#20 of 107 Boat Tours & Water Sports in Marathon

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Starfish Snorkeling

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.

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4.5

1,440 reviews

Excellent

1,036

Very good

190

Average

67

Poor

49

Terrible

98

stephm329

5 contributions

Exceptional Quality and Value - Do it!

May 2023 • Couples

From start to finish, the experience with starfish, snorkeling, led by Captains hope and Stetson, was exemplary! Booking even a last-minute reservation in finding a relatively small group for the morning charter was such an unexpected bonus, or us, and all at a tremendous value, noting the great accessibility and location immediately within the one of a kind Sombrero. Reef. Our trip contained swimmers, snorkelers, and even experienced divers of all experience levels, and both Stetson and Hope made everyone feel safe and comfortable, adding conversation, where appropriate, their natural sense of humor, and constant support in guidance when requested, all without interfering with your own individual experience along the way. We cannot recommend them highly enough.

Written May 15, 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Victoria B

1 contribution

Conditions not quite right

Apr 2022 • Family

Overall the snorkeling experience was not what I had hoped for. I have been snorkeling a number of times throughout my life and this did not live up to my expectations for my family. We brought two family members over 70 and my little guy who had just turned eight. The ocean was just way too rough for them and for the price of $60 per person they ended up sitting in the boat for two hours while everybody else snorkeled. I feel like they should have known about the conditions and gave us the heads up to reschedule for a different day. When paying $60 a person obviously would like to make sure you get the best experience. With that said, the staff was amazing and extremely accommodating. They did take care of my little guy giving him food for the fish and making sure our two elderly family members were feeling OK and they were comfortable. It was still a nice day out on the water but not worth the $500 that we paid for the snorkeling trip

Written April 18, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

marymilosh

Ringtown, PA1 contribution

Highly Recommended

Feb 2021 • Family

This was our first time snorkeling and I would definitely do it again. Their prices were very reasonable and everything is included (mask set and flippers)! Everyone was super friendly, the captain and his helper were very knowledgeable and just made you feel welcomed. While snorkeling, they kept an eye on everyone to make sure we were safe. Couldn’t of asked for a better time.

Written February 28, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ItsMrGB

1 contribution

NOT WHAT WAS ADVERTISED...

Mar 2022

We booked our Sombrero Reef snorkeling trip and were very excited based on the website and flyer description. When we arrived, we were informed that it was to windy to go to Sombrero Reef. We were then told that we would be going to what's known as Pirates Cove instead. We were told that Pirates Cove is not a good as Sombrero Reef, but it was also a beautiful reef to snorkel. After the approximately 20 minute boat ride to Pirates Cove we all entered the water. Within 30-45 minutes of the 2 hour snorkel time, almost everyone on the trip was back on the boat. We were extremely disappointed as was every single person on the trip. What Starfish Snorkeling fails to tell you is back in 2017, hurricane Irma wiped out the reef in Pirates Cove and there is literally nothing there and the snorkeling is nothing more than looking at the same sandy bottom of the ocean. In fact, there was a second snorkel tour that came shortly after our boat and there group was twice as large as ours and they to were out of the water within 30-45 minutes. This was by far the biggest letdown and I would never recommend Starfish Snorkeling as your guide. While I fully understand the weather can change instantly in the Florida Keys, the problem is Starfish Snorkeling doesn't care. They give you up to 24 hours to cancel, but when the weather changes over night, there is nothing you can do. The other snorkeling tour company, Spirit Snorkeling, offered their tour a discounted rate, schedule for another day, or a full refund of you they were not able to go to Sombrero Reef. My suggestion, spend the extra $10 and register with Spirit, at least they are more interested in you having a great snorkeling experience.

Written March 10, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jeff G

Boise, Idaho, Usa33 contributions

rip off artists

Jun 2021

we booked this tour the night before and i asked the lady if they would go out to the lighthouse and she said he(the captain) went out that day and would most likely go out the next day. we arrived the next day and it was pretty windy so we wanted to cancel but were told there were no refunds and the captain would take us out to the alternate "pirates cove". what a joke, it's right next to the mainland and more of a swamp close to the highway. we saw way more fish shore snorkling at biaha honda the day before for free. i get it, right on the website it says sombrero reef, weather permitting but they fail to say the alternate "pirates cove" is a complete worthless placeto snorkel. i cant blame captain jeff, it's out of his control. he did say on the way back that he hates to take people to the alternate site and i kid you not it really sucks. now for the good part. when we got our bill from our credit card the price was higher than the website listing. i called and the lady said the prices changed but they haven't changed the website then she said gas cost more now and finally there are handling fees, can you believe that, plus she was super rude. there are way too may sonrkel tours in the keys to choose from so stay away from these guys. A few days later we booked another tour from robbies up in islamorada. they go out to alligator light house (also weather permitting) but their alternates are closer in beautiful reefs like hens and chickens or cheeca rocks. we had good weather and made it out to the lighthouse and it was beatiful. the people and captain at robbies are so much more friendly it's like night and day, plus their boat is much larger and cleaner and the best part, it's alot cheaper! go to robbies, you wont be dissapointed.

