Escape The Crowds And Opt For Snorkeling In Clearwater FL

By Tracie Knight


Florida is an excellent destination if you're into watersports. The Sunshine State offers everything from sailing to fishing. Divers and snorkelers flock to the Keys, where conditions are excellent and there is plenty to see. However, the Keys can get very crowded and your snorkeling experience can become a disappointment because of this. A great alternative is to go snorkeling in Clearwater FL.

Clearwater is located in the Tampa Bay Area on the west coast of Florida. It lies in Pinellas County, with the Gulf of Mexico to one side and Tampa Bay to the other. The city of Tampa is located about 22 miles to the east and Tampa International Airport is close by.

The city may be the smallest of the three major cities in the Tampa Bay Area but it is no backwater. It hosts large festivals and events throughout the year and also has all the amenities a visitor might want. There are restaurants for every taste and seafood, especially the grouper sandwich, is a specialty. Moreover, there is a wide range of accommodation, no matter what your budget.

The Church of Scientology has its headquarters in the city and several celebrities own properties here. If you're looking for a bit of Hollywood in a different way, the old-style movie theater known as the Capitol is the place to go. During the day, enjoy sports such as tennis or golf or visit an ice-skating rink. In the late afternoon, watch the sunset from Pier 60.

Many people agree that the beaches of Clearwater are among the most spectacular in the USA. They are wide with sand that is almost a sugary white. The city's main beach is probably the biggest attraction but another popular beach is the one at Sand Key.

When you need to cool off, the water also offers a range of things to do. Join a cruise or charter your own yacht. Go for a ride in a speedboat or on a jet-ski or try your hand at parasailing. Go paddling in a glass-bottomed kayak or learn how to do stand-up paddle-boarding on the calm waters.

As its name implies, Clearwater's waters have excellent visibility, making this a wonderful place to go diving and snorkeling. The shallow waters just off the beach are where you'll spot stingrays. There's great snorkeling to be had at Shell Key, which is accessible by ferry, and at Sand Key too. You may even spot dolphins or manatees. For something different, check out the ruins of Fort Dade. Parts of these ruins have fallen into the water and are now home to an abundant variety of marine life.

The best thing about Clearwater is that it doesn't matter what time of year you visit, you'll have great weather. The city sees an average of 361 days of sunshine every year, after all. Fall and winter have more comfortable humidity levels but since this is high season, everything is busier and more expensive. In summer the humidity can be high but it shouldn't bother you when you're out in the water with your snorkeling gear.




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