What will I see when I go snorkeling?

The reefs in the Florida Keys are teeming with life. We have over 100 species
of both stony and soft corals. Plus not to mention well over 400 species of fish
and other marine life. You rarely see everything on one trip so the more you spot
the luckier you are.
Dolphins if spotted are usually on the way out or back from the reef. They love to
surf the wake of the boat. Some vendors will make a trip out to what we call the
dolphin playground so that you are pretty sure to see them. Then they take you out
to the reef to snorkel. Those vendors are listed under dolphin tours on the left
navigational links. I have never seen a dolphin at the reef.
Turtles can be spotted on the way out and back and if you are lucky at the reef
itself. It by sheer luck to see one of them but they are out there. Rays can be seen
on the sandy areas around the reef if you look closely when resting they try to hide
themselves by covering them self with sand. Lobsters and eels are also there they are
for the most part creature of the night. Unless you are diving down and looking
under ledges you will probably not see them unless a scuba diver disturbs them.
It is not uncommon to see schools of hundreds if not thousands of fish out there.
Barracuda are very common and they are fascinated by the snorkelers. I do recommend
not to wear anything shiny rings, necklaces or earrings. They seem to draw the barracuda
in real close to check them out. They will not bother you but it can be a little bit unnerving
to have something to big that close. Another fish to try and find are parrot fish very colorful.
What is neat if you spot one is to listen. You can hear them scraping the coral with their
mouth trying to get the algae off. Now will you see sharks while snorkeling. You may the
most common one that is spotted is the nurse shark they are found swimming along the
bottom. No need to fear they have no teeth like regular sharks more like sandpaper.
There are other sharks that do visit the reef from time to time. Just a couple years ago
a fisherman caught a 12 foot hammer head just off Sand Key. But don't worry to the
best of my knowledge no one has ever been bitten. The main advantage is the water is
so clear sharks can see you from far away and they know you are not part of their diet.
Unlike up north where the water is cloudy and they bump into swimmer and take a bite
or on the west coast were a surfer looks like a turtle from the bottom looking up. So don't
worry about them. If you are lucky enough to see one just keep an eye on it and swim
back to the boat, but I have found once you see one within a few minutes they have swam
off. A joke I often tell kids I meet snorkeling for the first time. Is if you see a shark it is
very simple just bite your brother or sister make them bleed and swim back to the boat
now its their problem. Most all get a kick out of the idea except for the sibling I told
them to bite. The trick is you just never know what you my see from one trip to another.