Florida Keys - camping and snorkling questions - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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We're hoping to spend 4-5 nights in the keys in late August. I know this is hurricane season, and we're ready to have a backup plan, but any tips? We are mostly interested in beach access snorkeling and other free or very low-cost nature experiences.
Any tips on campgrounds or snorkeling beaches much appreciated!
My husband and I went to Key Largo in late December and stayed at the Hampton (so no help on the camping bit). However, we did do a snorkel tour! I would highly recommend Keys Diver: https://keysdiver.com/
It was honestly the best-run snorkeling trip we have been on, and we've probably done a dozen since getting married. The guides were very informative and let you know where things were. They were also great with kids (if that's helpful). I also really liked that they told people to stay horizontal so they didn't damage the coral with their fins (one of my pet peeves). When we got back on the boat they did a head count each time to make sure everyone was there. And they had great equipment.
You do have to boat out a bit to get to the locations, but they were excellent! I was actually not expecting too much from a FL snorkel, but we saw tons of different fish and coral. A sea turtle actually swam right by us! We did the Christ Statue trip because it was longer, but honestly we didn't see much at that site besides the statue that I can recall so I wouldn't necessarily add it on unless you're super interested.
Let me know if you have more questions!
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I want adventure in the great wide somewhere...and coffee
Thanks for the info, Zetta. It was very nice of you to write about your experience.
My husband abhors any kind of tour, so this isn't an option for us. And we don't need to see the most awesome of anything. Just looking for decent walk-in spots. Any ideas?
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Thanks for the info, Zetta. It was very nice of you to write about your experience.
My husband abhors any kind of tour, so this isn't an option for us. And we don't need to see the most awesome of anything. Just looking for decent walk-in spots. Any ideas?
Ah, gotcha. As we were there for just a quick trip we didn't snorkel anywhere else. So I'm not much help there! Sorry.
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I want adventure in the great wide somewhere...and coffee
A must is Bahia Honda Park. You do pay for park access, but this was by far the best place for snorkeling. We got to see fish and star fish too. It was great. This is the one must do if we make it down there again. Bahia Honda is located in the middle of the Keys. Sombrero Beach is free but crowded. But it was still a great place and was free access.
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