Where: Florida Keys
When: year-round
If you like: conservation, the outdoors and sports
Why you should go: Under the turquoise waters of Dry Tortugas National Park, vibrant formations of staghorn, elkhorn, star, and brain coral carpet the sand. Here, 70 miles off the coast of Key West, Florida’s coral reef begins, stretching over 350 miles to the St. Lucie Inlet in Martin County. The only extensive shallow-water reef system in the continental United States, it’s home to an astounding array of marine life and is as endangered as it is beautiful. Since the 1970s, Florida’s coral coverage has plunged by 90 percent because of heat stress, coastal development, pollution, and disease—a devastating loss to the thousands of species that depend on it, from parrotfish, grouper, and snapper to lobsters and sea turtles.
Still, some of the coral is hanging on, and tour operators throughout the Keys—including at Key Largo’s John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, the nation’s first undersea park—offer snorkeling and diving tours to see it. If you’re not venturing down into the Keys, you can also rent snorkeling gear and set out from Biscayne National Park in Homestead. Better yet, join up with one of many worthy conservation efforts, perhaps assisting Tampa’s Florida Aquarium with outreach, caring for growing coral at Mote Marine Laboratory’s facilities in the Keys, donating to research organizations like the Coral Restoration Foundation, or even training to assess reef health through BleachWatch.
G&G tip: When booking a snorkeling or diving tour to see coral, check to see if the agency is a Blue Star Operator, a designation that indicates a commitment to conservation and safe exploration of the reefs.
