There are Real Underwater Parks You Can Only Reach by Boat
As opposed to the April Fools kind.
If you keep up with tech or travel news, or even if you've just been browsing social media the past couple of weeks, you may have come across some spectacular previews from American Dream, a luxury entertainment and shopping center roughly five miles west of Midtown Manhattan. Aquadream, as it was called, promised an underwater rollercoaster and projections of fish flying over visitors' heads, among other things.
To their credit, it's a pretty enchanting video — which is very, very, very not real. Yachters and boaters, though, can visit a number of underwater parks that actually exist (though perhaps aren't as bright and plastic-looking), and all you need is snorkeling gear — or just an underwater drone, if you don't feel like leaving a comfy sun lounge.
Biscayne National Park
all images courtesy of the National Parks Service.
Miami, Florida — With a million and one things to do for boats and yachts in Miami, it's easy to overlook some real treasures, and Biscayne National Park is an excellent destination for snorkelers, with relatively clear water, teeming coral reefs, and six significant shipwrecks.
Tips: The local waters may be as shallow as a few feet, so flat-bottom or low-draft boats may be superior for exploring the reefs. The park is filled with mooring buoys to prevent damage to the coral reefs (anchoring is illegal in many parts of the preserve). They're white, so they're easy to spot:
Channel Islands National Park
all images courtesy of the National Parks Service.
Santa Barbara, California — Easily reached for California and particularly Los Angeles yachters and boaters, the Channel Islands are about 15 miles off the coast, and offer secluded beaches, caves, shipwrecks, whale-spotting, and huge kelp forests.
Tips: The waters can be cold and occasionally deep, so divers and underwater drone-users will benefit more than snorkelers.
Dry Tortugas National Park
all images courtesy of the National Parks Service.
Key West, Florida — About 50 miles west of the actual Key West sits Dry Tortugas, one of the best snorkeling sites in all of the U.S. The waters are clear, warm, shallow, and filled with corals, fish, and shipwrecks.
Tips: The Parks Service warns against physically brushing up against the local wildlife, which includes fire corals (ouch), jellyfish (super ouch), and invasive lionfish (possible emergency room visit). Note also that there's an entrance fee, even if you're on your own boat, that can be paid at Garden Key, which is beautiful and fascinating in itself.
Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park
all images courtesy of the Grenada Tourism Authority.
St. George's, Grenada — Possibly the most famous underwater sculpture park in the world, new installations have continued to be placed since the early aughts. If you visit during August, you'll be twice as lucky: a wide range of limited-time sculptures celebrating Spicemas (reason enough to visit Grenada in August, really) can be viewed with the others exclusively for the month.
Tips: Check local guides before you go; conditions can be murky.
MUSA Underwater Museum
all images courtesy of the MUSA.
Cancún, México — There are actually two separate reefs, here, totaling nearly twenty pieces of artwork: the first is southwest of Isla Mujeres; the second is east of Punta Nizuc.
Tips: the water is relatively shallow and better for snorkelers in most places; check local guides, as the visibility can be low at times.
