Snorkeling Tour Miami

Snorkeling Miami searches turn up a surprise: in my data the snorkeling does not happen in Miami. All three snorkeling listings are full-day bus trips from Miami Beach to Key West, with a boat leg and a snorkel stop once you get there. They cost $18, $68 and $79, run 15 to 18 hours and have hotel pickup. For anything shorter, my guide to boat tours in Miami covers the cruises that stay on the bay. Prices are in US dollars, checked in October 2026, and booking links are affiliate links, as I explain on my about page.

My pick for snorkeling in Miami, as far as it goes, is the US2U Tours day trip at $68, rated 4.5 from 556 reviews, with a choice of snorkeling, dolphin spotting or a glass bottom boat. It has by far the most reviews, and reviewers praise the guides on the bus and the staff on the boat. The cheapest, the $18 Big Dave Tours day, has just 19 reviews.

Snorkeling Miami Florida

Snorkeling in Miami Florida is really snorkeling in the Florida Keys. The reef tract off the Keys is protected as the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, which NOAA describes on its sanctuary website. That is where all three trips go. You are collected from a Collins Avenue hotel stop, ride south over the Overseas Highway, and board a boat in Key West.

The 15-hour US2U trip at $79 describes the drive over 42 bridges and offers three choices: a self-guided day in Key West with no boat, a snorkeling trip, or a 2.5-hour dolphin watch. The listing says the snorkel gear includes a mask, fins and a vest, and promises guidance to spot parrotfish and sea turtles. A review notes that the bus arrived a little late in Key West, so I would not plan a tight schedule around it.

US2U Tours

Key West Day Trip with Snorkeling or Other Options

• ★ 4.4 (52 reviews)
• 15-hour ticket
• Free cancellation

My pick: The most detailed of the three: $79, 15 hours, snorkel gear with a vest, or a dolphin watch, 4.4 from 52 reviews.

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$79

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Snorkeling Miami Beach

Snorkeling Miami Beach style, from the sand, is not what these trips offer, but Miami Beach is where each day starts. The pickup stops run along Collins Avenue from Surfside to South Beach, with many hotel addresses between the 700 and 7500 blocks. The Big Dave Tours trip meets at the bus stop in front of the Claremont Hotel on Collins Avenue at 6:30 AM, which means a very early start.

The Big Dave Tours listing is the cheapest at $18 and 18 hours. It includes round-trip transport, hotel pickup and drop-off, and, if you select the options, an open bar, a Key West boat tour and snorkeling gear. Food and tips are not included. It has 4.1 from 19 reviews, and one reviewer says the bus was 45 minutes late, though the guide found a fix within five minutes. For $18 I’d accept some chaos, but I would not book it for a tight flight home.

Big Dave Tours

Key West Boat Tour w/ Optional Snorkeling & Open Bar

• ★ 4.1 (19 reviews)
• 18-hour ticket
• Free cancellation

My pick: The budget pick: $18 for the bus and optional boat leg, 18 hours from a South Beach stop at 6:30 AM, 4.1 from 19 reviews.

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$18

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Snorkeling Miami Beach Florida

Snorkeling in Miami Beach, Florida, means choosing the right option at checkout, and the listings are not simple. The $68 US2U trip is sold as a Key West day trip with dolphin spotting or snorkeling, and the options include free time in Key West, a dolphin watch or snorkel tour with drinks, or a glass bottom boat tour. An alcoholic beverage package on the boat costs $10 more, and gratuities are included according to the listing.

The $79 trip sells the same shape of day with different wording, and the Big Dave Tours trip packs the options in a single line. Because all three are structured around options, I’d read the cart before paying and check which choice you picked, particularly if you want the boat. Self-guided time in Key West on the first option has no boat at all.

