There are some great snorkeling locations at our National Parks. Biscayne National Park, in Homestead, FL, just north of the Keys, is among our favorites.
Giant sponges, hard and soft corals and lots of colorful fish are some of the attractions at Biscayne National Park. What is your favorite National Park?
If you’re looking for an eco-tour destination, consider the U.S. Virgin Islands. We are big fans of St. John, where we feel like we are immersed in the natural, untamed beauty of the island. Instead of the high-rise hotels and heavy tourist trade you’ll find on the other islands, the vibe here is highly eco-friendly and there are countless places to find great snorkeling.
Eco-tours abound. You’ll have your choice of providers, but this article about a tour that goes to the Maho Bay Camp caught our eye. If you want to strike out on your own (as we generally do), you can certainly do it on St. John. But if you want someone else to organize your trip and take care of everything, this sounds like a good way to go.
Key Largo’s John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park has long been one of our favorite state parks, so we’re happy to write about this amazing park on the 50th anniversary of its opening. The coral reef is the main reason we love snorkeling here.
Every year up to about a million people visit the park to enjoy canoeing, kayaking and – of course – snorkeling. If you’re anywhere near Key Largo, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park should definitely be on your list of places to spend a day or two. You’ll keep coming back for more.
One of the great things about snorkeling is that you never know what you’ll see – or what you’ll find – when you’re exploring the undersea world.
Case in point: snorkelers off the coast of the Puerto Rican island of Vieques happened across a set of U.S. military dog tags in the roots of a fallen palm tree.
The tags, belonging to a U.S. Marine, were lost during training exercises in the Spring of 1961. Almost 50 years later, the lost dog tags have now been returned to the original owner.
When you’re snorkeling, you never know what you’ll find.
You’ll need to be careful, he warns, but the payoff might be a lobster dinner.
If you’ve never been night snorkeling, this describes it pretty well. We’ve never done it ourselves, but it sure sounds interesting. It also sounds…… dangerous.
We want to look into trying this, while following the rules of snorkeling safety, of course.
If you’ve ever been night snorkeling, we’d like to hear from you.
At the Beneath the Sea show this spring the team from Sting Mate was promoting their Jellyfish Sting Neutralizing Gel. The most incredible part of this product is the fact that they test it on themselves – by going to acquariums and putting jellyfish on their arms – talk about dedication!
jellyfish stings
Here is a great advertisement that we found in a Boys Life Magazine from 1969 promoting Voit snorkeling equipment. The “Duck Feet Fins” are fairly expensive – $10.95, the snorkel is $2.10 and the “Depth Equalizer Mask” was selling for $5.95.
One of the easiest and most exciting snorkeling adventures in the U.S. can be found right off the beaches of San Diego, where during the summer months hundreds of Leopard Sharks arrive to swim in the shallow waters off La Jolla cove. The sharks may reach 4 or 5 feet in length, but are completely harmless as they swim among the snorkelers and beachgoers. The San Diego Union Tribune has a nice article about it here.
Here is an article about a great new program at the Denver aquarium that lets visitors go snorkeling with the fish right in the giant aquarium tanks. . This is a great way for the aquarium to not only bring more visitors , but also to generate more interest in fish, the oceans and hopefully preservation.
