The City of Miami known
as the “Magic City” is located in Southeast Florida, in Miami-Dade County on the Miami River, between the Florida
Everglades and the Atlantic Ocean...
Blessed with year-round
mild climates and unrivaled ocean access, America’s southernmost resort city is also a sought-after international
recreation destination. Ranked the nation’s #1 Healthiest City by Natural
Health Magazine in 2002, Miami caters to action-oriented visitors from around the globe
with some of the world's top golf, tennis and sporting facilities. Add sparkling waters that are a magnet for boating
enthusiasts, fishermen, divers and water sports aficionados to the equation and it is easy to see why Miami
is a number one choice for active travelers of all ages and skill levels.
This is a city closely bound
up with the sea it sits besides, and no doubt it’s also those waters and miles of sand beaches that draw
many to it. You can get out on the water in a variety of ways in proximity to the city shores, whether it be jet skiing
in Biscayne Bay or sailing Miami Harbor. On practically every
beach you visit, you will find concessions operating water skiing; the leading beachfront hotels along Collins
Avenue offer parasailing lessons, and many have jetski, windsurfing and other sport.
Different locations
in and around Miami produce some very different conditions for water sports. Windsurfing,
for instance: Biscayne Bay off Rickenbacker Causeway has winds that usually blow side-onshore,
and the water stays fairly shallow, allowing even a beginner to walk his way back to shore if necessary. If you want
to go further afield, however, continue toward Key Biscayne and spots like Hobie
Beach, where operators like Sailboards Miami can provide you a two-hour lesson if you are new to the sport for
about $70. The drive down toward Key Biscayne is itself an experience as you gain a fantastic
view of Miami’s skyline. The best collection of rental outlets for jet skis
are to be found at Virginia Key on the way to Key Biscayne.
A focal point for water
action of all kinds on the Key is at Crandon Park: this
two-mile long public beach also has its own full service-marina and restaurants a short drive from the beach. Not surprisingly,
since the city itself is also an easy drive, many people make a day of coming to this lovely but accessible area. The
Park is also a launching spot for some of the kayaking and snorkeling outings organized by Miami-Dade Park and Recreation
Department through its eco-adventure program. On some of these naturalist-guided trips, you kayak out to various underwater
preserves and wreck sites off the Key and snorkel off to explore the diverse marine life that populates the dense sea grass
beds, sand flats and wreckage; local inhabitants you might observe hereabout range from Spotted
Leopard Rays to Bottle-nosed Dolphins, soft corals, sponges, damsel fish to enormous Pufferfish, and Gray Angelfish.
Other kayak and snorkeling expeditions you can do hereabouts will take you into fossilized mangrove reef areas formed by petrified
black mangroves over 1500 years ago, or into the artificial reefs that have been created offshore to preserve and enhance
the marine eco-systems. Check ahead to book for these easy to moderate adventures.
If you’re up
for some deeper and lengthier underwater exploration? The scuba diving opportunities are also plentiful around
Miami waters, thanks in large part to the profusion of man-made reefs. Various dive shops around town can get you out
on organized weekend dives to the 10 designated offshore artificial reef sites, along with explorations of some offshore wreck
sites. Actually, the Miami region has one of the largest artificial-reef programs in the world in addition to the natural
sites. Fish flock to the more than thirty ships, tanks, concrete, limestone and other structures which have been sunk
over the past 20 years off Miami's coast, as far south as Florida City
and north to Sunny Isles Beach. Most are located just a few miles offshore, in less than
130 feet of water, providing great diving for all levels. One of the most popular routes is the Wreck Trek, located off Miami Beach, just north of the Art
Deco District. Here, divers can explore the 85-foot tug Patricia,
the 100-foot steel fishing vessel Miss Karline, and an old radio antenna welded
into 19 pyramids.
Getting you on your way
to either dive, surf, or windsurf adventure are plenty of well-equipped private operators around the city and its outer areas.
South Beach Divers, for instance, is a renowned PADI Five Star facility located
in the heart of South Beach and within walking distance to most hotels; this small but full-service
shop provides diving gear and instruction from which you can easily receive your certification over the course of a weekend.
They’ve also begun to cater extensively to the surfing crowd, with a full range of all the top surfboards and accessories;
they offer surf lessons as well and there’s even a 24 hour surf report that is updated daily. If you already a
die hard surfer able to take off on your own, you will find that while this coastal area of south Florida does not have the
powerful waves and cross-currents to match those along the Pacific coast, there are still some respectable surfing conditions
out there. Head just north of Miami Beach, where the swells at Haulover Beach and South Pointe Beach are the largest and most popular. A little closer
to the city, some windy days can see five to seven foot waves roll in off the beach between First and Third Streets in the
South Beach area.
Not all outdoor activity
on water has to be done right out in the neighboring Atlantic, of course
- this is a city with its own urban and suburban waterways and canals to paddle through: Miami-Dade
Parks also has canoe trips that explores some of the more interesting wildlife aspects of these: for instance,
with a trip into the historic Oleta River which forms the eastern boundary of Greynolds Park. The trip includes a stop at a tropical hardwood hammock and Tequesta
Indian midden in East Greynolds Park. Another canoe outing takes you through
the Coral Gables Waterway - the same historic canals that gondoliers once used
to ferry guests from the Biltmore Hotel to the bay for a day at the beach. Relive this
experience where you may see a surprising amount of wildlife. If you have the time to go further afield, then you might
look into the canoeing available on a day trip to the Everglades
or Loxahatchee River preserves which are just about an hour’s drive from the city. Flamingo,
deep in Everglades National Park is another great spot for naturalist-led adventures
as well as world-class fishing on Florida Bay. The eight mile stretch of Loxahatchee River that begins in Riverbend Park meanders through
cypress trees, while otters, turtles, and alligators are all resident in the waters here. More than a third of Everglades National Park is made up of marine areas and shallow estuaries, and that means
thousands of acres of shallow water flats, channels, and mangrove keys in which to fish for the plentiful snapper, sea trout,
redfish, bass and bluegill.
Miami, South Atlantic, Florida
|
![Travel Bar! [.gif]](../sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/travel_bar.gif)