Snorkeling the Florida Keys

This book is more than your typical guidebook, "go here, go there." It contains a lot of obviously well researched history about the wrecks that you can explore off the Florida Keys. All kinds of ships have gone down on these reefs, from galleons to naval ships, which makes for amazing dive sites, as Mr. Bertelli describes in very good detail. His style is enjoyable and the history, far from being dry or boring, feels very entertaining! I can't wait to go explore more of the Florida Keys and its underwater treasures. I also liked the photographs, both black and white and color. They add a lot, and give you a good idea of what you can see snorkeling. It's refreshing to see a book geared towards snorkelers like me. I've never gotten the hang of Scuba, so I'm glad to know a lot of places I can snorkel. (But maybe scuba divers could get some use from this book, too.) I was considering buying this book and saw a review on a blogger website, saying the book had no pictures! Um, that's wrong. There are plenty of pictures. Maybe that reviewer didn't really read the ACTUAL book, just a preview or something. Anyway, I'm glad I didn't pay attention to that review and got a copy and judged this guidebook for myself. I can see people taking the book on vacation, and reading a chapter on the beach with a nice cocktail, then the next day heading out on a snorkel charter and seeing for themselves. It's kind of a 2-in-1, guidebook-plus-history. Best for: People who think knowing the history of a place makes it that much more fascinating! I had no idea there were so many characters and adventure tales out of the Keys. I've always loved the Florida Keys, and this book just made me want to return even more. The writer really knows what he's talking about. Awesome!!

If you want a history of the Florida Keys, this is the book for you - I'd give it 5 stars on the history content.As far as a snorkeling and diving guide, it falls short. As others have mentioned, NO MAPS - unbelievable. Also the amount of text devoted to describing the snorkeling/diving sites is perhaps 10% at best. This book is NOT a snorkeling guide.Unfortunately, I am not aware of an up-to-date alternative. I also have the lonely planet guide "Diving & snorkeling florida keys" published in 2006 by author Bill Harrigan (who is a Marine Biologist). This book is MUCH MUCH better with color maps and detailed descriptions. I would recommend this book over the Bertelli book realizing it is outdated. The snorkeling sites don't change much over the years, but the support information probably does. In any case, don't waste your money on the Bertelli guide unless you want the history. Instead get the Harrigan guide which is available as a used book. (Note to Bill Harrigan: Please update your guide, it is excellent.)

Found the advice to be quite accurate........don't expect Caribbean conditions nor make snorkeling a reason to visit the Keys. If you are visiting with a couple of young kids, the snorkeling can be entertaining........that would be it.

Thought this would just be a guide for finding good spots to snorkel, but it's much more! It's full of history of the Florida Keys and the local snorkeling areas. Very interesting and informative. Great pictures and illustrations. I got much more for my money than I expected. A great resource. We've already tried out a couple of snorkeling spots.

niece enjoyed it very much, Christmas gift. trip to keys planned for summer 2015. not a picture book, but, delivers a lot of history and information.

Lots of information. A lot of history, like others have said, and it's nice to have the GPS coordinates. Most of the pics are black & white, with some beautiful color pics in the middle of the book. I gave it 3 stars due to a glaring oversight - there's no map to give you an idea of where these snorkeling sites are.

A good guide for the Keys. Used it on our vacation.

Interesting an full of great information concerning the best places to snorkel in the Florida Keys. A must for anyone interested in the reefs.