Snorkeling

With just 1% of the park comprising dry land, Dry Tortugas is an ideal spot for snorkeling. Snorkelers will enjoy exploring underwater habitats and cultural artifacts such as coral reefs and shipwrecks. Popular snorkeling sites on Garden Key include the Historic Coaling Pier Pilings, home to tarpon, barracudas and the occasional shark, as well as colorful coral and smaller fish; the Moat Wall, home to reef squid, nurse sharks and even the endangered American crocodile; and the Coral Heads, massive formations of coral that are located at the edge of the swim area. Popular snorkeling sites on Loggerhead Key include the Little Africa Reef, which resembles the continent and can be found a few yards from the swim beach; and the Windjammer Wreck, the remains of a sailing vessel that crashed into a coral reef and sunk in the early 1900s.