For avid divers who live in Florida, you probably already know where some of the top diving spots are, but for the newcomers, and some of the old timers as well, here are some must see dive spots that were voted top 10 most unique sites in the country to dive or snorkel;

The Dry Tortugas National Park is 70 miles west of Key West where a  group of seven Islands are located that are made up  of coral reefs and sand, called the Dry Tortugas. Along with the surrounding shoals and waters, the Islands comprise Dry Tortugas National Park. The area is well known for its famous bird and marine life, history of pirate tales and sunken gold.. Since 2007 the National Park was deemed a Research Natural Area (RNA), resulting in a 46 square mile area that is now protected as an ecologic preserve, a “no anchor” area that has become a sanctuary for wild life that cannot be affected by commercial fishing or boating.  According to America's Best Online; this area has been deemed some of the "very best offshore snorkeling in North America", with an abundance of bright tropical fish and living coral.  Fort Jefferson snorkeling area is the home of brilliant corals, conchs, startfish, and more, encompassed within a protected marine sanctuary.

If you are planning a boating excursion in Florida this summer and wish to see some great ocean wildlife, there are some spots that are most likely to have an abundance of sea life such as live reefs,  sea turtles or the infamous Florida Manatee.

Florida Keys lobsters are quite different from their northern cousins. For one thing, they don’t have claws. Instead, they’re known as spiny lobsters—that is why, later in this article, I will suggest a tough pair of gloves. Their meat has a slightly chewy sweetness that Maine lobsters can’t hope to emulate. Buy lots of butter, but don’t melt it yet. The most popular way to serve lobster is steamed, boiled or grilled with the aforementioned melted butter, but you first have to catch them! Thankfully, the Lobster Mini Season 2010 is upon us.

With only days left before the season begins, I am getting very excited. I've started organizing my gear and making sure I don't need to purchase a new lobster tickle stick, or a new lobster net. The Lobster Mini Season is one of the most popular summer boating and diving events in the Florida Keys; every year Key West goes lobster crazy when it officially opens on July 28-29. The whole area becomes a mad house! Would-be lobster hunters coming and going, boats on trailers up and down the main drag, it’s more like a festival than a mere two-day lobster season. Try it once—you're hooked!

Remember the old Beatles song with the lyrics “I’d like to live under the sea, in an octopus’s garden in the shade?” Now it looks like the famous song lyrics could become a reality. Believe it or not, there is actually an operating underwater hotel in Key Largo, Florida.  Guests are required to scuba dive 21 feet to access the lodge which is located adjacent to a tropical mangrove habitat of the Emerald Lagoon.

In recent years, wreck diving has become more and more popular—why? Because the creation of artificial reefs has provided places for fish to reside, exhibiting an abundance of sea life such as invertebrates, barracuda, and many species of tropical fish; they all make these artificial reefs their homes, offering divers a great place teeming with fish and giving nearby natural reefs a bit of a rest. Artificial reefs also provide perfect spots for night dives for the more adventurous. Night diving really opens a whole different sightseeing adventure for the scuba diver; what you think is a rock when you see it during a daytime dive will actually move at night and be an animal!

As summer heats up, Florida parks and pristine beaches are open for enjoyment. Get out and do some snorkeling; it's fun, easy, and can be inexpensive for a family of four! If you want to give it a try, here are a few things that you should know... and some of my favorite places to go!

Selecting a Mask and Snorkel

When selecting a mask, fit, and comfort are important. You don't want a mask that leaks constantly because it doesn't fit your face. So you need to go somewhere where you can try on the masks, most likely a scuba shop. Google 'Divers Equipment and Supplies' and you will come up with lots of places to shop in Florida. You can also look for the dive flag, usually prominently displayed on the front of scuba shops, around your town. I bought my mask from a dive shop in New Jersey 15 years ago and it is still going strong. Try to avoid the cheap Walmart stuff; you get what you pay for.

To try on the mask, move the strap out of the way, brush your hair out of the way, and just push the mask firmly onto your face. If it remains there unsupported, then it is making a good seal. Once you have determined which masks fit properly, other considerations are comfort, field of vision—some masks permit more view to the sides than others—and, of course, the cost. Get a snorkel also, and maybe a spare strap to hold it to your mask.

What kind of things can I expect to see underwater? What are the dangers to encounter from marine life? In short, what is this underwater world like? These are some of the questions that have undoubtedly come to your mind as you have thought about diving in "live water" in the very near future. We will answer as many as we are able. First, remember, that a man is an alien creature in the underwater world. He, not the fish and animals he encounters there, is the intruder. Therefore, the novice diver should not be too surprised to find himself the object of much curiosity on the part of the natural denizens of the underwater world.

Many of these fish and animals are so equipped as to be a danger to the diver, but most of them are not considered as such. Surprisingly enough, the top threats to the diver in salt water areas, particularly the Keys or Caribbean, are sun, jellyfish, and sea urchins. The sun, because of its terrific brightness and because of the divers lack of shelter from it, poses many problems to the diver, as you can well understand if you'll imagine putting a lung on over very tender shoulders. Add to this matter of discomfort the very real possibility of receiving first or second degree burns, and you can. readily see the problem that the sun poses. The usual means of prevention used are the wearing of a tee shirt or similar garment to protect the diver from the sun. Jellyfish are something else again.