The Best Fort Lauderdale Beach Snorkeling Sites

Fort Lauderdale is one of the best beach snorkeling destinations in the world, with dozens of sites just waiting to be explored. The Greater Fort Lauderdale area has earned many nicknames, including the shore diving capital of Florida. There are dozens of shallow dive sites just a short distance offshore, many of which can be reached from shore without a boat. Many of these sites are also great for snorkeling, and many for beginners.

"Spotted Eagle Ray Digging for Dinner" by Phil's 1stPix is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

The Florida Barrier Reef is the third-longest barrier reef in the world and the only one in the Continental US. This is the reef that has made scuba diving and snorkeling in the Florida Keys so popular. However, in the Keys, snorkeling and scuba diving are generally done from boats. The reef is miles offshore, providing limited shore diving or snorkeling opportunities. This is not the situation in Fort Lauderdale.

The reef has three tracts that run roughly parallel to each other in a north /south direction. The inner tract reef is only about 10 feet (ca. 3 meters) to 25 feet (ca. 8 meters) deep. Visibility over the inner tract is normally very good, so you should be able to see the reef and its marine life very well. Along the 24 miles (ca. 39 km) of Fort Lauderdale's beaches, this inner tract reef is 200 yards (ca. 183 meters) to 400 yards (ca. 366 meters) offshore. In addition, there are smaller fringing reefs closer to shore.

The Best Four Beaches For Snorkeling In Fort Lauderdale.

Greater Fort Lauderdale is made up of 31 cities and towns and has about 24 miles (ca. 39 km) of sandy shoreline. The shoreline has 197 public access points, so it is always easy to reach the sand. Among this shoreline are 8 major named beaches. Snorkeling from any of the shore areas will give you a relaxing and still exciting experience. However, there are a number of Fort Lauderdale beach snorkeling sites that provide exceptional experiences. Here are a few to consider:

Anglin’s Pier Reef

Lauderdale-By-The-Sea is an outstanding choice for your first Florida snorkeling experience and is one that you will not grow tired of. The Anglin’s Pier Reef is a very popular site for both snorkelers and scuba divers. The reef is located to the south of the 900 feet (ca. 274 meters) long Anglin's Fishing Pier. The most used access is from the Datura Street beach portal. It is about 400 feet (ca. 122 meters) from the beach to the first reef line. The reef is 270 feet (ca. 82 meters) wide and the water is about 10 feet (ca. 3 meters) deep. The reef is alive with marine life. While often listed as a separate site, the first reef is home to the artificial “snorkel shipwreck trail”. This site was designed to mimic a Spanish shipwreck, complete with replica cannons, anchor, and ballast pile. The first reef is excellent for all snorkelers and perfect for those new to the sport.

More experienced snorkelers can continue east past the end of the first reel line, 450 feet (ca. 137 meters) further across a sandy bottom to a second reef line. Here the reef is slightly deeper, about 20 feet (ca. 6 meters). Expert snorkelers might want to make the 3,000 feet (ca. 914 meters) swim out to Anglin's Ledge, which is a pristine reef that has the most biodiversity. While this Fort Lauderdale beach snorkeling site is often called Anglin's Pier, snorkeling around the pier itself is restricted.

Vista Park Reef Fort Lauderdale

The City of Fort Lauderdale has a number of small parks, and a number of them are on the ocean. Many of these are not well known except to locals. Vista Park is one of them and like Anglin’s Pier, there is an outstanding reef just offshore. The Vista Park Reef is about 300 feet (ca. 91 meters) offshore in about 15 feet (ca 4.57 m) of water. If you swim straight out from the park you will be about the middle of the reef which extends 800 yards (ca. 732 meters) north and south. Some references called the north section the Oakland Park Reef, which can be accessed from the Earl Lifshey Park. The coral is healthy with a variety of both hard and soft corals, including large staghead corals. The reef is quite wide, so if you wish, you can stay and explore a section of the reef. Another option is to stay in sight of the edge of the reef and head either north or south, then turn around and return to your starting point. If you are a strong swimmer, you may want to head to the slightly deeper middle reef

Loggerhead Park a few blocks to the south of Vista Park is another option to access this reef. However, please be aware not to confuse it with Loggerhead Park further south in Hollywood.

