Are you visiting St. Pete Beach Florida? The weather is almost always sunny, the temperatures perfect, and the white sandy beaches are gorgeous. Arguably one of the most beautiful Florida towns, snorkeling in St. Pete Beach Florida is a popular attraction for kids and adults alike. If you are visiting the St. Pete Beach area, add these awe-inspiring snorkeling destinations to your travel itinerary.
Snorkeling in St. Pete Beach Florida
Whether you visit St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Treasure Island, or Anna Maria Island, Florida’s Gulf Coast is the perfect place for family fun.
Snorkeling St Pete Beach is very accessible. Snorkel right on St. Petersburg Beach itself or choose a more adventurous spot around Pass-a-Grille.
If you are interested in seeing the best marine wildlife, check out these awesome locations.
Fort Desoto Park
Named as America’s Top Beach in 2005 by Dr. Beach and TripAdvisor in 2009, Fort De Soto Park is known for its beauty. Arrive early because this is a very popular location boasting the only beach in which your dog can join you.
I recommend checking out South Beach on the southern part of the island if you are interested in snorkeling. It is far less crowded. The grass beds in the ocean filter particulates out of the water granting exceptional visibility.
Look for Queen Conches, sponges, crabs, as well as dolphins. If you swim out a bit further, you may catch a glimpse of colorful fish.
On North Beach, snorkelers will find many live sand dollars just below the sand in two to four feet of water off the sand bars. I recommend avoiding Bunce’s Pass located at the end of North Beach due to frequent traffic by recreational boaters. There are also high currents.
Take the Egmont Key Ferry or the Shell Key Ferry from Hubbard’s Marina located at the Fort Desoto boat ramp to Egmont Key or Shell Key Preserve for additional snorkeling opportunities. Read more these locations below.
Egmont Key
Only accessible by boat, Egmont Key State Park is home to Fort Dade’s Spanish-American War ruins. This 328-acre island is the largest breeding ground for loggerhead sea turtles in Pinellas County.
Snorkel right over the ruins of Fort Dade which is now home to friendly octopuses, crab, snapper, fish, and shrimp populations.
Explore the tropical island of historic Egmont Key to include the gun batteries of Fort Dade dating to the 1700’s and a working lighthouse. The island is known for shelling.
Shell Key Preserve
Also only accessible by boat, Shell Key Preserve is an incredible island oasis perfect for snorkeling. Use your private boat, public ferry ride such as the Shell Key shuttle from Pass-a-Grille, or hire a tour operator, to get to Shell Key Island.
The highlight of this 1800 acre island, Shell Key Preserve, is the shell and sand dollar hunting. In addition to the best snorkeling, Shell Key is known for the largest sand dollar population in Florida. Snorkelers will be thrilled to find sand dollars on the ocean floor.
Other marine animals have been sighted. Hermit crabs, sting rays, bottlenose dolphins, rare whelks, gigantic horseshoe crabs, and majestic starfish call the shallow waters that surrounds the key home.
Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge
Located about 2 hours north of St. Pete Beach is the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. The Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge is one of the best places to see and swim with the Florida manatee.
With recent efforts by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission to provide these gentle sea cows more vegetation for eating, they are seeing more and more manatees move into the crystal clear waters of Crystal River.
Because Crystal River is one of the largest aquifers in Florida, it is home to more than 400 West Indian manatees that migrate each year to the warmth of the springs.
Crystal River is the home to the manatee no matter the time of year. You will have a better chance to see manatees in the Winter months (November through March) as they come for warm water and can be seen in large numbers huddled together. We have visited Crystal River in December, March, and June and saw manatees.
There are multiple outfitters in Crystal River offering snorkeling tours. I would recommend using River Ventures. We recently took a tour with River Ventures at the end of March 2022. Though the weather outside was a bit warmer, we still snorkeled with seven manatee during our tour.
River Ventures was not the cheapest option, however I chose them because they take out smaller groups and promote passive viewing of the manatee. Their tour included use of wet suits, a snorkel, mask, and noodle to float above the manatees. Their pontoon boat was also heated.
Tour Companies Offering Snorkeling In St. Pete Beach Florida
Here are a few of the many outfitters offering island boat adventures with snorkeling trips in and around St. Pete Beach with many going to the above-mentioned destinations.
Egmont Key Snorkeling Island Ferry: Bragging they are the only tour company offering a stop at Egmont Key, Shell Key, and Outback Key, the Island Ferry offers a private half-day tour. They “guarantee at least a full hour of snorkeling at Egmont Key and Shell Key islands”. In addition, they provide snorkel gear, noodles, and life jackets.
St. Pete Dolphin Snorkeling Tour / Dolphin Snorkeling Cruise: This company with two websites offers a half day Egmont Key dolphin, snorkeling, and shelling tour. According to their website, no other tour company will cover as much coastline scouting for dolphins to jump in their wake. Once at Egmont Key, explore the ruins, lighthouse, shell, or snorkel.
In summary
Snorkeling in St. Pete Beach Florida is something the whole family will not soon forget. So much fun, inexpensive, and memorable, add this experience to your travel itinerary. Whether you simply wish to enjoy your tropical getaway, do some dolphin watching, or float in the cool water, Florida’s gulf beaches are the best bet for a great time.
Have you snorkeled in St. Pete Beach Florida? If so, did you see any great sea life? Drop me a comment, I’d love to hear about your experience.
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https://www.pinterest.com/pin/609534130830516538/About the Author:
Hi! I’m Chris. I’m a mother, wife, college professor by trade and micro-influencer by hobby. I am a bargain hunter, jack of all trades, and master of chaos.
Thank you for reading my random thoughts on travel, my stories of life as an under appreciated mother of a teenager, and my easy recipes that have won no awards but instead my family’s love and adoration (which is WAY better, right?).
