Snorkeling in the FL Keys.

[gismo]

(posted on AOPA also).

I'm looking into doing some reef snorkeling as a family outing when I'm in Florida during my daughter's spring break. I've looked at several outfits on or near Marathon Key and Key Largo, those being the easiest to reach by airplane. My wife and I are both experienced scuba divers although that "experience" is mostly 20 or more years old and there will be two kids, 12 and 14, who are comfortable in the water but have no diving experience so I think we should stick with uncompressed air.

I'd appreciate any insight others can provide. Specific questions I have are:

1> Should I try to go with a "snorkel only" trip and/or outfit?

2> Will ground transportation be a problem at MTH? I know I can rent a car there, but would prefer to avoid that expense. I also am assuming that the best way to get to Largo is to fly to Homestead and drive a rental from there.

3> Is Key Largo significantly better than Marathon for snorkeling?

4> Most outfits seem to offer 1-2 hour excursions. Is this long enough or should I look for something in the 3-4 hour range?

Any advice will be appreciated by us all. TIA

 

[bbchien]

I haven't done this in a Looonnng time, but the middle keys seem to be best, on the southeast side where the wall drops off. I guess I would rent a car on the mainland as rentals in Marathon and Key West are beaucoup $$s.