There’s so much I’d like to tell you. I’ve sent you a PM with my phone number, if you really want detailed help call me. I want people who visit the Keys to snorkel to have as much fun as we do, so I’m happy to share.
These are all shallow (3’to 6’) and even VERY shallow (18” to 3’) snorkel locations.
1) Snorkeling off the Bahia Honda beach is about as good as I’ve ever seen in shallow reef flats in the Florida Keys. Go to the beach at the SW end of the park (there isn’t anything to see at the north beach and very little (but some) at the beach on the NW side of the island. We think the best area is straight out from a big ‘movie’ screen that is just behind the beach and very visible from the water. After 50’ of sandy bottom there is some turtle grass and then the bottom opens up to ball and vase sponges and a lot of colorful smaller sponges. There are lots of gorgonian corals, some macro algae, juvenile tropical fish and lots of other interesting little critters. Less often, but not rarely we’ve seen moray eels, reef squid, sting rays and one time even a 4’ nurse shark. The water is fairly shallow a long way out from the beach and if you go out to where the water is 5’ deep or more it is much more pristine than in the waters closer to the beach. Collecting is not allowed.
2) Snorkeling at Bahia Honda with a kayak is good because there is an island, Little Bahia Honda Key, that is just a 1/2 mile off the beach (it looks closer). BTW, they rent kayaks there for those that don’t have them. There is a VERY shallow reef flat on the NE side of the island. Lots of rocks and more rock boring urchins than I’ve ever seen on one patch reef anywhere! There are even more small inverts here than off the beach mentioned above. But again, no collecting.
3) With the kayak you can put in at a boat ramp right at the end of the Seven Mile Bridge on Little Duck Key, and there are up to 3 islands you can get to depending on your willingness to venture out. And all 3 are open to collecting, just be aware that Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission rangers often stop by the boat ramp to inspect safety gear, legality of caught fish & lobster and legality of collections. A) Little Money Key is a bit less than a ¼ mile from the ramp and the NW side of the island (the side away from the bridge) is a wonderful reef flat. B) Money Key is on the ocean side of the bridge and about a mile from the boat ramp. We think the SE side of the island is best (again, facing away from the bridge), but there is stuff all around. C) Molasses Key is 2.5 miles from the ramp on the same side of the bridge as Little Money. There is great snorkeling here all around the island (actually there are 2 islands). I’ve only been there once myself but if the weather is good (calm water) and visibility is good, we hope to get out there when we go down to the Keys in a couple of weeks with our local Aquarium club.
4) Final good place to snorkel in the area is Spanish Harbor Key. As soon as you get off the bridge (heading south) there is a pull off and at the bottom of a small hill there is a parking lot. On the Florida Bay side (NE end) is an old quarry from the construction of the Flagler RR that is known as The Horseshoe. It extends almost 200 yards out into the water and is over 100 yards wide. Inside its 40’ to 60’ deep (we’ve been told by divers) and there isn’t much there for snorkelers. But all around the quarry on the outside is rocky rubble with lots and lots of rocks to look under. It isn’t very pretty (reef like) but it has tons of character and lots of critters that can be collected. The other ‘special’ point about The Horseshoe is that if the winds are strong and even if visibility is low at other locations, this one is ‘protected’ from most winds by the island and the very shape of the quarry ‘arms’ extending out into the water.
Over the road from the parking lot on the SE side is another good snorkel spot. They just created a ‘walkway’ from the parking lot around the NE end of the island and under the bridge so you don’t need to walk up the hill, cross the road and down the hill on the other side. But it is like all the other sites, subject to wind conditions.
Other points of interest we’d recommend…
If the weather is bad and you don’t mind a 30 minute drive, The History of Diving Museum on Islamorada is a great spot to visit. We spent several hours there, but then we love these kinds of museums.
Also on Islamorada is The Rain Barrel Artisans Village is cool. Out front there is a HUGE fiberglass lobster and the front couple of shops are typical tourist traps shops. But out back there a bunch of much nicer shops and artist workshops.
While you are at Bahia Honda, visit the Nature Center there. It’s small but it has some pretty cool stuff.
If you want some exercise, walk the Flagler RR Bridge from the SW end of Marathon out to Pigeon Key. The starting point was used in the film True Lies with ‘Arnold’ and Jamie Lee Curtis. It’s almost a 2 mile walk out to the end, but then you get to look down on the reef flats around Pigeon Key. We (I) hope to snorkel there some day soon (my wife is pretty iffy about taking an 11’ Zodiac out there). We saw a couple huge Spotted Eagle Rays digging up conch and a huge barracuda and a 6’ shark swim right past each other about 2’ or 3’ apart directly below us as we watched from the bridge. It was like 2 workers passing each other during shift change at a factory! Hi Joe… Hi Sam… that’s it, no emotion and just the minimum recognition that the other was even there. There is also a touristy trinket shop in an old RR car just across from the parking lot.
We have not done much other than snorkel, eat and rest up for the next day when we visit the Keys. We go to get maximum face time looking down into an alien world that we can’t get at home. We’ve visited most of the State Parks, but not many other attractions like the Aquarium Encounter, the Turtle Hospital, the Dolphin Center, the Crane Point Museum & Nature Center or the Theater of the Sea. We’ve been to Key West, but it’s not our cup of tea. On the other hand I’d love to hear what other people who have visited any of these attractions has to say about them.
If you want motel or restaurant suggestions, call me. I’ve probably been too commercial with this post already!
