Florida Keys snorkeling locations
- Thread starter Ron Reefman
- Start date
Here's a link for different combos. Pretty cheap.
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/f...roup_SnorkelingGearEquipment_R1_C1_SetsCombos
This is way cheaper than diver's direct. Maybe go with mask and snorkel only and then get fins in store since your size might be difficult.
These aren't the best but for your application it should be fine.[/QUOTE]
Go to a local store like divers direct or other dive shop to fit the mask to your face. nothing worse for the new snorkeler to have a mask that leaks the entire time. Then you can buy the mask online from dicks or leisurepro. Highly recommend nofog to go along with. Wash the mask glass with toothpaste before use. will help with fogging up.
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/f...roup_SnorkelingGearEquipment_R1_C1_SetsCombos
This is way cheaper than diver's direct. Maybe go with mask and snorkel only and then get fins in store since your size might be difficult.
These aren't the best but for your application it should be fine.[/QUOTE]
Go to a local store like divers direct or other dive shop to fit the mask to your face. nothing worse for the new snorkeler to have a mask that leaks the entire time. Then you can buy the mask online from dicks or leisurepro. Highly recommend nofog to go along with. Wash the mask glass with toothpaste before use. will help with fogging up.
thelawnwrangler
New member
great tips all thanks
Right now I am going to research the following:
Bahia Honda State Park
Pennekamp
and Dry Tortugas
I think definitely I will get my own mask and snorkel. I am driving down to Key West from Miami on a Saturday assuming key largo or islamaradoa is better for getting snorkel gear. I assume price difference is like LFS I don't mind a little premium if it comes with expert advise.
I need to research what I might see so I can identify it when I am out.
I am really excited and appreciate all the good tips
Ron Reefman - love the zoa you found are those very common in the area?
Right now I am going to research the following:
Bahia Honda State Park
Pennekamp
and Dry Tortugas
I think definitely I will get my own mask and snorkel. I am driving down to Key West from Miami on a Saturday assuming key largo or islamaradoa is better for getting snorkel gear. I assume price difference is like LFS I don't mind a little premium if it comes with expert advise.
I need to research what I might see so I can identify it when I am out.
I am really excited and appreciate all the good tips
Ron Reefman - love the zoa you found are those very common in the area?
Most local dive shops will have waterproof cards that have species identifications on them. not very expensive either.
Mask fit is critical. Should be able to suck the mask to your face and have it stay without straps. That creates the best seal. Snorkels are preference. Get foot socks or booties to prevent rubbing your feet raw. Water is pretty cold now, rent a wetsuit.
Mask fit is critical. Should be able to suck the mask to your face and have it stay without straps. That creates the best seal. Snorkels are preference. Get foot socks or booties to prevent rubbing your feet raw. Water is pretty cold now, rent a wetsuit.
thelawnwrangler
New member
will I need a wetsuit end of May?
great tips thanks
I like that species card idea I will look for it.
G_Sanab922
New member
No wet suit needed.
Booties/Socks optional, they are normally used for fins that have the strap style.
thelawnwrangler
New member
I am thinking about getting those because odds are with size 15 I am getting the strap style fin lol
AZRippster
Diver & Reef Aquarium Nut
G_Sanab922, hopefully you can pass on some advice. My wife and I typically go to The Keys every year, but normally in the Oct-Nov time frame. This year we're headed down to Islamorada in mid-April, a time we're not familiar with. We're divers and have dove most locations between Largo and Islamorada. What should we expect as far as water temps? I normally do not use a wetsuit, I hate them, and my wife typically just wears a skin. Thanks!
G_Sanab922
New member
Hey, yea no problem. April is a great time. Most of the time this is when it really starts heating up. For water temp it's around the high 70s. This is also when the Dolphin (Mahi mahi) start coming in. I highly recommend spending the money if you can and getting a charter to catch some (ask captain how it's running first).
Early part of April you still might get some of that spring break traffic as well.
