Florida Sailing & Snorkeling Trips

Florida is home to the Florida Barrier Reef, North America's only living reef and one of the three largest reefs in the world. The reef is a part of the pristine and protected Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, which offers a diving experience filled with vibrant sea life. All of this, plus shipwrecks and hundreds of artificial reefs, makes Florida the diving and snorkeling capital of the United States.

The Panhandle

Northwestern Florida is a salt and freshwater snorkeling paradise known as "The Panhandle." The water is a glistening emerald green and the well-preserved shipwrecks, artificial reefs and sea life make it a place tourists love to visit. If you are interested in freshwater snorkeling, The Panhandle is the place to do it.
Popular snorkeling sites include the Gulf Islands National Seashore in Pensacola, the Topsail Hill State Preserve in Santa Rosa, Vortex Spring near Ponce de Leon and St. Andrews State Park in Panama City Beach.

Gulf Islands National Seashore
1801 Gulf Breeze Parkway
Gulf Breeze, Florida 32563
(850) 934-2600
http://www.nps.gov/guis/planyourvisit/snorkeling-and-diving-at-gulf-islands.htm

Topsail Hill State Preserve
7525 W. Scenic Highway 30A
Santa Rosa Beach, Florida 32459
(850) 267-0299
http://www.floridastateparks.org/TopsailHill/

Vortex Spring
1517 Vortex Springs Lane
Ponce de Leon, Florida 32455
(800) 342-0640

St. Andrews State Park
4607 State Park Lane
Panama City, Florida 32408
(850) 233-5140
http://www.floridastateparks.org/StAndrews

Fort Lauderdale

If you are looking for a relaxing underwater experience, Fort Lauderdale is the destination. Several tour companies can take you to one of the area's 75 artificial reefs, where you can see a variety of tropical fish, including trumpet fish, parrot fish and different kinds of angelfish.

Sea Experience
801 Seabreeze Blvd.
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33316
(954) 770-DIVE (3483)
http://www.seaexperience.com/

Pro Dive International
429 Seabreeze Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33316
(800) PRO-DIVE
http://www.prodiveusa.com/

Key West

When most people think of a place to snorkel and sail in Florida, they think of Key West. The warm water, reefs and shipwrecks there provide a diverse diving experience. Tour companies in the area have a variety of options ranging from a chartered boat of your own to an excursion that lasts a few hours.

Danger Charters
Westin Hotel Marina
245 Front Street
Key West, Florida
(305) 304-7999
http://www.dangercharters.com

Fury Catamaran
(305) 294-8899
http://www.furycat.com

Key West Sailing, Sunset and Snorkel Charters
951 Caroline St.
Key West, Florida 33040
(305) 432-2132
http://www.destinationkeywest.com

Key West Snorkeling Tours
http://www.keywestsnorkelingtours.com/

Sunny Days Key West
(800) 236-7937
http://www.sunnydayskeywest.com

Resources

Article Written By Diane Hansen

Diane Hansen has a thirst for adventure and loves to share the world through the written word. Currently, she is the feature editor for "TRAVELHOST" magazine and is working on her first novel. She graduated from Cal State San Bernardino in 2002 with a B.A. in business administration with a concentration in marketing. She has been writing freelance since 1996.

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