Everyone deserves a vacation every now and then and you can enjoy a tropical vacation even if you're on a budget by visiting the Florida Keys. With the economy down and purse strings tightened, it's a great time to take a vacation on a budget as right now you'll find the lowest prices ever in the tourism industry. Let the many package deals available lure you to the beach of this island paradise with a Key West snorkeling vacation.

You'll find gorgeous white sand beaches, crystal clear water, swaying palm trees, and dolphins and thousands of tropical fish living in the coral reef here, the largest reef in the United States and the third largest living reef in the world. In addition to underwater adventure, you'll find plenty to do on land and on boats as you tour maritime museums, shop, take an eco-tour, or enjoy a relaxing sunset cruise.

Jump In For Snorkeling

Make sure you sign up for a Key West snorkeling tour at one of the local dive centers. While you can snorkel on your own here because it doesn't require certification, you won't find the best areas or see all there is to see unless you consult the snorkeling experts at a dive center. These tours provide all the equipment you'll need and they offer tours for every age and swimming skill level. You can choose to snorkel the shallows to see the coral reef or head to a remote location for deeper waters. You will see dolphins, stingrays, butterfly fish, staghorn corals, starfish, brain corals, angelfish, crustaceans, grouper, plate corals, and more schools of tropical fish than you can imagine.

You may even spot one of the local 200-pound jewfish as it darts around you and may come face to face with a wild dolphin or at least see them playing in their underwater water world. You can watch lobsters scuttle across the sea floor and maybe even meet up with a shark. As you become a part of life under the sea, you'll notice something new and breathtaking at every turn.

Go Deeper With Scuba Diving

If you'd like to go a little deeper to explore sunken treasure and even more undersea life, consider obtaining your scuba diving certification. Scuba diving requires certification here, but it's easy to get certified by taking a course at a local dive center.

After earning your certification, consider some of the local scuba tours like Ten-Fathom Bar. This sea wall starts at only 25-feet below, before dropping fast to 130-feet extending four miles. Porcupine fish, spiny lobsters, grouper, eagle rays, and many other large fish call the sea wall home. For shallow scuba diving, consider a tour to Smith Shoal or Toppino's Reef where you'll see fifteen large coral "fingers" along with stunning underwater canyons, channels, and vistas.

If you want to explore shipwrecks, consider tours that will take you to the 520-foot General Hoyt S. Vandenberg wreck. Resting on the sea floor at a depth of 150-feet, this is a great shallow shipwreck dive. If you're ready to head to deeper water, consider a tour to the USS Wilkes-Barre, a massive ship split in half with explosives.

Whether you choose Key West snorkeling or decide to earn certification for scuba diving, you'll have a great underwater experience in this exciting vacation destination.