Biscayne National Park

How do you explore a National Park that is more than 90% covered by water?  How about gliding over it in a sailboat, sticking your face in it with a snorkel mask, and for your first time ever trying stand up paddle boarding over it.

A beautiful day to explore Biscayne National Park!

I had not been to any of the National Parks in Florida until this year (much to this Floridian's embarrassment) and made it my mission to get to at least a couple of them.  Well, mission accomplished!  I have now visited all three National Parks in Florida in just this year!  I met a friend for the day to take a sailing trip and get to spend some time in the last park on my list.

Biscayne National Park's headquarters is located off of Homestead, FL but the National Park and its waters stretch through Biscayne Bay from Miami down to Key Largo.  The bay is at most 10 feet deep and is home to many sea creatures especially when they are still young as it is a more protected environment.  After being on the sailboat about 20 minutes we spotted a very large hammerhead shark gliding past the boat in the water and not too long later spotted another shark, although I am not sure of the variety.  They were several sea turtles that swam near the boat and many jellyfish floating through the water that, if you are not aware of the pain they can cause, are quite pretty to see.

Our ride for the day

Our first stop was at a sunken shrimp boat to do a little snorkeling.  When a boat sinks, it acts a little like a reef and fish are attracted to it as a safe haven to be able to hide from predators.  I have been lucky enough to snorkel in different parts of the world and the fish were less exciting than other places, but it was still fun to see.  There is a reef as part of the park but we did not go out to it and I think if I ever go again, then I would make it a point to get out to the reef.

Fish photos taken courtesy of Stacy

Our next stop was on Adam's Key.  Unfortunately there was not a lot to see on the key itself other than many no see'ums biting the heck out of us.  When we first docked, there were tons of fish hanging out along the pier.  More than I have ever seen in one place at one time without being inside an aquarium and with different species as well.  My favorite thing about Adam's Key is that I had the opportunity to try stand up paddle boarding for the first time.  I was a little nervous if I would be able to stand up ok but it was a success!  The hardest part was trying to paddle against the current which kept pushing me towards the mangrove trees and the hungry jaws of the no see'ums. Once I was able to stand up and get away from the trees, it was fun to paddle around and look down into the sea grass.  It is definitely a work out.  My legs are a little sore today and I may have a little fear of the sound of a passing boat and the waves that they create but it was a good experience and I am eager to try it again.

Lots of fish hanging out by the dock

The view from my paddle board

We tried to do a some sailing on the way back but sadly the wind was not cooperating to get us in the direction we wanted to go.  It was nice to relax on the boat and enjoy the peaceful surroundings as we slowly motored back to shore.  There is something about being on the water that is always so calming.  In the distance we could see the city of Miami and it is interesting to think of the bustling city in contrast to the serene nature right at its back door.

Miami in the distance