No. Never.....but I walk with a gal that dives there ALL the time. She LOVES it! She also owns a house there. She's a snow bird and just returned to Colorado.

Rob I want to hear all about it when you get back!

My DD & SIL were married there, it was gorgeous.

Many years ago, we went on a glass bottomed boat ride there...it was ok...don't remember it as being that special...not like snorkeling in the caribbean.

LOVE snorkeling in the Caribbean

My favorite place to snorkel is Hawaii. I have spent hours in the water just floating watching the fish. Here is a tip to get the fish to come close, use frozen peas. Scatter it like bird seed and they will come right up to you and eat out of your hand.

booked the trip! Looking forward to it. So is my boy.

Thanks!!!!

P.S. Annie? There was a post that said this spot was just like being in the Caribbean. I'll be the judge of that :)

My friend says John Penekamp Coral Reef State Park is the place to go. My DH says the Dive magazines always tout Penekamp as a "place to go"......would love to hear YOUR review....

Didn't dive... just rode my bike from Tampa to Key West. Then, fast ferry to Ft.Myers, and bike back to Tampa.

Overall, AWESOME, since it was January and the temps in the upper 70's and the 80's.

You know they sell cheap under water cameras....right? Take photos of the Christ statue at least. You'll remember it forever....swimming around it, the light refracting thought the water.....GLORIOUS!

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4 Best Disposable Underwater Cameras - April 2019

PlaceProduct InformationScore23 Aqua Cam Underwater Magic Disposable 35mm Film Camera 400 ISO 36 Exp9.535 Pcs Fuji QuickSnap Waterproof Underwater One Time Use Disposable Cameras9.14Fujifilm QuickSnap Flash 400 Disposable 35mm Camera (Pack of 2) By fujifilm9.0

Uh, yeah baby! No, I didn't know. I know where I'm going after work today.... THANKS! again. You're the best!

I recommend the Akaso underwater video camera. My favorite place for snorkeling is also the Caribbean (haven't been for a while), and Fiji is second. I found snorkeling in Hawaii (Maui) to be boring by comparison.

Here's a video I took while at Mana Island, Fiji, on my birthday with that camera

This was before I learned how to turn off the time/date stamp and before I learned that it has an underwater setting that removes some of the blue. If you do get one of those cameras, familiarize yourself with it ahead of time as much as possible. It has lots of great features.

The little black and white striped fish were very friendly and would eat dead skin off my legs, which tickled a bit.

Thanks Lars! I just found out how deep it is, I'm not sure I can do it. But I have to try, I will!

Did you buy an underwater disposible camera?

We did buy them. Haven't developed the pictures yet.

And to answer your question Annie, yes, it's a SMALL slice of Caribbean diving. The same. Limited, but same reef fish :)

Where we went (it was really small)

(Miami, was even similar, not far enough out to be like St Thomas, but it was the like the inlet we swam in St Thomas)

I love the sea fans - I saw a lot of those in the Caribbean but none in the Pacific - I don't think they grow there. I still have a dried one that I found on a Caribbean beach. I also saw turtles in the Caribbean but not in the Pacific.

I have. Many years ago though....I loved it.

Fiji is the soft coral capitol of the diving world. South Pacific. Yes, I've been diving there.