Key West Snorkeling

Traveling to Key West brings you to a place with beaches surrounded by beautiful coral reefs that are perfect for snorkeling. This reef system is the third largest in the world, just behind Australia's Great Barrier Reef and the Caribbean Sea's Mesoamerican Barrier Reef system. Known for its shallow depth and crystal clear water, snorkelers can easily get close to the coral reefs to explore the underwater habitat. Along with the fish, turtles, and dolphins you're sure to see on a trip, some of the best Key West Snorkeling spots will also bring you closer to the region's history. The sites listed below are some of the favorite spots of seasoned snorkelers. Key West Snorkeling without a doubt should be on your things to do list while on your vacation.

 Sand Key. Located six miles from the southeastern shores of Key West, Sand Key is home to a simply built lighthouse. This lighthouse has been rebuilt many times due to hurricanes in the last 150 years. The lighthouse marks the sand island created by sand collecting on the reefs. Along the reefs, you're likely to spot many types of parrotfish, angelfish, nurse sharks, loggerhead turtles, barracuda, and grouper. The sands are in constant motion, making each snorkeling adventure at Sand Key unique. The area is designated a Sanctuary Preservation Area which restricts fishing, leaving it solely for the public use of recreational diving and snorkeling.

 Mangrove Islands . Mangrove habitats are thick swampy forests with shallow winding waterways. Mangroves make up much of the land habitat in the Florida Keys. Only accessible by small boats and kayaks, the mangrove islands near Key West offer a snorkeling experience you may not have considered, but will be well worth the trip. With a kayak and snorkeling tour, you'll get to see bright and colorful birds on land and tropical sharks, dolphins, turtles, and fish under the water.

  Nine Foot Stake. Nine Foot Stake gets its name from the nine foot piling that marks the site located about four miles to the south of Key West. The reefs here have grown on and around an old sunken and broken up lighthouse and are known for being an exceptional spot for underwater photography and night snorkeling. Here you'll see barracuda, sting rays, Spanish hogfish, yellow-headed Jewfish, exceptionally large brain coral, brittle stars, and hermit crabs.

  Western Sambo Reef . About four miles offshore and northeast of Key West is the Western Sambo Reef. Like others in the area, this reef is in shallow water and extends to about 20 to 25 feet, bringing the reef habitat and a great diversity of species close to snorkelers. As part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, the area is protected from fishing and public collection of any reefs or fish. While snorkeling, you may see squid, turtles, parrotfish, nurse sharks, damsels, and sergeant majors.

 Toppino's Reef . Toppino's Reef rests just south of the Boca Chica Channel. Snorkelers and divers come here to view the 15 impressively large finger corals that have created a habitat filled with passages for the local sea life. Angelfish, crustaceans, nurse sharks, butterfly fish, and various species of sea turtles are commonly seen while around this reef.

Your vacation would not be complete if you omitted snorkeling the beautiful Key West underwater coral reefs that surrounds the islands. However, the reef system is a delicate habitat. Residents and avid snorkelers and divers treasure the reefs and are careful to not harm the habitat while exploring the reefs. You can immerse yourself in the colorful underwater world, but please don't touch the coral or take any part home with you.

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