Have you decided where you're going to vacation this summer? Are you interested in standing in line on an amusement park vacation? Would you rather wrestle with the hassles of international travel? Deciding on a destination can be an exasperating process, but don't give up.
Everyone deserves a vacation and by choosing to visit North America's own tropical paradise, you'll not only have a hassle-free trip, but you'll enjoy many exciting activities. Whether you choose elegant resorts, sunset dinner cruises, pristine beaches, pirate museums, live entertainment, and unique shopping or thrilling Key West snorkeling, scuba diving, and dolphin encounters, a visit to the Florida Keys offers something for everyone.
If you live in the United States, you don't have to travel halfway around the world to enjoy a tropical vacation. This island paradise is home to the largest coral reef in America and the third largest coral reef in the world. Full of amazing marine life and a few historic shipwrecks you can explore, this destination offers you a vacation you'll remember for a lifetime.
Key West Snorkeling Is Spectacular
Snorkeling the reef will put you up close to schools of thousands of tropical fish, sea turtles, spiny lobsters, hermit crabs, crustaceans, anemone, corals, shallow shipwrecks, and so much more.
Since snorkeling requires no certification, you can enjoy the beauty and freedom of the coral reef without the need for a scuba course. Much of the reef is in shallow waters, making snorkeling the perfect activity for all ages and swimming skills.
Several Key West snorkeling tours will provide you with the gear and instruction you need before whisking you away on a charter boat with complimentary food and beverages to the best snorkeling sites of the reef. Some tours visit more remote and undisturbed areas of the reef while others focus on areas near popular beaches.
Scuba Diving To The Ocean Floor
If diving to the ocean floor to explore shipwrecks and large sport fish like dolphins, sharks, stingrays, eagle rays, and 200-pound jewfish in addition to shipwrecks is a dream, the island offers just the opportunity. After taking a scuba certification course at one of the local dive centers, you can realize your dream as you dive to the depths in these crystal turquoise waters.
Scuba diving tours will take you to shipwrecks like Joe's Tug, a shrimp boat sunk in 1986. This boat offers an interesting history. Thieves raised and stole Joe's Tug from its original location on the ocean floor, but it sunk on its way to its unknown destination. Years later, Hurricane Georges split the boat in half. Today Joe's Tug is home to a 200-pound jewfish named Elvis and an unusually friendly moray eel.
You can explore many other equally interesting shipwrecks and other areas and marine life of the coral reef, including The Aquanaut, a 55-foot wooden tugboat sunk in 1967 that is home to lobsters, yellowtail snapper, shrimp, crabs, and stingrays. Grouper, barracuda, and snook call the 75-foot All Alone tugboat wreck home.
Whether you choose activities on land or at sea, you are sure to find a hassle-free, adventure-filled vacation here that will bring you home relaxed with plenty of fish stories to tell.
