is there anywhere that i can snorkle on my own?

[jetsfan526]

i might be heading down with a few friends and dont feel like there is time to do much of an excursion. was wondering if there is any places we can head ourselves to snorkle a little bit and see the reef or tropical fish swimming around? i went to bermuda last year and they had great places like horseshoe bay with shallow water with tropical fish swimming all over. also is the areas there safe to go alone and is it even possible to do it with me and a few friends

Edited November 20, 2015 by jetsfan526

[Flatbush Flyer]

i might be heading down with a few friends and dont feel like there is time to do much of an excursion. was wondering if there is any places we can head ourselves to snorkle a little bit and see the reef or tropical fish swimming around? i went to bermuda last year and they had great places like horseshoe bay with shallow water with tropical fish swimming all over. also is the areas there safe to go alone and is it even possible to do it with me and a few friends

 

 

Lydgate Park, north of Lihue on Kauai has a half moon shaped rock jetty encircling water just off the beach. Because it is so protected, it is basically a bath tub full of tropical fish. This is one of the best snorkeling spots in the world for poor or non-swimmers (while not skimping on the number and variety of fish).

Edited November 20, 2015 by Flatbush Flyer

[Hlitner]

The fact that the OP has posted this on the "Key West" blog makes me think that describing snorkeling in Hawaii (as in the previous post), Great Barrier Reef, Bahamas, etc. do not apply :). As to Key West, we are not aware of any good snorkeling spot right off a beach in Key West. You need to either take a boat (which usually means a tour) out to a distant reef, or drive a car North of Key West to some other parts of the Keys that have better snorkeling sites.

 

Hank

[jaga04]

If you want to get into the water to see some fish, you can do that at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park in KW. It's not really great snorkeling, though. As the previous poster said, the actual reef is 6-7 miles off shore.

[OCruisers]

Per others above, you need to take a boat to get to any even half way decent snorkeling.

[Hlitner]

We should have also mentioned that there are quite a few different boat/snorkel trips that can be booked (many at the last minute) in KW. No need to pay the ridiculous prices charged for many ship excursions...as you can just go online and research the possibilities. Most of the KW snorkel trips depart from piers that are within walking distance of the cruise ship piers.

 

Hank

[Aquahound]

i might be heading down with a few friends and dont feel like there is time to do much of an excursion. was wondering if there is any places we can head ourselves to snorkle a little bit and see the reef or tropical fish swimming around? i went to bermuda last year and they had great places like horseshoe bay with shallow water with tropical fish swimming all over. also is the areas there safe to go alone and is it even possible to do it with me and a few friends

 

No, sorry. Beach snorkeling in KW isn't good. What the others said is spot on. You have to rent a boat and go out to the reef. Fury and Sebago tends to be the most popular. As for walking on your own, you'l be fine. KW is a very safe town.

 

Lydgate Park, north of Lihue on Kauai has a half moon shaped rock jetty encircling water just off the beach. Because it is so protected, it is basically a bath tub full of tropical fish. This is one of the best snorkeling spots in the world for poor or non-swimmers (while not skimping on the number and variety of fish).

 

Interesting. That sounds nice. That's over 4800 miles from where the OP is going...but interesting nonetheless. ;)

[Keith1010]

As others said if you want to Snorkel, you will want to arrange a trip on one of the local boats and you can easily do this after you arrive.

 

Keith

[slabeaume]

We walked to Fort Zachary from a cruise ship just last week and had a really good time there. (It is even sort of like Lydgate on Kauai in that it is a man made aream although unlike Lydgate, Ft. Zachary has the swimming area open to the ocean in a few areas). Yes it wasn't the best snorkeling in the world, but for a walk to beach that's free and safe (watch out for the jelly fish if they're still there)--it's really not bad. I even saw a couple fish there I've not seen elsewhere. If you'd like to see some pictures of the snorkeling there, check out my blog: http://travelingwithsue.blogspot.com/2015/11/2015-nov-8-15-western-caribbean-cruise.html

Key West was our first port.

[keywester33]

I wouldn't waste my time snorkeling at Fort Zachary. The water conditions are not always clear and the beach is more rocks and gravel then sand. The main attraction in Key West is the Old Town Historic District, restaurants and bars.

 

If you do decide to go to Fort Zachary, they post the water conditions at the entrance to the park. Unless it shows calm with excellant visibility, don't bother trying.