As for wetsuits, I'm not a wetsuit person, I prefer not to wear them. I think you both will be fine without it. Maybe something light to protect from sun or something but that's more personal preference. You'll see a lot less jellies this time of year compared to Oct-Nov. Hope you trip goes well. try to get some pics to post here
AZRippster
Diver & Reef Aquarium Nut
Are you talking the big pink moon jellies? If so, crap! They are bad enough in Oct-Nov. I got nailed a couple years back by some. Right behind the knees! :sad2: My son-in-law wants to go deep sea fishing so I'll let him know. Thanks for the info and advice.
Ron Reefman
Active member
I've only found the green zoas in 2 places, both near Bahia Honda. But last year one of the main sites was completely over run with a algae that wreaked havoc on the zoas and queen conch. But you'd need a boat or kayak to get there anyway. The other site is not as good, but it's just off the SW end of the bridge that gets you onto Spanish Harbor Key. On the Florida Bay side of the island is an old quarry that is out in the water which we enjoy snorkeling around the outside, especially the end out away from shore. You can see it on Google Earth maps. The other side has a new 'park' facility and you can snorkel off the beach on that side as well. It's on that side were we found some of the zoas.
It depends on your body mass, how cold it's been, and how much you can tolerate the cold. Most of the Keys water temps will be in the 80's by May, maybe even 82 or 83 by late May. Is that warm enough for you? When I lived in Michigan I thought 80 was bath water warm... after 16 years in SW Florida, I'm still wearing a thin wet suit. And even in the heat of summer when water temps get into the high 80's I wear a dive skin to keep off the sun. For me, 2 to 3 hours snorkeling would fry me to a crisp. And it's different for divers because they are under water and the UV doesn't penetrate very far.
I never used them. Then last summer my wife had me try a pair and they make getting your foot through the wet suit so much easier and getting the fins on is easier as well. Now I love them.
AZ, he said LESS chance of jellies. BTW lawnwrangler, jellies are much less of an issue most of the time for snorkeling, especially off the beach. Although I did get a good sting from an upside down jelly. I felt safe with a dive skin and gloves, but part of my wrist was exposed and I got a nasty hit.
That's really the best answer here. I can dive all year round in the keys with a 1.5 mil wetsuit. I wear it mainly because its camo for when I'm spearfishing, but it keeps ME warm enough in the winter than I can spend all day in the water. My wife on the other hand wears a 3/2 wetsuit in the winter and she gets cold in a couple hours. Just depends on how prone you are to getting cold.
Speedfreak241
New member
Well I'm down here in the Islamorada and can't go to my spot to get the coordinates because it is to windy anyone have any good locations when there's wind blowing out of the southeast at 13.
Ron Reefman
Active member
Sorry I'm late to this, but if off the beach stuff is an interest, look at the Horseshoe on the NW side of Spanish Harbor Key. There is a parking lot there and it's an old quarry that is 40' to 60' deep inside and quite shallow outside for snorkeling. Little if any coral, but tons of other life among the rock rubble outside the arms of the quarry. See the 2nd photo of post 3 in this thread. You can easily see the horseshoe in the Google Earth photo.
sam.basye
New member
Ron, or anyone else who has an idea.
Do you know what type of fish this is?
I collected it in Key Largo last March in about 6" of water about 4' from the shore at a tiny little "bike path beach" on the gulf side. I collected it at night with a bucket, sucked it right in.
It is about 2.5" long, silver with faint gray/brown markings, and active at all hours.
I've never been able to find an ID, though I believe it to be some sort of goby.
Do you know what type of fish this is?
I collected it in Key Largo last March in about 6" of water about 4' from the shore at a tiny little "bike path beach" on the gulf side. I collected it at night with a bucket, sucked it right in.
It is about 2.5" long, silver with faint gray/brown markings, and active at all hours.
I've never been able to find an ID, though I believe it to be some sort of goby.
Ron Reefman
Active member
Hi Sam,
I'm a lot more into inverts than fish, and even then I don't claim any real expertise. My wife (head reference librarian) and I looked in our reference materials at home and on the internet and didn't find any good answers.
