St. Augustine Snorkeling

Snorkeling is one of the most exciting and rewarding activities you can do on your St. Augustine vacation. It is easy, family-friendly, and filled with unique possibilities.

It is important to remember that snorkeling is keenly different from scuba diving, the latter of which requires you to go underwater and explore, often with an air tank and guidance equipment. Snorkeling, on the other hand, is all on the surface. You swim, often with fins around your feet, across the top of the water, dipping your head in to see what is gliding along underneath. 

Right outside our condos for rent in St Augustine, FL, you can find the quickest and easiest places to snorkel – the beach! Parents, if you have older kids, you can even sit on your oceanfront porch and watch them down the boardwalk to the beach.

Places to Snorkel

For sheer accessibility, we recommend heading right on over as far east as you can until you hit the sandy beaches of St. Augustine. St. Augustine Beach has a slight drop and pretty shallow waters for often over 100 feet. This is ideal for some casual and family-oriented snorkeling. You can also kayak, surf, and search the sand for hidden treasures. 

While St. Augustine doesn’t have the crystal-clear waters of areas like the Florida Keys, West Palm Beach, and Miami, it is still a great entry place to snorkel. But if you do want crystal clear water, we recommend some of the regional springs located within a day trip of St Augustine. 

person snorkeling in st augustine

These include:

  1. Juniper Springs: within an hour of the city, Juniper Springs has kayak rentals, incredible Spanish moss dangling over the water, and about seven miles of trails.
  2. Ginnie Springs: Ginnie Springs is grand and deep, encompassing a total of seven different snorkeling pools.
  3. Ichetucknee Springs: With perhaps the bluest waters of all the springs in the state, the Ichetucknee is a dazzle. Climb rocks, snorkel, and paddle the day away. 

These are just a few springs you can visit if you want a top-notch snorkel experience near St. Augustine. They make for a nice day trip from our St Augustine beach rentals. The springs also offer many rental options, giving you and the kids many different things to do on your trip. 

But if you love snorkeling, we recommend the local aquarium.

Photo from Pexels

The St. Augustine Aquarium and Snorkel Adventure

The St. Augustine Aquarium and Snorkel Adventure is a new attraction in the city. The aquarium is about 20 minutes from downtown St. Augustine, located right by the I-95 exit for the city. Right off the highway, you find an interactive experience, with a stingray cove, scheduled shark feedings, and the snorkel pool.

Snorkeling is the main attraction. The snorkeling gives you a first-rate look at some of the most peculiar marine life in Florida. Snorkel above fish as they glide below you. No, attendees won’t be snorkeling with any sharks, but there is a feeding experience for those who really want to get up-close-and-personal. In the snorkel tank, guests will snorkel with hundreds of different Florida fish, including Angelfish, Blue lined Grunts, Highhats, and a pleasant assortment of colorful Florida reef fish. Ages 4-12 must snorkel with a participating adult. 

The aquarium is continuing to expand to include a number of other welcoming features and exhibits. This includes the shark tooth dig, where kids can discover hidden shark’s teeth buried in the sands, as well as the nature trail paths. 

The aquarium has numerous exhibits. Kids can come and touch invertebrates, like starfishes and horseshoe crabs. Kids can have a blast with the unique marine exhibits on-site, including the peculiar lionfish tank, the eel habitat, and the pufferfish, known for puffing in and expanding up to ten times their size!

Adventurous guests will love the shark feedings. Shark feedings are daily, at 11:30 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. Cownose ray feedings are also multiple times a day. 

Admission to the aquarium is $10 for adults and $6 for children. This gives you on-site access to see the tanks and marine life. Snorkel adventures are $39 per person, including everything you need to snorkel. Various experiences, like the shark painting and the snorkeling feeding adventure, require the purchase of additional tickets.

Contact the aquarium for additional details, including hours, and schedule of events.

St. Augustine Resort

St. Augustine is a fantastic place to snorkel. Before you select your snorkel spot, review our available St. Augustine lodging. Our St Augustine condo rentals provide you first-rate access to the city’s beaches and attractions.