Written June 18, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Wanderer574274

2 contributions

Nice day for Snorkeling

May 2022 • Family

We went on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend (5-28) during the morning run out to Sombrero lighthouse area. The catamaran was a nice smooth ride as the wind had settled down over the week. We anchored at the lighthouse & stayed there the entire time of the snorkeling. The first mate did a good job watching after the snorkelers so they didn't get too close to the lighthouse where there was fire coral as well as watching that the boats coming in were aware of snorkelers in the water. There was an unfortunate issue on the way back that simply highlighted that this outfit wasn't as professionally run as the snorkeling tour we had done the day before. We would also have enjoyed moving to another area around where we were given the amount of time that we had to snorkel. Understand we may not have been able to because of how busy the spot was with other boats.

Written June 11, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

2023keywestwedding

Cincinnati, OH1 contribution

Fantastic Outing!

Apr 2023

My new husband and I (on our honeymoon) had an amazing time on the 1/2 day snorkeling outing! Hope and “The Captain” were friendly, knowledgable, and helpful making the outing absolutely perfect. My husband was having issues with his face mask, and the captain recognized right away that it was his mustache and knew exactly how to fix it. They checked each of our shells to be sure we could take them without breaking any laws/rules and even made cleaning suggestions.
I highly recommend the Starfish Snorkeling outing!!

Written April 10, 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lauraine E

San Francisco, CA5 contributions

Do not book with this company-AWFUL EXPERIENCE

Nov 2021

Starfish should have cancelled our snorkeling trip. It was vey windy and not enjoyable for our family that has snorkeled before many times. I understand some folks would have been disappointed with a last minute cancellation but it would have been nice to give us the option. The captain made it seem like it would be okay and when we arrived at the "snorkeling spot" we suddenly received more details like "10 minutes is enough before you get exhausted ". We are used to snorkeling for hours, not minutes. If you decide to book with these people, please do yourself a favor and do a detailed weather check first. There was even a small craft advisory alert during our time on the water!!!
Shame on us for not checking the weather beforehand and shame on Starfish for wasting our precious time here in the Keys. HUGE waste of money-never again

Written December 1, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Poppy A

3 contributions

Great captain - Dedicated for our best snorkeling experience

Aug 2021

Sombreno reef was the planned highlight of the trip. We were excited as well as anxious for a successful trip given the dependency on the weather.

Our captain made the trip possible. He was very experienced and professional. He made safely a priority and took his time explaining all the procedure. We felt safe under his watchful eyes when we were in water. On top of his skills, I could feel his dedication to share the beauty of the reef with us.

We spent long moments in the water just immerse in that beauty. I really thank the captain for making it happen. I would definitely recommend starfish for the professionalism they bring as well as their love for sharing the beauty of nature.

Written September 2, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

HeatherD1121

Grand Rapids, MI8 contributions

Just OK, Standard Snorkeling Trip - Crowded if Windy!

Mar 2022

Booked the Starfish snorkel trip for later in the week but got a call that the winds would be too bad to go out and they were moving the trip up to the next day. We agreed to do the earlier trip which was the right call because the winds ended up being bad, but we should have known that the boat would be PACKED. When we got there they made a point to say multiple times that the boat was full and we'd have to pile/squish in... they even had people sitting on the floor of the boat for the ride in and out. Which when it's that crowded, it takes away from the whole experience.

I get they are trying to make as much $$ as they can, but it make it not an enjoyable or relaxing trip. So a word of caution if that happens to anyone else, it will be crowded. I'm sure it would have been better if they weren't trying to cram 3 days of tours into 1.
.
As for the trip, the tour guides weren't very friendly. We have been on a ton of snorkeling trip where the crew is fun, interactive, having a good time, playing music, etc... there was none of that. Felt pretty run of the mill, on the boat-off the boat. Snacks and drinks were there for purchase but still pretty pricey... $6 for a can of Bud Light. Enjoyed the snorkeling itself and being on the water but not sure it was worth it. Overall just OK.

Written April 1, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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