Snorkeling Fort Lauderdale: Jean Cousteau's Shipwreck Trail

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.10 (10 reviews)

Free cancellationLikely to sell out

1/3

Duration1h 30m

GroupUp to 15

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

The trail was built over four years and dedicated by Jean-Michele Cousteau himself in 2002.

Snorkel Fort Lauderdale's Jean Cousteau Shipwreck Trail, a guided reef activity in shallow water 8 to 16 feet deep where you navigate past concrete cannons, a large anchor and a ballast pile replicating a historic wreck. The trail is one of three reef systems in the area and hosts sea turtles, rays, sharks, parrotfish, eels and lobster. Equipment — mask, snorkel, fins and life jacket — is included; the guide leads in English and the activity runs 90 minutes. Children from age 13 are welcome, and you must be able to swim.

The Experience

Fort Lauderdale's Jean Cousteau Shipwreck Trail sits in water shallow enough to stand in — 8 to 16 feet — but deep enough to hold a working reef system. The trail itself is a deliberate construction: concrete cannons, a large anchor and a ballast pile were placed here to replicate the wrecks that once dotted these waters, and the whole thing took four years to build starting in 1998. A guide leads you through it, pointing out the tropical fish and larger animals that have made the reef their home.

What you see depends on the day, but the reef regularly hosts sea turtles, nurse sharks, manta rays, eagle rays, barracuda, eels, octopus and Caribbean spiny lobster. Smaller fish — parrotfish, blue tang, French angels, tarpon, wrasse and others — move through the shallows in schools. The guide brings all the equipment: mask, snorkel, fins and a life jacket. The whole snorkel lasts 90 minutes.

The reef is part of a larger effort to rebuild coral in the area. The original tour was created over a decade ago to support the first Biorock Project in the United States, which helped coral grow. Though that project was later abandoned, the guides have continued showing the reef's history and ecology, and a new coral restoration project is now underway. Public transportation options are available nearby if you don't drive.

What’s included

Use of snorkeling equipment including mask, snorkel, fins and life jacket; a live English-speaking guide who navigates the trail and points out reef life.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Sunrise Paddleboards/ Live Blue Inc.

Is this one for you?Book this if you can swim and want to explore a deliberately built reef system in shallow, manageable water — the 8 to 16 foot depth means you're never far from the surface, and the guide handles the route so you focus on the fish and the wreck structures below.