Snorkel in Key West or Nassau??

[kellyteach02]

Hello everyone! I have ALWAYS wanted to try snorkeling and we are going to Key West & Nassau. Which place is better to snorkel? Do we do an excursion? If so, to where? Any help would be appreciated!! Thanks!

 

Kelly

[sea-jay]

Kelly - I would suggest Nassau at a local beach. Key West has a pretty rocky bottom and not much beach area to enjoy. Spend your time in Key West checking out the key lime factory, Duval street bars and shops and Mel Fisher's Atoche ship wreck treasure museum.

 

If you have never snorkled before,

 

First: I suggest you check with your local dive shop (if you have one and most cities or nearby cities do) and see if you can rent a mask, fins and snorkle and try them out in a pool first.

 

Second: Buy your equipment and take it with you. It is always better to have your own gear for the following reasons:

 

if your rented mask doesn't fit right and leaks on an excursion, you end up spending a lot of money and not enjoying the experience,

 

you never know who's mouth your snorkle has been in and whether the operator thouroughly disinfected/cleaned it before renting it to you

 

if your fins don't fit, you could end up with blisters on your feet.

 

 

Now - having said all that, here are some safeguards you can use to remedy the above problems if you absolutely have to rent gear.

 

Take a small jar of vaseline with you and if your mask leaks, put some around the edge to help with a seal. I use this method when I scuba dive because I have a mustache and this does help.

 

Also, take a small spray bottle of chorlox or bleach to spray the snorkle mouthpiece with and rinse well before you taste it

 

Wear socks so you reduce the potential for blisters.

 

Last, remember to take a good SPF15 or better, sunblock. Laying in the water on your stomach for an hour or so in the ocean will result in severe sunburn to your back, the back of your head and ears, and the back of your legs. You can really ruin a good vacation because you got too much sun.

 

Hope this helps. Happy bubbles.