Dr. Von d Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park

Dr. Von d Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park previously known as the John U Lloyd Beach State Park is located near the cruise terminal. The park has a 2.5-mile (ca. 4 km) beachfront that includes a swimming area covering 2 miles (3.22 kilometers). While snorkelers can stay in the swimming area, the real draw of this snorkeling site lies outside the swimming area. Similar to other shore snorkeling sites, the first reef is about 300 yards (ca. 274 meters) offshore. The second reef is further out about 800 yards (ca. 732 meters) with the third reef tract over 2 miles (ca. 3,219 meters) away.

Another interesting man-made feature here is the erojacks. These items are made of concrete and shaped like children's toy jacks. They were placed in the water to help control beach erosion. Park at parking lot 1 if you plan on snorkeling the erojacks. They lead from near the shore to the reef at a point called the Dania ledge. They start in about 8 feet (2.44 meters) of water and when they reach the reef are about 20 feet (ca. 6 meters) deep. This is a popular site for both snorkeling and scuba diving. Still, you will not find crowds in the water here.

Pompano Beach

Pompano Park, Florida is another popular city that has a 3-mile (ca. 5 kilometers) long beachfront where swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving are allowed. The offshore reef and easy beach access make this one of the best areas to scuba dive in central Florida. Shore diving is also very popular. Snorkelers and scuba divers alike find shore diving to the inner reef an exciting trip. The outer edge of this first section of the reef often has a mild current. Many will let the current drift them along the reef, and when they are finished cross back across the reef and swim back to their starting point current-free.

The most popular beach dive is referred to as Pompano dropoff. Starting on the beach about a mile south of the Pompano Pier, you can easily reach the reef at one of its most spectacular parts.

There are a number of outstanding wrecks that are great for both snorkeling and shallow scuba dives, however, most are best visited from a boat. If you are up for a long swim, the Copenhagen shipwreck is about 820 yards (ca. 750 meters) offshore in 16 feet (ca. 5 m) to 32 feet (ca. 10 m) of water.

Wreck divers are likely familiar with the two ships sunk by Shipwreck Park. The Lady Luck and the Okinawa were sunk about a mile offshore. These are outstanding wreck dives. While these two sites are not suitable for snorkeling, Shipwreck Park has another project that they are working on called Wahoo Bay that should be perfect for snorkeling. To quote their website, “Wahoo Bay is envisioned to provide an immersive experience for park visitors, especially young children. Its purpose is to raise awareness of the importance of keeping our oceans and reefs healthy and thriving in an entertaining, educational and memorable way.

In the shallow protected waters adjoining the Pompano Beach, FL Hillsboro Inlet Park an underwater experience will be created that will preserve and enhance existing natural resources and add environmentally friendly interactive art, live lab experiments and educational displays. The in-water experience will stimulate all five senses and be accessible to anyone young and old, able-bodied or disabled”.

What to Bring

Fort Lauderdale Beach Snorkeling is a family-friendly and inexpensive activity. There are companies that have guided snorkeling tours and boat tours. However, you can fully enjoy snorkeling from shore here on the Fort Lauderdale beaches. You should bring your mask, fins, snorkel, and of course your ProShotCase iPhone case or an underwater camera. In the summer, your swimsuit should be sufficient to remain warm. In other seasons, you might want to have a wetsuit. Before you go, check out some photography tips.

Two items that you might not already have and will likely need are a flotation device and a diver-down flag. Snorkelers and scuba divers are required to have these devices. A snorkeling vest is the most appropriate for snorkeling, allowing a person to add flotation by inflating the vest. A diver's BCD will meet the flotation device requirement. Unless you are in an area under the control of a lifeguard, a diver's down flag is also required. This will be mounted on a float that you pull along with you. Scuba divers in an area under the control of a lifeguard must remain on the surface until they are beyond the swimmers' limit.