America's Best Snorkeling Event

More than 1 million travelers will dive or snorkel in the Florida Keys this year. They'll raise about 5 million lobsters from beneath coral heads and from cracks in the ocean and Gulf floors. We're talking take-home-for-the-grill lobstering, not commercial harvesting. These snorkelers will tell you that the most memorable days of the year are the last Wednesday and Thursday of July (the 27th and 28th this year). It's called lobster miniseason in the Keys.

"Funny thing is, you can do the same thing when the regular lobster season opens a week later," says Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation officer Bobby Dube. "But there's something about being part of miniseason for 48 hours. It's as much about the experience as it is the catch."

Take a look at this video from Islands friend and lobstering guru Ted Bevelacqua. Some of his buddies use dive gear, but we've found lobsters at 10 feet using basic snorkel gear.