Featuring an award winning beach and historic bridge, Bahia Honda State Park at mile marker 37 in the Florida Keys has become a favorite destination for visitors to our island paradise. The park, encompassing over 500 acres and an offshore island offers some of the best snorkeling and and beachcombing in Florida. The perfect and quiet getaway for the entire family.

Bahia Honda State Park is located Oceanside on US Hwy. 1 and MM 37 on Bahia Honda Key. The quickest way to get to us from most places is to take the Florida Turnpike south to the end. This will put you on US Hwy 1. South. Just come on down US 1, watch for the green and white mile marker signs on your right as you come down the highway. Make a left-hand turn at MM 37 into the park and YOU’RE HERE!!! For more detailed directions, call us at (305) 872-3210.

http://www.bahiahondapark.com/

The 120-mile Florida Keys island chain is home to the continental United States’ only living-coral barrier reef. This teeming backbone of marine life runs the length of the Keys about five miles offshore and offers Florida Keys scuba diving vacation memories that last a lifetime.

Our coral formations are famous for their abundance of fish, from impressive schools of blue-striped grunts to toothy green moray eels. The U.S. government established the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary to protect our marine habitat.

Preserving the reef is a top priority for a good reason. There is no more versatile marine destination in the world. We have coral-encrusted ship wrecks and intricate natural coral formations. We have shallow reefs for snorkelers, and a range of deeper reefs for experienced divers.

Most dive sites are equipped with convenient mooring buoys to save the reef from anchors and make it easy for boaters to tie off. Most sites are a short boat ride from our islands, where dozens of highly professional dive operators are ready to cater to you.

Once you visit the Keys, you’ll see why some of the some of the most renowned dive photographers and writers in the world make this their home base.

http://www.fla-keys.com/diving/

1st Cathedral
The first of 2 great cavernous scuba diving sites, 1st Cathedral is set up as a large room with many openings for light and sealife. The ceiling of the cathedral has many holes to bring in light and make this site a fantastic place to photograph. Inside is an alter-like boulder and a tube coral and sponge covered pinnacle in shades of orange and red. Outside of the cathedral is a 60 foot high arch and wall that makes this dive even more interesting.

2nd Cathedral
From the main vaulted arch, 2nd Cathedral is sectioned into mulitple caverns. Among the many picturesque sealife here, Maui divers will find black coral, eels, prawns, and lobster hiding in the crevaces.

Makena Alanui Road, Makena – South Maui
This marine preserve encompasses all the shoreline from Ahihi Bay to La Perouse Bay. It is a private, secluded, scuba and snorkel paradise with some of the clearest waters in Maui. There are no land facilities but the clear water and its mixture of coral and lava make for memorable underwater views. The shoreline is very rocky so there is little sand to cloud the water. The rugged landscape and underwater formations were formed during the last lava flow from Mount Haleakala in 1790. .

Directions:

Ahihi Bay is about 1.5 miles south of the Maui Prince Hotel. La Perouse Bay is about 2 miles south of that. Both are well beyond Makena on Makena Alanui Road. The paved road ends at LaPerouse Beach.

Useful Information:

* No lifeguard
* No facilities
* This area is a marine preserve so there is NO fishing, hunting, or removing rock, terrestrial or marine life
* Clear water – excellent for snorkeling
* Wear shoes as there is no sand, only very rough lava flows
* Gravel access
* Rocky shoreline
* Limited roadside parking
* Excellent snorkeling and diving when waves are calm – not good for general swimming
* Stay out of Anchialine pools to protect the natural resources
* Avoid walking on live coral
* La Perouse Overlook gives a great view of La Perouse Bay, the site of Maui’s last lava flow

The Spanish named this island “Cayo Vivora” or Rattlesnake Key because its shape resembles a snake with its jaws open. In the early 20th century, Long Key was the site of a luxurious fishing resort that was destroyed during the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. Today, visitors can explore this island by canoeing through a chain of lagoons or hiking two land-based trails. The Golden Orb Trail leads visitors through five natural communities to an observation tower that provides a panoramic view of the island and its profusion of plant and animal life. Some of the best bonefishing in the Keys is found here. Full-facility campsites overlook the Atlantic Ocean. Located at Mile Marker 67.5, 67400 Overseas Highway.

http://www.floridastateparks.org/longkey/

The Black Rock night dive has become famous for all the activity that goes on after the sun has set. And during the day Is a beginner to intermediate Scuba Site with depths to 32 feet. Entrance to the dive is about a 5 minute easy walk from the parking lot to the north side entrance. And about the same walk to the South side entrance. There is a wall and diverse reef system and approximately 10 resident Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles. This site has one of the most diverse fish populations on Maui, and was rated one of the top 4 beach dives in the USA. Located on the west most facing shore of west Maui, currents can be running along shore from north or south, making for a great drift dive.

Directions: Travel North on Highway 31 until mile marker 24, then turn left onto Ka’anapali Parkway. Follow the road around to the right until you end up at the Sheraton Maui. There you will find a garage for public parking.
MAP from Lahaina

FRENCH REEF
Depth Range: Shallow to 100 feet
Experience Level: Novice to Advanced
Location: 25º02.06 80º21.00

An exceptionally beautiful site, the ever popular reef is crammed full of caves, canyons, ledges, tunnels and swim-throughs. French Reef is home to innumerable fish species.