Snorkeling Trips from Fort Lauderdale

Where to snorkel from Fort Lauderdale

The beach reef

Three parallel ledges off Fort Lauderdale Beach, the first in 10 to 20 feet of water: parrotfish, sergeant majors, the odd turtle.

Lake Sylvia for beginners

Flat, shallow and clear on a rising tide; the place to learn the mask before the ocean.

South to Haulover on a full day

The sandbar and the reef off Bal Harbour, on day yacht rentals.

Gear, floats and safety

Masks, snorkels and fins in adult and child sizes, a float line off the stern, a crew member in the water with the group and the dive flag up. The boat anchors on sand, never on the reef.

Best months and sea conditions

May to September for the flattest ocean and the clearest water; winter mornings when the wind has dropped. A north-east wind over 15 knots keeps the charter inside, which is what the Lake Sylvia stop is for.

Snorkel plus cruise: a four-hour plan

Out the inlet at 10, an hour on the reef, back through the inlet for a swim at Lake Sylvia and lunch at anchor, home past the Isles by 2: about $1,150 on a boat under 40 ft and $1,400 at 40 to 54 ft, captain and fuel added at checkout. The bands are on Fort Lauderdale yacht rentals; the wildlife version is on eco cruises and the rest on Fort Lauderdale yacht events.