Snorkeling Florida - Prepare To Try Something Different!
Every year thousands of tourists hit the Florida resort beaches - mostly to laze in the sun and enjoy the many activities to be sampled across the State.
However, while most of us have seen snorkel equipment for sale in Beach stores, snorkeling tends to be written off as the domain of pre-teens or kids, with snorkel masks and equipment often regarded as toys.
How wrong that view is! There is a whole underwater paradise awaiting explorers of all ages when they vacation in Florida and the trick is to prepare before you get down here!
Don't buy a beach store snorkel outfit, but instead, source the best equipment you can afford on the many online web-stores that supply this great leisure pursuit. It's a good idea though to check sizes before purchasing online. Snorkeling isn't going to cost a fortune - this isn't scuba! When you're buying your equipment, size does matter. The face mask needs to fit your face snugly and be air-tight. Any gaps will mean water will get in.
Similarly fins or flippers need to be snug fitting but not tight. It's easy to develop cramps when fins are too tight, and cramps are something you do not want to encourage in an ocean environment.
Having selected your equipment you need to start to relax in the water and let the snorkel do what it's meant to do. Learning to relax inside the face mask is something you can even practice in the bath - before hitting those Florida beaches! You know you're relaxing when you stop manically biting the mouthpiece!
If you can, get to a nearby beach and do some floats, face down. Before you know it you'll be snorkeling like a pro! Watch your fin technique - the correct way is to kick using your hips, with the fins submerged. Sometimes your snorkel will fill up. If it does, give it a quick puff of breath, to expel the water.
Florida is a playground for snorkelers and if you prepare properly, you'll soon be ready to sample the delightful shallows of the John Pennekamp Coral Reef in Key Largo. At Fort Walton Beach on the Florida Panhandle, the water is really clear and the sea life comes close to the shore - perfect for your new found hobby....
