Guide To Snorkeling In Biscayne National Park Miami Florida

Snorkeling in Biscayne National Park is a not-to-miss-out activity if you are in Miami. The park, which is situated a little south of Miami and north of Key Largo, was set up with the purpose of preserving the region’s natural wonders and covers more than 170.000 acres of mangrove forests, sand barrier islands, coral keys within the northernmost portion of Florida’s barrier reef. Although it lacks shore snorkel spots, a variety of beautiful keys and shallow reefs are available by short boat rides within the park’s area, where you can enjoy swimming in crystal clear waters and discover Florida’s diverse marine life. If you want to visit some of the park’s snorkel spots, you will find lots of helpful information in this guide to plan your trip.

Biscayne National Park Snorkeling Things To Know

• The park’s islands and reefs are only accessible by boat: You can reach the snorkel spots by your own boat or by signing up for a guided snorkeling tour. Half-day and full-day trips depart daily from Dante Fascell Visitor Center in Homestead. If you don’t want to drive down to the park, choose a tour that departs from Miami, like this sailing excursion.
• You can’t snorkel from the shore: There is no beach in Biscayne National Park suitable for snorkeling, and the offshore reefs are only reachable by boat.
• It is possible to visit the park’s reefs on your own: If you have access to a boat, you can go snorkeling on your own in Biscayne National Park. Most popular dive and snorkel sites offer mooring buoys.
• You can observe a wide variety of marine species: The park’s waters are home to rich sea life, including various types of soft and hard corals (for example, Brain, Elkhorn, Staghorn, Lettuce corals, sea rods, and sea fans), invertebrates, reef fish, rays, turtles, sharks, and even manatees.
• The park can be visited year-round: The region’s climate allows water activities, including snorkeling, any time of the year, but the conditions are different each season. The water temperatures are the highest during summer (28-30°C/82.4-86°F), but this is also hurricane season when weather disruptions are possible. Also, stormy periods decrease visibility, which is bad for snorkeling. You can expect clear waters during winter and spring; however, wearing a 3-mm wetsuit is recommended as the sea temperatures are lower in this season (23-25°C / 73.4-77°F).

7 Spots We Found The Best For Snorkeling In Biscayne National Park

If you decide to visit this national park to discover the area’s marine life, you may want to know what spots to visit. Here, we list seven sites that we recommend visiting, with information on what you can see and what to pay attention to.

We marked the sites on this Biscayne National Park snorkeling places map:

Boca Chita Key

Located in Biscayne Bay, Boca Chita Key is the most visited island of Biscayne National Park. It is famous for its iconic lighthouse, which has an observation deck from which you can enjoy fantastic views of the area and Miami’s skyline.

You can reach this little island by a 45-minute boat ride. If you book a tour at Biscayne National Park Institute’s visitor center, a guide will give an overview of the key’s history. Alternatively, you can arrive in your own boat if you have one, but note that there is limited docking available for ten vessels only.

Not only the land scenery is fantastic on Boca Chita Key, but the beautiful clear water that surrounds the island makes it an excellent Biscayne Bay snorkeling spot, too; lobsters, little hermit crabs, and other aquatic critters are hiding between the mangrove roots, and schools of fish swim around in the shallow waters. There is also a well-kept campground on Boca Chita Key so you can stay for the night.

Note the current can be strong around the island, so be careful when snorkeling. Also, there might be jellies in the water. Although the most common types of jellyfish in the Florida Keys are harmful to humans, some might cause discomfort, irritation, or severe reactions for those who have sensitive skin, so it is better to avoid them.

Sands Key

If you want to snorkel in Biscayne National Park, Sands Key is another spot you should visit. This pretty island is located in the lower Biscayne Bay, between Boca Chita and Elliott Keys (don’t mix it up with Sand Key Reef, which is a snorkeling spot in Key West). Sands Key is also referred to as Saunder’s Key.

The underwater view is very similar to the one you can see around Boca Chita Key. Biscayne National Park snorkel tours often include a stop here in their itinerary (your captain will choose the snorkel site depending on the water/weather conditions to ensure a safe experience). Sands Key (and also Soldier Key, which we will talk about in the next section) are so-called transitional islands, meaning that they are hard rock coral keys with sandy barriers on their north.