Miami Snorkeling Trip

A Miami snorkeling trip on these listings is mostly a transport day, and snorkeling in Miami itself is not on offer. The bus ride takes the largest share of the 15 to 18 hours, the boat leg is about 2.5 to 3 hours, and the rest is free time in Key West for lunch and a walk. Treat the price as covering a bus, a guide and a boat, with the snorkel gear as a bonus.

Who should book? Reviewers say the trips are well organised, and one notes the boat staff were kind to guests who could not swim. That makes the US2U trips workable for a mixed group. The glass bottom boat or the dolphin watch is the safer choice for non-swimmers. For a short trip that stays in Miami, I’d choose a cruise from my sunset cruise page over a Keys day.

US2U Tours

Key West Day Trip with Dolphin Spotting or Snorkeling

• ★ 4.5 (556 reviews)
• 16-hour ticket
• Free cancellation

My pick: My pick: $68, 15 to 16 hours, snorkeling or dolphin watch or glass bottom boat, 4.5 from 556 reviews.

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$68

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Snorkeling Miami South Beach

Snorkeling in Miami South Beach is again a pickup matter. The Big Dave Tours stop is in South Beach, in front of the Claremont Hotel, at 6:30 AM, while the US2U trips collect from a list of hotels on Collins Avenue from South Beach to Surfside. If your hotel is on the list, you do not have to travel to a meeting point. If it isn’t, you will need to walk or ride to the nearest stop.

Check your hotel against the pickup list on the booking page, because it is long and the data I have only shows the first addresses. The pickup times are not in my data either, so the confirmation email is where you find them. Be at the stop early, because the whole group is on a long day’s timetable.

Miami Beach Snorkeling Tours

Miami Beach snorkeling tours are all day trips, and none is a short boat ride on the Miami side. If you want a boat, a shorter alternative to a 15-hour day is a private cruise that sails around Star Island and the bay, which I compare on my private boat tour page. A private boat can include a swim stop, as the pontoon rental does, but that is for swimming, not for a reef. For a day without the bus, the boat rental page lists three private boats.

What to Pack for a Key West Day

These are long days, so I’d pack light and plan for heat. Bring sunscreen, a hat, a towel, a change of clothes and cash for food, since food and tips are not included on the cheapest trip. Check the snorkel option in your cart, because the gear is only included if you select it. Wear your swimsuit under your clothes for the boat leg, and keep your phone in a waterproof case for the water.

Expect a very early start from Collins Avenue and a late return. The Big Dave Tours day meets at 6:30 AM, and a reviewer says the bus can run late, so leave a margin the day you fly out. If you get carsick, sit at the front of the bus; the Overseas Highway is straight, but the ride is long. And since none of these trips snorkels near Miami, treat the whole day as a Key West outing with a reef stop.

Compared

Trip	Operator	Price from	Duration	Includes	Rating	Cancellation
Key West Day Trip with Dolphin Spotting or Snorkeling	US2U Tours	$68	15 to 16 hours	Bus, option of boat, snorkel gear	4.5 (556)	Free up to 24 hours
Key West Day Trip with Snorkeling or Other Options	US2U Tours	$79	15 hours	Bus, mask, fins and vest	4.4 (52)	Free up to 24 hours
Key West Boat Tour with Optional Snorkeling and Open Bar	Big Dave Tours	$18	18 hours	Bus, hotel pickup, optional boat	4.1 (19)	Free up to 24 hours

How I’d Choose a Snorkeling Trip from Miami

If I had to choose one, I’d book the $68 US2U trip, because it has by far the most feedback and the widest set of options. If budget decides, the $18 Big Dave Tours day is the cheapest way to Key West and back, with the caveat of the early start. If I wanted the reef and nothing else, I’d read the options on the $79 trip.

Whichever snorkeling trip from Miami you choose, and wherever your snorkeling in Miami Florida actually happens, check the pickup stop, the start time and which option is in your cart. If a 15-hour day is too long, return to my guide to boat tours in Miami or the Harbour Advisor home page to see the shorter cruises.