This is the beach at Bahia Honda State Park. You don't even have to swim to enjoy it because the water is so shallow, and the shallows stretch out for many yards. The tide level doesn't even matter because this sandy shelf of an underwater beach is so large. Perfect for kids, dogs, ocean kayaks, and novice snorkelers. Twenty years ago, at this very beach, my dad taught me how to snorkel. Now, snorkeling is one of my top priorities when I visit tropical oceans with even a little bit of reef action. And the Gulf waters around Bahia Honda are some of the clearest I've seen, right up to the shore.
For a reasonable price, and probably cheaper than the touristy outfits, you can take a snorkeling trip right from the park. They rent equipment (actually, you have to buy the snorkel for sanitary reasons), provide the catamaran, and have two certified divemasters as Captain and Mate. While they won't get in the water with you, they are great at helping you identify fish, and warning you about hazards like moon jellies. That's right; those little bastards can sting. Given the choice, swimming by a barracuda or nurse shark is safer than swimming by a moon jelly that is sometimes tough to see and subject to the currents. Fortunately, they're very slow-moving and pretty easy to avoid if you're paying attention. And baby moon jellies are cute. And it was cool to see them in the wild where I could observe them from different angles.
The tour takes you 12 miles out to Looue Key Reef, named after an island that is now submerged. And 90 minutes is plenty of time to see all kinds of fish. Schools of barracuda, some black and white stripey fish with bright yellow accents, French Angelfish, Nassau Grouper, really colorful parrot fish, and bunches of other plain and brightly colored fish tucked in close to the coral. Most noticeable on the reef was the purple fan coral. Oh yeah, and the Goliath Grouper chilling underneath our boat. The tiny 80 pound Goliath Grouper. "Just a pre-teen," the captain assured us. Apparently the grow up to be much, much bigger.
I stayed in the water for the full 90, and of course when they called me in, I was suddenly faced with a minefield of moon jellies. A little patience and good timing, and I joined the others on the boat. The water was 72 degrees F, and I think some folks became a little chilled. The park does rent half-wetsuits, but I found that an hour and a half was just enough time for me with one. I just wish I'd brought a sweatshirt for the ride home.
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