5 best places for Snorkeling in Miami, Florida

Florida is home to 360 miles of living coral reefs in continental US with over 40 divergent species including bright colored fish, stingrays, sea turtles and lobsters. Stretching from Key West to Martin County on Atlantic coast, Miami lies in the center of Florida reef. Miami is famous for its pristine soft beaches, beautiful turquoise water, vibrant marine life including fish, barracuda, humpback and manatees.

Its tropical climate with warm and lenient weather carries a sense of adventure and romance. Miami beach is the perfect destination for water sports and marine life wonders. Shipwrecks, coral reefs, bays, soft sand beaches and scenic areas are the best places for scuba diving, surfing and snorkeling in Miami.

Top 5 best places for Snorkeling in Miami

If you are a water sport lover snorkeling is your passion. Here is a list of top 5 best places to snorkel in Miami.

Biscayne National Park3

Sprawling over 270 square miles of southeast Miami to Florida Keys, Biscayne national park enclose coral reefs, shoreline mangrove swamps, small islands and imperil marine life including manatees, crocodile and green sea turtles. Consisting of 95% water it is one of biggest areas for snorkeling in Miami and reachable by boat and seaplane.

There are multiple snorkeling trips ranging from 3 to 4 hours including half day and full day. Welcoming tour guides will provide you complete knowledge of marine species, history and reef. Here you can explore blue beautiful sea water, astonishing reefs and green sea turtles.

While snorkeling in Biscayne National Park, you will find underwater Maritime Heritage Trail links dive sites which mostly consist of shipwrecks. Additionally, snorkelers may also encounter yellow snapper fish, colorful angelfish, parrotfish, hogfish, purple sea fans, bottlenose dolphins and nurse sharks.

Dry Tortugas National Park

Dry Tortugas National Park covers 100 square miles of water and seven small islands. This water wonder is only accessible by seaplane or boat. It is home to lighthouse and Fort Jefferson ruins, a masonry architecture built to guard over America’s gateway to the gulf of Mexico. Dry Tortugas National Park is perfect place for snorkeling with its remote location and abundance of marine life with colorful tropical fishes, living corals and cool Shipwrecks.

Whether you are beginner or expert, with white sand beaches and crystal clear water you will have a unique experience of snorkeling in Miami. There are plenty of things to explore including tropical fish, starfish, queen conchs, Shipwrecks, incredible corals and a large population of green sea turtles.

Ginnie Springs Outdoors

Ginnie Springs is major international dive site with both open water and cave diving. It’s a privately owned fresh water dive site in Gilchrist County. This park is famous for its majestic network of underwater caves. Along the Santa Fe River, travelers can enter and swim into various springs which makes it most fascinating place to visit.

Due to its crystal clear water people can witness marine life including beautiful tropical fishes as well as wreaths beneath. Its warm, clear and mesmerizing spring remains constant at 72 degrees all year around and is perfect tourist spot for Snorkeling in Miami.

In addition to snorkeling, visitors can swim, canoe, kayak, stand up paddleboard and tube. Here adventure lovers can do freediving, scuba diving and cave diving in thrilling cave sites. With all its exciting attractions this spot is sure to please everyone.

Neptune Memorial Reef

Neptune Memorial Reef is another top notch choice for unique snorkeling experience in Miami. It is the largest man made reef ever built globally. Forty feet beneath the Ocean surface, Neptune Memorial Reef is known for the lost city of Atlantis. The Atlantic Reef Project was sponsored by the Neptune Society, a cremation company for paying homage to many ocean loving souls. This memorial reef serves as an underwater cremation site as well as habitat for marine life.

Guarded by carved columns, intricate stone roads with benches and sculptures, ascending gates, decaying ruins and an astonishing lion statue makes Atlantic Memorial Reef a best place for Snorkeling in Miami. Located about 3 miles off the coast of Key Biscayne in Miami, this artificial reef is home to fourteen species of coral, tropical fish and vibrant marine life.

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

For a breathtaking snorkeling experience in Miami with rich coral reefs and abundance of marine life, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is a must visit for you. It is the first underwater park in the contiguous United States located on Key Largo in Florida. This park offers healthy reefs, vibrant coral, multiple underwater sculptures and a beautiful beach with lots of small pebbles. Visitors must wear proper attire while visiting this astonishing place.

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park also offers seventy nautical miles of tremendous underwater molasses reef sights. Cannon Beach and Far Beach with calm and clean waters are best spots for beginners to start snorkeling. Along with snorkeling, this place is also ideal for camping, swimming, trails and boat tours.

Conclusion

Many of us dream about escaping a boring hectic routine and head towards tropics. Well you don’t need to worry about it now. Miami is an outstanding spot with best tropical traits including Soft beaches, soothing clear waters and warm weather which please our senses. Moreover, the tropics carry a sensibility of romp and romance. If you are a fan of water sports then Snorkeling in Miami is best thing to do. It is an outstanding spot for snorkeling because its rich colorful corals offer an abundance of marine life that you likely won’t get to see in other underwater areas.

Frequently asked questions

How many reefs are in Florida?

Stretching from Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary to Biscayne National Park Florida reefs includes 6000 individual reefs with 40 different marine species including endangered green sea turtles.

Does coral reef bite or cause infection?

Tiny structures on coral discharge toxins which cause irritation to skin. This phenomenon is quite similar to jellyfish stings. This burning agitation starts after contracting with corals and increases for the first 10 minutes.

Where are the 3 largest coral reefs around the globe?

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is the third largest living coral reef system in the world after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Mesoamerican Reef System stretching from Mexico to Central America.