In our last blog, Scott and I were in Key Largo for a long weekend and during that trip, we snorkeled at Christ of the Abyss. This was a bucket list of mine and I was excited to finally see this infamous statue.
We booked our trip through Sundiver Snorkel Tours. We didn’t realize when we booked the trip that our resort also offered excursions. Sundiver had us check-in an hour early. That seems early right? Well, it’s because the check-in location is not where you pick up the boat.
Sundiver Snorkel
The Sundiver store offers everything from snorkel gear, to underwater cameras, sunscreen, water, snacks and much more. Your excursion does include fins and a mask, but due to covid you do have to purchase your snorkel. Scott and I selected a boat that only held about 30 people. After checking in at the boat, we had about a 30 minute wait. Note: There’s only one unisex (and kind of gross) restroom, so be prepared. They also do not allow any kind of spray sunscreen and prefer your sunscreen be “reef safe”.
Check out this big boy, who was hanging out with us. Apparently, Iguanas are a major nuisance here in Florida and they are working on humanely euthanizing them.
The Trip to Christ of the Abyss
The trip starts with a short canal ride out to the inlet. Here you will find plenty of gorgeous homes and boats along the way.
The trip was nice and smooth as we headed about five miles offshore to the Christ of the Abyss statue. To learn more about the history of this statue, be sure to watch our YouTube episode where Scott shares the back story on the statue.
Once we arrived, we all jumped in and headed off to find the statue. There was a very large barracuda interested in our group, but he was harmless. There was quite a bit of Sargassum, a nuisance seaweed floating all around. However, the fish were also nibbling on this, which made for a cool experience.
Surprisingly, the statue is not that deep. As you approach it, there’s a strange feeling that comes over you as you get closer. It was probably one of the coolest things we’ve done this year.
After Snorkeling
The entire trip took about three hours (9am to 12p) and afterwards we went across the canal to Sharkeys for a quick bite. They serve your typical pub fare and it was delicious. Look for our boating journey sticker on the deck!
While having lunch, a site seeing boat passed by – the “African Queen”. LOL!
Relaxing at the Resort
The resort has plenty of beach chairs by the pool and on the beach. Scott and I spent the rest of the day, relaxing and soaking up the sun.
You can also rent kayaks, paddleboards and jet skis from the tiki hut. We took a kayak out for about an hour, but the current was making it hard work and Scott started to take on water.
We finished the day enjoying another great sunset at Sundowners next to the hotel.
As I mentioned in our last blog, the one thing we really miss from Seattle is the sunsets. They have always amazed us and Key Largo did not disappoint.
Our third day in Key Largo
I couldn’t go to Key Largo and not buy a souvenir and luckily for us there was a huge gift shop just down the road.
After shopping, Scott and I enjoyed an awesome massage at the resort’s spa! We were able to book it about a week before we arrived and they did not disappoint. Then we grabbed a quick snack next door at Senor Frijoles. Scott couldn’t resist getting a photo with Senor Frijoles himself.
As we were walking back from the restaurant, I noticed these trees in the resort’s parking lot. Low and behold they were avocado trees! Unfortunately, standing under them, I got eaten alive because I didn’t have any bug spray on. Note to self.
Winding down our trip
Just as we had been enjoying a beautiful day, the weather started to turn nasty. The winds clocked up to 30 knots and no one was laying by the pool. It certainly didn’t stop us from grabbing a few drinks at the pool bar before dinner.
Our last night we headed to Snooks Bayside as everyone told us to check it out. They had a small art display at the entrance and the restaurant had plenty of seating. The sunsets did not disappoint and the food was good. Unfortunately, we had another bout of bad service.
All in all, it was a fantastic three day weekend. We felt we had traveled far away even though we were only a few hours away. Snorkeling at Christ of the Abyss was definitely the highlight of the trip.
As always, thank you for following our journey. Please be sure to subscribe to our blog and our YouTube channel (video below). You can also follow us on social media @boatingjourney #boatingjourney. Tune in next week, as we had to Boca Inlet and watch boats heading out to sea.
Cheers, Scott and Ally
