Vacation... Where to go this summer??

[bk_market]

Im planning to go to the beach this summer. I been to St. peterburg in tampa bay 3 years ago and it was awesome. Any other nice beach in florida that I should visit? or should I go back to peterburg again?

I havent been to miami or key west, how are they compare to st.peterburg?

[L8 2 RISE]

I've been to key west. Don't go there for beaches (not key west at least, some of the other keys yes), but it's A LOT of fun and just the overall mood of the place, some alright-good snorkeling/ diving too.

[ctenophore]

I grew up at the east coast beaches, New Smyrna which is just north of the cape (you can also visit cape canaveral), and skipping Daytona, try St. Augustine which is south of Jacksonville. The old fort there is worth seeing, it was built in the late 1500s. St. Aug is typically much less crowded especially if you walk north of the A street area. You can drive on the beach up to A street, one of the few beaches left in the country that you can drive on.

[epleeds]

anywhere in the outerbanks is usually good. also a must go is charleston, sc. + myrtle beach.

[Brian Ward]

anywhere in the outerbanks is usually good. also a must go is charleston, sc. + myrtle beach.

 

I hate myrtle beach. too crowded with tourists, can't get into a restaurant and half of the restaurants are fried food buffets. charleston is awesome. went there last year and stayed out on the isle of palms. Lots of history, local dive charter, plenty to do and awesome restaurants. outer banks is also great. not familiar with florida beaches. I know my Dad likes New Smyrna, and another friend likes jacksonville.

[Stu]

I'll echo Justin on St. Augustine. I love New Smyrna, but that's just cause I grew up surfing there (is still a nice little town).

 

The Keys is a totally different experience from most FL beaches; there really is no beach, but if you rent a boat, the crystal clear water and the reefs are great. When I lived in Florida, I used to go to Marathon to dive/spearfish/fish about 3 or 4 times a year. It's an awesome experience and well worth the trip if you've never been there.

 

As far as the west coast of FL goes, Destin in the panhandle has very pretty beaches and it's a nice area. If you liked St. Pete, Lido Key near Sarasota is a nice beach area too.

 

-Stu

[bk_market]

So I assume that you need license to go snorkle? or can I just jump in?

[epleeds]

if you go in off the beach its free...but sometimes, depending on where you go, its good to pay for a boat/snorkle trip. the will take you out to the reef's and well worth it.

[zygote2k]

Cayo Costa State Park has a very nice beach plus several lagoons. It's just north of Sanibel Island and has lots of rare shells. You can rent a "cabin" or camp on the beach. It's only accessible by boat or plane. Tropic Star Ferry has daily service. The island has the same natural vegetation that was present 500 years ago. Lots of wreckage near the old leper colony.

[L8 2 RISE]

I hate myrtle beach. too crowded with tourists, can't get into a restaurant and half of the restaurants are fried food buffets. charleston is awesome.

 

+1 to both of these

 

So I assume that you need license to go snorkle? or can I just jump in?

 

No, just jump in. We have some friends down there with a nice size boat. Went out to a nice area of the reef and had it all to our selves. It had been a pretty windy week, so the ocean was worked up and wasn't crystal clear and it was hard to keep from hitting the rocks in the waves, but we still saw some fish, and I even managed to have some play time with a reef squid which was one of the best parts of the trip! (I'm a cephalopod nut ) There are plenty of places down there that will bring you down to the reef for a price too. Honestly, if we went again, we all agreed that we would have to find a way to rent a boat for the week.

 

Also,

+1 to the others that mentioned St. Augustine, another GREAT place.

[bk_market]

so the only place for snorkling is in key west?

[Steve G]

so the only place for snorkling is in key west?

Key Largo probably has the best reefs for snorkeling, but I've never been to the Keys myself. Just researched it for a dive trip I'm taking this summer, which will now be in St. Croix, USVI.

[Stu]

There are reefs all along the Keys, from close in to a number of miles offshore.

 

I would only do the rent a boat thing if you do your research ahead of time and figure out which reefs you want to check out. This is a good option if you are diving, as the deeper reefs are less crowded. Again, I would only do this if you research it ahead of time. Otherwise, you may end up driving around grass flats for hours looking for a reef.

 

For general recreational snorkeling, your best bet is probably taking one of the head boats out of Key Largo. They all run to Pennekamp State Park, which is basically a huge underwater protected state park. Reefs are in good shape there because they don't allow any fishing, harvesting, etc. The downside to Key Largo is it doesn't have much other than that. The trips aren't too expensive. You can check out Captain Slate's website for more info on that.

 

Key West is a lot of fun--Duval Street is one long strip of bars, and is a lot of fun. There are some other perks, like Hemingway's house, crazy street performers down at Mallory Square at sunset (think sword swallowers, tightrope-walking cats, and juggling acts), and the one true beach in the Keys. A lot of the reefs off Key West are in pretty bad shape though.

 

I always go to Marathon mainly because I have a bunch of GPS numbers for good patch reef for lobstering and spearing, and it's not crowded like the other areas. There is also another state park a few miles up the road that has some excellent reefs.

 

Wherever you decide to go, I don't think you can go wrong with any of them.

 

-Stu

[bk_market]

Thanx so much for the info guys. So problem is Im going with bunch of people who like me barely know how to swim (in the pool), how deep is the reef there? I don't want to sign up for the wrong thing and end up going to some diving trip which I can't do.

Edited June 4, 2009 by bk_market

[Stu]

Most of the snorkeling trips are very tourist-oriented, and are not difficult at all. You literally put on your fins, mask and snorkel, and swim around on the surface. So it really doesn't matter how deep the reef is, although most of the reefs where they take snorkeling trips are pretty shallow. They would probably provide a life jacket if someone felt uncomfortable. If you really barely do know how to swim though, it might not be a good idea. That said, snorkeling is really a pretty easy endeavor, and the later in the summer you go, typically the calmer the seas will be. In July or August, it can be a lake 8 miles out. This should clarify a bit:

 

Captain Slate's

 

Diving on the other hand requires certification, and dive boats will only let you go if you are certified.

 

Thanx so much for the info guys. So problem is Im going with bunch of people who like me barely know how to swim (in the pool), how deep is the reef there? I don't want to sign up for the wrong thing and end up going to some diving trip which I can't do.