Underwater Parks

Grab your snorkel, kayaks, and SCUBA gear, because parks don’t have to be limited to landlubbers.

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States like California and Florida have set aside underwater areas to serve as parks, in order to protect marine diversity. The John Pennenkamp Coral Reef State Park in Florida has been in existence for over 56 years, established in 1960!

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Park enjoyment can be had in underwater preserves, though they might not be termed parks, per se. The Great Lake coasts of Michigan have a number of underwater preserves, especially of shipwrecks that are ideal for divers to explore (check out the Manitou Passage). Vermont, under the 1975 Vermont Historic Preservation Act, has declared historic underwater sites to belong to the public trust of state citizens, including the ones in Lake Champlain. Florida also has plenty of underwater preserves along the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts.

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If you live in a landlocked state with no underwater parks, find the nearest swimming hole or lake and jump in it!