour the Florida reef within the park, you’ll be in for quite the delight. The Florida reef is home to a variety of sea life, including anemones, rainbow parrotfish, angelfish, and green moray eels. There are even a few shipwrecks that are available to snorkelers who want to explore from above.
4. Dry Tortugas National Park
This park is what you could consider an oasis in the ocean. Dry Tortugas National Park is about a four-hour drive from downtown Miami and a two-hour ferry ride from Key West to the national park. In total, it may take about six hours to reach this hidden oasis, but the views underwater are certainly worth it.
Among its many shipwrecks, one that stands out from the rest for its accessibility and abundant marine life is the Windjammer Avanti Shipwreck. It has become an artificial reef, which is host to a plethora of ocean species, from 200-pound jellyfish to a variety of tropical fish.