Tips to explore snorkeling in the crystal-clear waters off Key West!

We are Globetrotting through Retirement in Key West, the southernmost city in the continental US and my hometown! We are only here for a couple of hours, so we decided to enjoy one of our favorite parts of Key West-the ocean with a NCL snorkeling excursion onboard the FURY..2025 Travels choice award winner for outstanding water adventures in the Keys…a staple for more than 3 decades…

Tip #-1 you can directly book this excursion on the FURY website outside of NCL and save some money. But as we have mentioned before…the advantage of booking with the cruise company you are guaranteed to not be left behind in the event of delays returning to port…and with only a couple of hours in Key West. It was worth the extra money for peace of mind!

Tips #2 : You won’t need to worry about snorkeling equipment including vests and flotation noodles. You can rent wet suits if you want. Plus, the FURY has equipment for all shapes and sizes..,.including kids!

This is a portion of North Americas largest living reef….The visibility is pretty good, as we take in the scenery of this aquatic playground…sea fans in a harmonic sway with the current…and the coral heads rise from the ocean floor…

As Capt. Wille said this is the Rock Key Sanctuary just east of Sand Key. There is a strictly enforced no touch no take policy…we’re in 10 to 25 feet of water so it is perfect for any skill level…

Denise points out one of the yellow tail snappers swimming below us. And we spot another species of fish nibbling on the living coral rock…There are close to 100 swimmers on this reef but it’s like we are by ourselves…immersed in this tropical wonderland. The swaying sea fans are hypnotic, and we give this adventure a thumbs up as we head back to the Pacific Fury as Capt. Willie has the party started!

It’s been 20 years since we last explored the Florida Keys Coral reef and honestly it is as good as what we experienced in Hawaii and the US Virgin Islands.

When in Key West, this is a must-see experience as are a lot of other water activities that are available on a Norwegian Star shore excursion like jet skiing! Something that we might do next time we explore Key West on the Norwegian Star Our adventures continue tomorrow when we head to Freeport as we continue Globetrotting Through Retirement!