Key Largo · 6 snorkel spots · 1 from shore
Key Largo snorkeling: Pennekamp's beach and the reefs offshore
Most Key Largo snorkeling happens on the reefs offshore, so plan on a boat. The one walk-in spot on our list is Cannon Beach in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, where a replica Spanish wreck sits about 100 feet out. Grecian Rocks and Key Largo Dry Rocks, home of the Christ of the Abyss statue, are shallow reefs inside a federal sanctuary.
Diving too? The Key Largo dive guide maps 11 dive sites and 8 stays.
Where to snorkel
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Cannon Beach (John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park)
ShoreShore entry in the state park, with seagrass beds, small coral formations and fish in shallow water, and a replica Spanish shipwreck about 100 feet out.
Mask, fin and snorkel rentals at the beach concession; last rentals 3:45pm.
Nearest stays
- Largo Resort 1.7 km Check dates
- Amoray Dive Resort 2.6 km Check dates
Position: 25.1258° N, 80.4055° W
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Grecian Rocks
BoatShallow coral gardens, some sections 4 to 6 feet deep, with angelfish, parrotfish, eagle rays and sea turtles; parts of the reef crest are exposed at low tide.
Sanctuary Preservation Area: no touching or standing on coral, no fishing or collecting.
Nearest stays
- Amoray Dive Resort 10.0 km Check dates
- Largo Resort 11.7 km Check dates
Position: 25.1108° N, 80.3044° W
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Key Largo Dry Rocks (Christ of the Abyss)
BoatA 9-foot bronze Christ statue stands in a sand channel on the offshore side of the reef in less than 25 feet of water.
Sanctuary Preservation Area; boats must stay outside the buoy line and use mooring buoys.
Nearest stays
- Amoray Dive Resort 10.0 km Check dates
- Largo Resort 12.1 km Check dates
Position: 25.1222° N, 80.3000° W
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Molasses Reef
BoatSpur-and-groove reef about six miles offshore with brain and fan corals, nurse sharks, eagle rays and sea turtles; sites are marked by mooring buoys.
Sanctuary Preservation Area within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
Nearest stays
- Marina Del Mar Resort and Marina 11.2 km Check dates
- Key Largo Inn 11.2 km Check dates
Position: 25.0139° N, 80.3708° W
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French Reef
BoatCoral formations and caverns where snorkelers may meet angelfish, parrotfish, moray eels and small reef sharks.
Nearest stays
- Marina Del Mar Resort and Marina 11.0 km Check dates
- Holiday Inn Key Largo 11.2 km Check dates
Position: 25.0353° N, 80.3494° W
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Pickles Reef
BoatHard and soft corals, sea fans and sponges, with schools of snapper, grouper, angelfish and parrotfish among the coral heads.
Nearest stays
- Ocean Pointe Suites at Key Largo about 10 km Check dates
- Seafarer Resort and Beach 11.0 km Check dates
Position: 24.9875° N, 80.4144° W
Key Largo snorkeling questions
Can you snorkel from shore in Key Largo?
At Cannon Beach in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, yes. A replica Spanish shipwreck sits about 100 feet off the beach, and the beach concession rents masks, fins and snorkels until 3:45pm.
How long is a Pennekamp snorkel tour?
The park concession's snorkel boats carry no scuba divers. A trip takes 2.5 hours round trip, with about 1.5 hours in the water.
What are the rules at Grecian Rocks, Dry Rocks and Molasses?
All three are Sanctuary Preservation Areas in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. You can snorkel, but you may not touch or stand on coral, fish or collect anything, and boats tie up to mooring buoys instead of anchoring.
How deep is the Christ of the Abyss statue?
The 9-foot bronze statue stands in a sand channel on the offshore side of Key Largo Dry Rocks, in less than 25 feet of water.
How far offshore is Molasses Reef?
About six miles. A travel guide reports that boat captains tie up where the water is 25 to 30 feet deep, over brain and fan corals.
Sources
Every spot and answer on this page comes from one of these pages, read in October 2026. Parks, regulators and tourism boards come first. We name our sources rather than link them: the only links that leave this page are the Stay22 "Check dates" links.
- NOAA Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (floridakeys.noaa.gov/zones/spas/kldryrocks.html) · Grecian Rocks; Key Largo Dry Rocks (Christ of the Abyss); How deep is the Christ of the Abyss statue?
- Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Pennekamp_Coral_Reef_State_Park) · Key Largo Dry Rocks (Christ of the Abyss)
- Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molasses_Reef) · Molasses Reef
- NOAA Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (floridakeys.noaa.gov/zones/spas/welcome.html) · What are the rules at Grecian Rocks, Dry Rocks and Molasses?
- travel guide · Cannon Beach (John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park); Grecian Rocks; Key Largo Dry Rocks (Christ of the Abyss); Molasses Reef; French Reef; Pickles Reef; How far offshore is Molasses Reef?
- local dive operator · Cannon Beach (John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park); Can you snorkel from shore in Key Largo?; How long is a Pennekamp snorkel tour?
How we picked and measured
Every spot here is named as a snorkel spot by a source above that is not a dive or snorkel business: a marine park, a tourism board, a magazine or a guidebook. We left out spots that only an operator or a snorkel directory vouches for. Conditions change with wind and swell, so check with a local shop on the day.
Stay distances are straight lines between two points on our map, not walking routes, so the walk is longer. A figure marked "about" has one end at a town-level point. The same method ranks every dive stay on our walk-to-the-reef list. "Check dates" links go to Stay22, which pays us a commission if you book, at no cost to you. How we make money.