Phil Foster Park

The beach and the water at this park was just perfect. I had the best day here.

My favourite place to snorkel. It never gets old. So many beautiful species of aquatic life. Get there early because it's a popular spot and parking gets difficult the closer it gets to high tide. The hour before and the hour after high tide are when I'm in the water. I recommend arriving 2 hours before high tide. There is a map showing you the location and layout of the snorkel trail.

This was our first time snorkeling in Florida and we had a great day, except for the high winds that made it terrible when you were out of the water with the sand pelting us. We arrived right around high tide and followed the trail and we saw spiny lobster, grass eel, shrimp, tons of hermit Crabs, starfish,a barracuda and lots of beautiful fish. There is a shower to rinse off afterwards, and bathrooms in the parking lot. Not a huge beach for sitting around but good enough to take off from. Lots of dive shops there as well. No coral since the formations are man-made but still very interesting to look for animal life in the holes of whatever was down there. Definitely not the same as snorkeling in Hawaii, They need to see different types of fish than there. Rough waters today too, we're definitely not recommended for beginners snorkelers or swimmers. Water was 75degrees, and we wore swim shirts to stay a bit warmer.

This is one of my most favorite Florida places to snorkel! My mom came to visit from snowy Michigan so of course I had to bring her here! She had so much fun. The water was a bit rough, causing low visibility. Still beautiful! She says she always hated Florida but I always get her to have fun lol

Some fish to see but don’t waste your money on scuba diving classes. Just buy a pair of goggles for swimmers like I did. High tide is prime time for this so check the local schedules for high tide time lines that change. Also there’s is plenty of parking on the opposite side of the road. Just walk across the street to the little beach. Pack light is my tip and bring your own shade for the beach. Currently construction site at the location so not helpful with traffic.

This is GREAT for Florida snorkeling. I've snorkel all over the place and I thought this park was really cool. You can expect to see some sponges and soft coral, artificial reef and structures. We saw lots of fish; angel fish, parrot fish, wrasse, scorpion fish, a HUGE eel, giant starfish, barracuda, tang, large crabs, colorful shrimp, rays, and more. All in all very cool place to visit.

We usually take the ferry to Peanut Island (highly suggest). This time we decided to try the public beach. It was excellent!
Pros:
🐠Free parking. The boat launch area isn’t.
🐠Beach is easily accessible to transport any beach supplies you’ve brought
🐠The snorkeling 🤿 is epic! There are multiple rocky structures that are sunk roughly 40-50 yards off the beach which hold an abundance of fish and other sea creatures. We saw at least 100 different types of fish including 2 barracuda, a volleyball sized starfish⭐, sting rays, grouper, and conch.
🐠It’s an area used for scuba diving certifications as well as first responder training. So the area is covered with people who are experienced in the water. Including life guard stands.
🐠Very kid friendly.

Cons:
🐠There are trash cans but they were over filled. There wasn’t a lot on the beach but we did find a broken beer bottle when settling in.
🐠The parking can be hard to find if it’s busy.
🐠The water tends to rip in and around that area. I wouldn’t let my child just swim out alone.

Suggestions:
🐠If you’re going away from the bridge, bring an umbrella. Everyone tends to park their stuff under the available palms and there aren’t many.
🐠Get there early for parking. It was crazy even on a Thursday.
🐠Bring an underwater camera!

This place is fantastic! We saw manatee starfish, and a stingray. Plus a beautiful Pelican!

It is our first time at Phil Foster Memorial. We felt in love 😍 with it. If you’re planing to come here, I highly recommend you to bring your snorkel gear. Also look for the high tide schedule.
All the fishes that came over were so beautiful.
I saw a lot of people enjoying with their family, as well some scuba divers.
We saw such an abundance of fishes and sea life.
I live in Orlando and I can guarantee we will be back for more!!!!
PS: use lots os sun screen, make sure you apply trough out you body. As you can see on the pictures what happens if you do not use it.
Enjoy!!!

Absolutely beautiful location! The person collecting the park fee was extremely helpful and friendly. We were there in off season so no crowds at all. Snorkeling was not the greatest on this specific day. The sea was a bit rough. There was not a huge variety of types of fish seen but there were lots of fish!

I love going to the public beach at Phil Forster Park. Been going there since 2019. It is great for non-swimmers, toddlers and small children, and snorkeling. Also, they have a wheelchair accessible beach ramp and a brand new water wheelchair!! Just ask the lifeguard on duty and they will hand it out on a first-come-first serve basis. Since a strip of the beach is under the bridge, there's shade. And there's a small playground for little ones. In the mornings during the week you will have the beach almost to yourself!

Great small spot for snorkeling. Lots of star fish, crabs, fish, and barracudas.
One thing I’ve noticed is that there are no signs anywhere telling people not to touch the marine life in the water. I’m an environmental scientist and I study marine creatures. Salt water organisms should NOT be taken out of the water or messed with in their natural habitat.
Just like people get sick, so do marine creatures. The germs and bacteria on your hands can harm them and potentially kill them. I watched a kid today take a salt water hermit carb (2lb) and drop it on concrete. We really need to be careful with these creatures and I think there should be information signs around the park regarding marine species and how to protect them.

I really like this place. It's peaceful to me and the people that walk there in the evenings or fish are nice, courteous and pleasant to talk to. No one bothers you. There are some that like to hang out on the far benches and play their music but it is not loud or bothersome. I have seen in the waters large starfish, coral starting to grow on the man-made reefs, needlefish, pin fish, catfish, crabs, small sqiud, a large turtle... And this is just in the evenings... You just never know what you will find on any given day/night. Say hi to Dennis and 'little bit' (pup) as they are always there to fish! During the day the beach is small, but quaint and water is clean. You can find a spot in the shade, if needed, under the bridge or a palm tree. It's clean and people pick up after themselves. No craziness here. Great for family time. Good for snorkling and scuba diving as well.

Great snorkeling spot for beginners and experienced divers. Also has a nice small beach area.

Love diving and snorkeling here. Have come here several times since moving to Florida. Very nicely maintained park with very little trash and they have facilities available for rinsing off. Definitely a must-see site if you are in the area

Nice park! Saw many starfish too but didn't get a chance for pictures. A bit windy! There is a playground for kids too. Free entrance 😁

The weirdest location ever, but it’s beautiful. Ugly beach and wonderful marine life❤ At the weekend, you must be there at 7:30 am. Otherwise, you will not find a parking lot.

The snorkel trail around high-tide is fantastic! The water gets clear and you can see a variety of fish, rays, and other sea creatures. Highly recommend!!!! At low tide, the water gets really murky and it's difficult to see, not nearly as fun. Come at high tide and you can see fish near the shore, but many more (and many different kinds) out toward the snorkeling trail.

Update 1: we came about 90 minutes before high tide and the water was pretty good - although I think a little closer to high tide would have been better. Bring a dive flag if you're going out to the snorkel trail.

The park itself has a lot of parking available and is located right off the bridge. Multiple benches and areas to sit and rest, some shaded. Awesome man-made snorkeling trail for both snorkelers and divers that’s easily accessible from the beach and has a surprising variety of wildlife. Often many people are there during high tide, even on weekdays, but the area is large enough to accommodate everyone. Came to snorkel almost every day of the week I visited and found it to be the best local snorkeling spot. Beach has lifeguards on site that are vigilant about divers/snorkelers without flags not straying from dedicated swimming area (and away from boat traffic).

Was looking for a place to enjoy a shallow dive. I found Phil Foster park. The place os family friendly and simple water entry with many things to see underwater. Nice area to relax a d have a care-free day. Nice fishing area as well. Highly recommended.