Elliot Key

Elliott Key is the northernmost island of the Florida Keys and the park’s largest key. This former pineapple plantation island today is a popular spot for camping, swimming, and snorkeling in the Biscayne National Park. There is even a hiking trail on it, and it is pet-friendly, so you can bring along Fido too!

The island’s mangrove coastline provides a habitat for juvenile fish species and small aquatic creatures; they hide among the roots in the shallow waters. In the deeper waters, around the docks), you can see large schools of fish. Plus, it is possible to see nurse sharks, stingrays, and sometimes even manatees, so keep your camera ready to capture them!

Soldier Key

This small key (about the size of a football pitch) lies north of Boca Chita Key, also on the sand bar area (known as Safety Valve) that separates Biscayne Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. We love this key a lot because it is pretty much in its natural state with overgrown bushes and lush mangrove forests; it is a perfect destination for those who are looking for an untouched paradise.

The water is usually clear and calm around Soldier Key, making it a great snorkel spot for families with little kids. The best snorkeling we found on the west side of the island where there is an old sunken dock in approx. 6ft/2m deep water that attracts lots of fish and other marine life.

Mandalay Wreck – Long Reef

Shipwrecks in the Florida Keys are numerous and some of them can be found in Biscayne Bay (at least 44 wrecks but the research for more is still ongoing). For snorkelers, the easiest and the most impressive to visit is the wreck of Mandalay, a 112 ft/34 m long schooner that was driven aground on Long Reef (a long reef area that runs parallel to Elliot Key) in 1966 while returning from the Bahamas.

The remains of the Mandalay rest in shallow, 12ft/3.6 m deep water and turned into an artificial reef over the years. Coral species settled on the structure, providing shelter to a variety of Florida reef fish including blue tangs, french grunts, sergeant majors, trumpetfish, parrotfish, and surgeon fish.

You may even spot lobsters hiding in the structure’s holes! Thanks to the shallowness and rich aquatic life of this exciting Biscayne Bay snorkeling site, beginners are welcome, too!

Fowey Rocks Lighthouse

The newest addition to the Maritime Heritage Trail – a trail of interesting wreck sites with installed mooring buoys – is Fowey Rocks Lighthouse, the northernmost of the six Florida Coral Reef Lights, also known as the Eye of Miami.

The lighthouse, which replaced the Cape Florida Light, was constructed in the 1870s to help the area’s passing ships navigate this difficult stretch of reef. Today, the surrounding area of this massive structure is a prime snorkeling site in the Florida Keys; with an average depth of only 15 ft (4.5m), both snorkelers and divers will have fun here.

Snorkeling is the best around the base of the lighthouse, but the structure itself is not open to the public. This shallow snorkel spot features rich coral gardens (mainly soft corals) and abundant aquatic life: schooling French grunts and sergeant majors, blue angelfish, porkfish, trumpetfish, stingrays, and nurse sharks. Moreover, there are remains of a small steamer ship to the northeast of the tower, which is also worth checking out.

Stiltsville

Stiltsville may not be the most beautiful Biscayne snorkel spot, in our opinion, but it is definitely the most interesting one. It is a group of wood shacks on the edge of Biscayne Bay.

The first houses were built sometime in the early 1930s that locals used as campsites. In 1933, “Crawfish” Eddie Walker built a shack to facilitate gambling, which was illegal at that time onshore but was legal one mile off the shore. Later on, buildings were added, clubs were opened, and the area turned into a party center where wealthy Miamians spent their time and money.

The era ended when Hurricane Betsy hit in 1965, damaging many houses. After this, the state decided not to issue new permits, ordered the owners to pay a lease, and required them to remove badly damaged structures.

Another hurricane, Andrew, hit the area in 1992, leaving only seven houses. Stiltsville Trust, a non-profit organization, rehabilitated the remaining structures so they could be preserved to protect and maintain the area’s marine life that settled around them.

When snorkeling here, you will see some common Florida reef fish species and small coral patches. The site is also accessible by kayak, for example, from Bill Baggs State Park. However, before you visit this site, note that a permit is required, which you can get from Stiltsville Trust.

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