Curator’s statement
I love all of the national parks, but this one really surprised me. Most of it is underwater, so you have to take a boat or paddle out to really experience it. I loved that we were immersed in nature, but it was still beachy. It didn’t feel overly adventurous and was extremely relaxing to be out on and in the water.
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Stunning! That’s all I can say. All around a lovely experience. If you don’t have your own snorkeling gear, like us, many tour operators rent them out.
Biscayne National Park
On the boat ride out to our snorkeling spots, we got to hear a marine biologist speak about the area. I loved that she was so passionate and energetic about educating us on board. She was great about answering any questions we had about the national park, the wildlife, and anything that we saw that interested us.
Fish seen while snorkeling
The captain of the vessel was knowledgeable about the area and had some great snorkeling tips about the areas that we visited. While the weather turned on us and we were not able to get to as many sites, we had the potential to go to three or four different areas to see marine wildlife and shipwrecks.
Me snorkeling
The two snorkeling spots that we got to were amazing! The first one was right up by one of the keys where the mangroves and coral created a wall for all the creatures to live. This was where we saw the most colorful fish and coral. At site number two we saw a sting ray! And loads of other schooling fish. The captain took us by Boca Chita Key to see the lighthouse and then we had to go back to beat the oncoming weather. On the way back we did some birdwatching and saw a manatee!
Mangrove and coral wall
Boca Chita Key
Need to know
Bring water with you on the boat and, depending on when you go, a rash guard as well.
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Travel Advisor
Ellen Reinhold
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