[slabeaume]

I wouldn't waste my time snorkeling at Fort Zachary. The water conditions are not always clear and the beach is more rocks and gravel then sand. The main attraction in Key West is the Old Town Historic District, restaurants and bars.

 

If you do decide to go to Fort Zachary, they post the water conditions at the entrance to the park. Unless it shows calm with excellent visibility, don't bother trying.

 

For some of us even mediocre snorkeling isn't a waste of time. To me, hanging out at a bar or restaurant when you're in port on a cruise ship is a waste of time.

As for the gravel beach, there are areas where there's good sandy entrance/exit into the water.

[keywester33]

For some of us even mediocre snorkeling isn't a waste of time. To me, hanging out at a bar or restaurant when you're in port on a cruise ship is a waste of time.

As for the gravel beach, there are areas where there's good sandy entrance/exit into the water.

 

Sue,

 

Everyone is entitled to an opinion. I have lived in Key West for many, many years and been to Fort Zachary more times than I can count. I'm guessing I have a much better idea of typical conditions there than you as a one time or occasional visitor. I'm glad you had good conditions and enjoyed it, but more often than not, the snorkeling there is not good and the beach is exceptionally rocky.

 

I try to post accurate information here and let visitors decide what to do. Key West has many historic attractions including a beautiful and unique historic district. We have museums, galleries, tours, reef excursions and a host of options visitors enjoy. We have fresh local seafood and fun bars people typically like as well. I'm sorry you think sampling fresh, local seafood is a waste of time. Most visitors don't agree. In my opinion, visiting a very average, rocky beach and snorkeling in cloudy water is not the best activity Key West offers. Especially since cruises stopping here usually include ports with much better snorkeling and beaches.

 

As I said in my post, water conditions are posted at the entrance to the park and on days with calm, clear water, snorkeling can be OK. These are not the typical conditions. Visitors can decide for themselves what to do. As a long time resident and someone who has snorkeled in dozens of locations, I feel comfortable saying that Fort Zachary is not a great or even good snorkel destination, and I would hate for a visitor to be disappointed due to the wrong expectation.

 

P.S. Fort Zachary is not free. There is a modest entrance fee and most people need to rent gear.

[slabeaume]

keywester33---probably if I lived in Key West I wouldn't be touting it either, but when you live near the muddy Mississippi and it's cold back home, the water feels great and seeing anything besides catfish and water moccasins is great. I didn't know there was a fee. We walked up to the beach and talked to the guys at the concession stand, but no one asked for an entrance fee. Oops! You may have noticed, I didn't say I would pass up the historical stuff---but I've done that already. I've also had Key Lime pie in Key West. I just want someone who may be as hard core a beach goer/snorkeler as I am to know that Fort Zachary can be good. I even ended up with a nasty jellyfish sting all over my forearm, but don't regret going there. But our usual vacation is to snorkel and hang out at beaches. To each their own.

[peter_krynicki]

For some of us even mediocre snorkeling isn't a waste of time. To me, hanging out at a bar or restaurant when you're in port on a cruise ship is a waste of time.

As for the gravel beach, there are areas where there's good sandy entrance/exit into the water.

 

If I were going to snorkel off a beach in Key West, I'd go to Higgs. There's the long, larger White Street pier and the smaller Reynolds Street pier to the right. In between is usually calm, clear water, and you can get into the water from steps built into the latter pier. And if you simply walk out onto either pier you can see quite a few small, colorful fish in the water. And there's a small cabana on Higgs where you can rent equipment, a chair and an umbrella. The bonus to going out there is that you can visit the botanical garden on the left-hand side of the beach, and maybe have lunch at Salute.

 

Someone off a cruise ship would probably have to cab it out there and back or rent bicycles.

 

Pjk

[slabeaume]

If I were going to snorkel off a beach in Key West, I'd go to Higgs. There's the long, larger White Street pier and the smaller Reynolds Street pier to the right. In between is usually calm, clear water, and you can get into the water from steps built into the latter pier. And if you simply walk out onto either pier you can see quite a few small, colorful fish in the water. And there's a small cabana on Higgs where you can rent equipment, a chair and an umbrella. The bonus to going out there is that you can visit the botanical garden on the left-hand side of the beach, and maybe have lunch at Salute.

 

Someone off a cruise ship would probably have to cab it out there and back or rent bicycles.

 

Pjk

 

Thanks! Hopefully I'll get to check that out some day, too.