Any info would really be appreciated ;

someone told me yesterday that there is no place to snorkel from shore .he said all the reefs are offshore & you need a boat / either rent or a dive service ; IS there anyplace from shore where you can see something besides sand .kina like most of the gulf side sand & sand dollars ><><><

don,t want info on fishing or woman ......I don,t fish when I go away & well the woman .I,ll figure that out .

TX MIKE

Once you figure it out then you can go snorkeling.
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smart ass:smash:

o ean side

use google earth

it'll all be sand underwater

soon enough

if ya wanna fish Clammer
go to Lake Okeechobee
now THAT!
would be FUN

I don,t wanna fish .come on guys .give me a couple of [[spots]]

times short ><><><:soon:

Moved to main forum for some Clam help. :love:

Unfortunately the person who told you about boats/offshore reefs is pretty much right. However, there are many low priced options to get out to the reefs. At Bahia Honda State Park they run a small dive boat out to the reef every day (at 9 a.m., I think.... may be 10 and again later in the day) for $15 or $20 pp. Definitely a bargain and the snorkeling is excellent if its not too windy. In Key West, down near the marina at Schooner Wharf there is a small dive shop that does the same thing, every day. Same basic cost and the reef they go to is excellent. Longer boat ride though and if its too windy it might be a bit of a challenge to swim over to the reef from where they anchor but it is definitely worth it if the conditions are good. Bring your own gear if you have it because the rental stuff that is provided on these trips is marginal at best. At the very least, invest in a good waterproof snorkel!

Mike, have a great time and be careful. You ain't 30 anymore.:biglaugh:

You could also check in at the Bahia Honda State Park Looe Key Snorkeling Tours | Bahia Honda State Park (http://www.bahiahondapark.com/looe-key-snorkeling-tours/) ... they run short snorkeling tours ... about 1.5 hours it says, so that may not be all that challenging.

But there are multiple dive shops on pretty much every key throughout the island chain, so you can easily get answers ... but even on the sand beaches, they quickly give way to grass and coral patches that are not overly sandy ...

... if you are feeling really adventurous and in good shape, you could always dip into one of the channels ... but be sure there are no boats around, mind the currents and make sure the resident hammerheads are following the tarpon and not you ... :smash:

Also, here is the official tourism site for the Florida Keys - Florida Keys Scuba Diving Vacation planning | Florida Keys Snorkeling (http://www.fla-keys.com/diving/) - that site can connect you with a lot of the dive shops and dive operations down there ... they can at least answer questions for you.

Don't forget your speedo.

don't take a blonde with you

THANKS mUCH GUYS ,.,,.

Clammer if you are going to Key West let me know. I have a buddy who works for a company that does a snorkling/booz cruise/sunset deal on a bada$$ catamaran.

They take you out to a reef to snorkel then when you head back in its all the beer you can drink while the sun drops. Pretty awesome. He could probably hook you up with a reduced rate or something to that effect. Lemme know.

After reading the whole thread I am pretty sure MartinD is talking about the shop my buddy works for, Fury.

Ya i did the catamaran snorkeling thing with my parents a number of years ago. Quicksilver was the boat i think. it was awesome and not too expensive i thought. followed a huge sea turtle around for a bit

There was a foreign couple on one of the trips that we went on and the husband was acting like Jacques Cousteau during the crews safety and instructional speech. He was laughing and acting like a know it all because he had his own gear and such. Well when it came time to suit up and jump in he decide he was too much of a pro to wait in line to jump in that he proceeds to climb over the rail, gets hung up and belly flops into the water losing a fin and his mask in the process. It was quite the scene.

There's also always a gaggle of ridiculous jail bait on those trips too so be careful you don't take any shorts too...things get pretty wild on the ride in with all that booz flying around.

:drool:tHANKS

Yeah Im getting the f uck out of year //

been trying for a few years to get anybody to do a fishing trip / on the flats .no luck SOOOOOOOO I,m going down // no nothing //check the T &A & I,m bring my snokeling gear ............................. the smoke shop should be open doen there ,sraying @ In Key Largo :soon:

Mike,
There is a snorkling beach underwater park in Key Largo, very popular place.

what everyone else said. when I was living on Big Pine Key I tried to snorkle from shore, and while I saw fish, it was nothing like out on the reef. Like some people already mentioned, Bahia Honda would probably be your only option, but be careful of the currents and sharks near the bridge. Not really safe IMO to snorkle near the bridge. But if you want to see one of the most consisently ranked top beautiful beaches in the world Bahia Honda is the place to be. Looie Key is right near there and is one of the best places to snorkle by boat. PM me if you want more details...

The boat out of Bahia Honda state park goes to to the Looe Key reef, which is a non-fishing area and I have seen some nice lobsters, mutton snapper and tarpon in that area while snorkeling ... nice area. One of the hammerheads known to hang around the Bahia Honda bridge in the channel there is called Hitler ... big, big fish that eats a lot of big tarpon like it's snacking on cheese doodles ...

yeah my friend told me about the park John P #$%^&*() that,s one of the reasons I picked Key Largo .

Then he called me the other night & said the reefs in the park are off shore / need a boat .

I,ll figure something out // there will be plenty of other temptations:devil2:

Key lime pie must be delicious there.
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I have one word SHARKS ................

...and make sure the boat doesn't leave you out there treading water!

DZ

Check this place out call 800-321-7213 ask about snorkeling from shore. I will be there in January.

Ocean Beach Club Resort: Florida Keys beach resort hotel in Key Colony Beach Florida (http://www.oceanbeach-club.com)

get a wicker chair, set it up in front of Hemmingway's house, (you and old Ernie look alike) and sell autographs, you might pick up a few chicks that way too, and then you can dive on them.

FR,
Thanks ,I.ll be @ Ocean Point .

Karl , no worries about diving , been practicing for 50 F #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g years >><.,:jump1: