Key Largo Snorkeling: A Detailed Guide on Tours, Spots, & More

If you’re planning a trip to Key Largo, snorkeling is more than likely already on your itinerary! If it’s not, you need to update your itinerary 😉

Snorkeling in Key Largo is arguably the most popular activity in the Upper Keys – it’s literally what the Keys are known for after all!

The Florida Keys, and Key Largo specifically, are home to some of the most incredible coral reefs, tropical fish, and other amazing undersea creatures on the planet.

Did you know Florida’s coral reefs represent the third largest barrier reef ecosystem in the world – how cool is that?! In fact, the waters around the Keys make up the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, over 2,900 square nautical miles of underwater world.

In this post, I breakdown everything you need to know about snorkeling Key Largo, from the best reefs to the best snorkel tours, what to pack, when to go, and more!

Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link or book through an affiliate program, I receive a small commission at no cost to you! 

Everything You Need to Know About Snorkeling Key Largo

How Much Does Snorkeling in Key Largo Cost

An important factor when planning out your activities is of course: how much is it going to cost?

Unfortunately, it’s not a simple one size fits all answer.. but I will do my best to give you a good overview of your choices!

If you’re visiting Key Largo and want to go snorkeling, you really have 3 options: snorkel off the beach, go on a snorkel tour, or rent a boat! In the next sections, I break down the average cost of each of these options.

Pssst: If you’re planning a trip to Key Largo, here are my top recommended hotels in the area! You can read my full guide here!
Kona Kai Resort
Playa Largo Resort & Spa
Baker’s Cay Resort Key Largo

Snorkeling Off The Beach

Average Cost: Less than $10 USD per person

Let’s start with the cheapest option – snorkeling off the beach! Now, if you’ve read my other blog posts about the Keys, you already know that beaches aren’t really common in the Keys. By that I mean, you won’t find miles of sprawling white sand beaches in Key Largo like you would in Miami!

However, there is a whole lot of coastline in the Keys, which means there are definitely opportunities to swim offshore and go snorkeling.

Of course, this is definitely not the best option for snorkeling in Key Largo, and you are going to see much more if you go snorkeling by boat. You won’t find any major coral reefs within swimming distance off shore.

On the plus side, this option can be totally free (as long as you have your own snorkel gear)!

If you are set on just snorkeling from shore, I recommend heading to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Within the park, Cannon Beach (shown above) is a popular spot for all ages when visiting Key Largo. This is a great spot to snorkel off the beach, as there’s plenty of tropical fish and marine life within arm’s reach! If you’re feeling adventurous, there is also remnants of an old Spanish shipwreck about 100 feet offshore.

Pennekamp also rents snorkel gear for pretty cheap in case you don’t have your own: $3 for mask or snorkel and $4 for fins.

So while this is not the best option for snorkeling in Key Largo, it is definitely the cheapest, and a good option for those who don’t feel like leaving the shore!

Going on a Snorkel Tour

Average Cost: $35 – $75 USD per person

The second option for snorkeling in Key Largo is to go on an organized snorkel tour! Luckily, there are tons of different tour boat operators in the Upper Keys, so you will have many options to choose from.

Most tours will take you to one or two snorkel spots and last between 2 and 4 hours. I’ll cover all of this in more detail later in this post; however, in terms of cost, expect to pay between $35 and $90 for a Key Largo snorkel tour.

Renting or Chartering a Boat

Average Cost: $300 – $600 (total)

The most expensive, but also best option in my opinion, is to rent a boat and make your own Key Largo snorkeling tour.

Of course, you should have some boating experience for this one!!

The average cost of renting a boat in Key Largo is anywhere from $300 – $600, depending on how long you rent for, what type of boat you rent, etc.!

However, it is definitely worth it to be able to control your own schedule and not be stuck on a boat with 30 other people! Plus, if you have a large group, this option may be more cost effective than paying for a public snorkel tour.

If you don’t have any boating experience, another option in the Keys is to charter a boat or book a private tour: i.e. you rent a boat AND a captain. The captain will drive the boat for you and take you to the best snorkel spots around Key Largo.

Expect to pay between $400 and $800 for this option! It’s definitely the most pricey option, but a good one for those who want a private tour and don’t have experience driving a boat in the Keys!

Best Time of Year for Snorkeling in Key Largo

The best part about snorkeling Key Largo is that you can literally do it year round! There’s really no bad time to snorkel in Key Largo, except maybe when there’s a hurricane….

My personal favorite time to snorkel in Key Largo is during the late spring and early summer months from April – July. During this time of year, the water is very warm and you don’t need a wet suit! (As a native Floridian, I am kind of a chicken when it comes to cold water).

Plus, the days are longer in the summer, which means you can stay out on the boat even longer.

As summer continues into August and September, the water temperature gets even warmer. However, this is when hurricane season starts to peak, so you run the risk of bad weather, high seas, and windy conditions. This can reduce visibility underwater, which isn’t great for snorkeling.

The winter time is high season in the Keys, which means busy restaurants and sold out hotels. In addition, the water gets colder, winds pick up, and the visibility tends to be not as good. So while winter is an extremely popular time to visit the Keys, it’s not the best time for snorkeling and scuba diving.

P.S. For even more info on weather patterns, seasons, and activities in Key Largo, don’t forget to check out my guide on the Best Time to Visit the Florida Keys.

What Gear You’ll Need

First off, if you don’t have your own snorkel gear, don’t fret! If you book a snorkel tour, almost every single one of them will have snorkel gear available to rent. Most will even include snorkel gear in the price of the tour. Again, I will touch on this more later in this post!

Mask and Snorkel

To start, of course you’ll need a mask and snorkel to snorkel Key Largo! Really, this is all you NEED to go snorkeling. Unlike scuba diving, where purchasing all of your own gear will cost over $1000, snorkeling gear can be relatively reasonable!

If you plan on snorkeling more than once in your life, I recommend investing in a quality mask and snorkel. I don’t recommend heading to Walmart and grabbing the first $20 mask and snorkel set you see. Instead, invest in a quality set like this one, and it’ll last you for 10-20 years! Your future self will thank you when you’re underwater.

Fins

While optional, fins are great to have while snorkeling, especially if the seas are rough. Unless you are an extremely strong swimmer, I recommend using fins for snorkeling in Key Largo. You’ll be able to swim further and faster with less effort! Plus, if there are strong currents in the ocean, you will want to be wearing fins.

Reef-Safe Sunscreen

An absolute must when snorkeling is reef-safe sunscreen. Please do not come to the Keys and lather on sunscreen full of chemicals. While reef-safe sunscreen is becoming more common, most drugstore brand sunscreens still contain harmful ingredients like Oxybenzone, Octinoxate, and Octocrylene. Brands like COOLA and MANDA are both great options that do not contain any toxic chemicals!

If you’re looking to read more about reef-safe sunscreen and its importance for protecting coral reefs, check out this article!

What You Might See in the Water

I wanted to touch on the different wildlife you will see when snorkeling Key Largo because that’s really the whole point, right?!

My favorite part of visiting the Keys is the abundance of tropical fish and sea creatures you get to see! Here’s a list of some different animals you might encounter under the sea in Key Largo:

Best Key Largo Snorkeling Spots

As mentioned above, John Pennekamp State Park is a popular snorkeling spot in Key Largo. In addition to being a land-based state park, Pennekamp is also an undersea park. In fact, it was the United States’ first undersea park. The park covers 178 nautical square miles (3 miles into the Atlantic Ocean and 25 miles in length). 

As you can see on the map below, most of the popular snorkeling spots lie just outside the park’s border. In the below section, I’ll touch on a few of these spots!

Christ of the Abyss Statue / Dry Rocks

Depth: 25-30 feet
Highlights: Nine foot tall bronze statue of Christ!

The Christ of the Abyss statue is probably the most famous underwater spot in all of the Keys. The statue actually falls within the Dry Rocks sanctuary area, which is one of the best areas to snorkel in Key Largo. The water here is typically around 30 feet, so it’s great for snorkelers or a shallow dive spot.

You’ll find a variety of marine life and coral here, including groupers, grunts, angelfish, and maybe even some nurse sharks or moray eels!

This is a very common snorkel spot in Key Largo, so there are often lots of snorkel boat tours at this spot! I recommend getting here early if you want it all to yourself!

Fun Fact: Some people actually get married here! There have been many underwater weddings at the Christ Statue in Key Largo. You might get to witness one if you visit!

Grecian Rocks

Depth: 5-35 feet
Highlights: Protected and easy snorkel spot

Just one mile south of Dry Rocks lies Grecian Rocks, another popular snorkeling spot in Key Largo. Not as beautiful as the Christ Statue, it’s still a great place to snorkel! This is a good place to visit if the weather is iffy, as it’s more protected than the other reefs in the area.

Some parts of the reef are in very shallow water, so this snorkel spot can be great for beginners. In terms of wildlife, you can expect to see all kinds of tropical critters, my favorite being parrotfish, blue tangs, and angelfish.

Molasses Reef

Depth: 6-90 feet
Highlights: Beautiful clear water with TONS to see

My personal favorite reef to snorkel in Key Largo is Molasses Reef. Molasses Reef lays just south and east of the Pennekamp border and is one of the most popular snorkel and dive spots in all of the Keys!

The depth on Molasses Reef ranges from 6 feet to 90 feet, making it a great spot for snorkelers and scuba divers alike. However, the reef is pretty exposed, so it’s better to visit here on a calm day.

You will be blessed with some incredible coral heads here, like Elkhorn Coral and brain corals. You might also see some wreckage from the Slobodna shipwreck, including a large winch and anchor. In addition, there are quite a few little caves and holes like the Spanish Anchor Winch Hole, Fire Coral Caves, and Hole in the Wall!

Overall, Molasses Reef is definitely one of the best snorkel spots in Key Largo!

Popular Key Largo Snorkeling Tours

As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, one of the most common ways people go snorkeling in Key Largo is on an organized snorkel tour! Since snorkeling is so popular in Key Largo, there are tons of different tour options with many different vendors.

Below I’ll go over the top snorkel tours in Key Largo to help you decide on your best option!

Two Reef Snorkel Tour with Silent World Dive Center

Price: $75 per person
Duration: 3.5 hours
Rating: 5 stars

Rated #1 on TripAdvisor for snorkel tours in Key Largo, this Two Reef Snorkel Tour with Silent World Dive Center is an excellent choice for those looking for a half day adventure!

This tour is $75 per person and includes snorkel gear, fruit slices, and reef-safe sunscreen in the cost!

They offer 3 different departure times: 8:15am, 11:15am, and 2:15pm. I recommend choosing the 8:15am tour, as the weather on the ocean is typically best first thing in the morning. Plus, there will be less people the earlier you go!

Half Day Snorkel Trip with Pirates Cove Watersports

Price: $75 per person
Duration: 3.5 hours
Rating: 5 stars

Another highly rated snorkel tour is this Half Day Snorkel Trip with Pirates Cove Watersports, which is extremely similar to the above tour!

For $75, you’ll have 3.5 hours of time from departure to return. This tour doesn’t specifically state you will visit two different reefs, but that is typical. This tour also includes snorkel equipment and use of their reef safe sunscreen.

You can’t go wrong with either option!

A Unique Private Snorkel Tour of Key Largo

Price: $474 per group
Duration: 2.5 hours
Rating: 5 stars

A little different than the above options, this private Key Largo Snorkel Tour is a great option if you are looking for something more private. For $474, you can bring up to 6 people on a private boat tour and explore the best Key Largo snorkeling spots at your own pace.

If you have 6 people, this tour isn’t much more expensive than the traditional tours described above. Plus those tours often have up to 30 people and are on large catamaran boats. If it were me, I would much rather be on a small and private tour like this one!

This tour, like the ones above, also includes snorkel equipment, reef safe sunscreen, plus bottled water and snacks!

Last Thoughts Before Snorkeling in Key Largo

I hope you feel well prepared now to go snorkeling in Key Largo! Whether you choose to rent your own boat, go on an organized tour, or snorkel off the beach, I promise you won’t be disappointed with what you see!

Snorkeling in Key Largo is one of the best activities you can do in the Florida Keys. Be prepared to see an incredible amount of creatures like parrotfish, nurse sharks, barracudas, sea turtles, and more!