First, we both agree it's very unlikely any kind of goby as they all seem to have a long fin that runs down their spine and your fish has just a short fin.
Second, we both thought it's very likely a juvenile of some species and therefore could look quite different in 6 month or a year. Although you have had it at home for a year now and that shoots a big hole in that idea!:spin2:
The good news is that when I offer up a reference item like this to my wife, she can be like a dog with a bone and just can't let it go. I'll also ask a few friends in our local club who are more into fish, both for collecting and for fishing.
Hopefully, somebody else on here will have some ideas. I've never collected any fish in the Keys, but I have brought home a few that I collected in the Gulf of Mexico near home here in SW Florida. They all grew into much bigger fish that we were able to identify.
The best we could do, and it's just a WAG (Wild A$$ Guess) was a Sheepshead Minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus) which only grows to about 3" long. A field guide we have said," This fish is often found in isolated tidal pools, where it tolerates extremes of temperature and salinity."
I'm a lot more into inverts than fish, and even then I don't claim any real expertise. My wife (head reference librarian) and I looked in our reference materials at home and on the internet and didn't find any good answers.
First, we both agree it's very unlikely any kind of goby as they all seem to have a long fin that runs down their spine and your fish has just a short fin.
Second, we both thought it's very likely a juvenile of some species and therefore could look quite different in 6 month or a year. Although you have had it at home for a year now and that shoots a big hole in that idea!:spin2:
The good news is that when I offer up a reference item like this to my wife, she can be like a dog with a bone and just can't let it go. I'll also ask a few friends in our local club who are more into fish, both for collecting and for fishing.
Hopefully, somebody else on here will have some ideas. I've never collected any fish in the Keys, but I have brought home a few that I collected in the Gulf of Mexico near home here in SW Florida. They all grew into much bigger fish that we were able to identify.
The best we could do, and it's just a WAG (Wild A$$ Guess) was a Sheepshead Minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus) which only grows to about 3" long. A field guide we have said," This fish is often found in isolated tidal pools, where it tolerates extremes of temperature and salinity."
G_Sanab922
New member
I think that's a pretty good guess. Honestly though it looks similar to the saltwater mollies and minnows I have in my canal. I'm on the bayside. There's so many different types it's hard to get info on all of them.
sam.basye
New member
Thanks guys! I think you might be right with the Sheepshead Minnow.
The main reason I ask is that I wanted to know if it could self-fertilize.
It's the only one in my tank, had it for a year, and about a month ago it looked pregnant. It went away for about a week (last week), and now looks prego again. Stomach very bloated, like the breeding freshwater mollies I used to have in a different tank.
None of my fish (2 clowns, 3 stripe damsel, bicolor blenny) like it, so it basically lives in the back of my tank in the 'fuge section (3" gap the width of the tank behind the foam wall) until feeding time and then stays out front all night while the other fish sleep.
I have a little window I can look through to see whats going on back there, but I can't see a whole lot.
So, not sure if it layed eggs or not.
From my researching, it appears that there are separate sexes and that's the only way of fertilization..
I also think that mine is a female as it has never changed colors like the male's do during the breeding months (from silver to blue/orange) and it lacks the darker male markings.
The main reason I ask is that I wanted to know if it could self-fertilize.
It's the only one in my tank, had it for a year, and about a month ago it looked pregnant. It went away for about a week (last week), and now looks prego again. Stomach very bloated, like the breeding freshwater mollies I used to have in a different tank.
None of my fish (2 clowns, 3 stripe damsel, bicolor blenny) like it, so it basically lives in the back of my tank in the 'fuge section (3" gap the width of the tank behind the foam wall) until feeding time and then stays out front all night while the other fish sleep.
I have a little window I can look through to see whats going on back there, but I can't see a whole lot.
So, not sure if it layed eggs or not.
From my researching, it appears that there are separate sexes and that's the only way of fertilization..
I also think that mine is a female as it has never changed colors like the male's do during the breeding months (from silver to blue/orange) and it lacks the darker male markings.
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