I've been gone for the last few days hanging out with some amazing ladies in Destin, FL. at Brandcation. It has been a blast and I wanted my first post to be about the experience I enjoyed the most. For me, that experience was snorkeling and Snuba diving with Destin Snorkel! I had never done either of these activities before going on this trip and the idea of taking my glasses off and basically running blind into the ocean was scary at first. However, the instructors and staff at Destin Snorkel were very accommodating and it ended up being an experience I will never forget. In fact, I can't wait to go back and do it again.

Destin Snorkel is located right at the base of the Emerald Grande, the resort we stayed at for Brandcation. It is situated in Harbor Walk Village. They have a fleet of four coastguard approved water vessels that feature bathrooms, and the tours include all needed equipment, instruction and complimentary water, soda and use of kayaks.

When we arrived we filled out a release form and then squeezed into our wet suits. Let me just say that putting on a wet suit is not something I thought I would ever do in public, but it wasn't too bad.  Although, Jen did try to put hers on backwards at first. :)

A few friendly dolphins stopped by to say hello too, and chased our boat for quite a while. Destin Snorkel also offers dolphin and shelling cruises as well!



Once we arrived at our location, we were given instructions about how to snuba dive. Our guide Ty went over the various hand signals and safety measures thoroughly so that everyone understood what to do before they even got wet.  If you are unfamiliar with Snuba diving, it is basically like scuba diving, only you are breathing through lines that are tethered to a tank within a raft that floats on the surface of the water. This allows you to experience the sea life up close, but without the hindrance of a heavy tank on your back.


While the others dove right into the Snuba diving, I headed over with the group that was snorkeling,  because I had never been before. I wanted to get used to only breathing through my mouth with snorkeling before I tried my hand at Snuba. I was not able to wear my glasses in the water and it is the first time in my life that I have gone without seeing for an extended period of time. I can only see rough outlines of shapes when my glasses are off and had to get a few inches away from the fish to even see them. It was pretty funny, but it all worked out.

Eventually I got a chance to go out for Snuba diving and it was incredible! It is so peaceful under the water and you get a peek into a whole new world that you don't generally get to see. I was wonderful to get the opportunity to see the sea creatures in their natural habitat and see how they behaved. Check out some of the sea life we got a chance to see.




This was our fearless leader Ty. He was very patient and tolerant of all of us, even when we were teasing him.


Yours truly got caught by the camera guy too. You can see in this photo how close I had to get to the floor in order to see. I am sure some people giggled at the girl with her nose on the rocks, but I am just happy I was able to participate!


If you are headed to the Destin, FL. area for vacation, I highly recommend you stop by and see the amazing folks at Destin Snorkel. Summer snorkeling trip rates start at only $35 for adults and Snuba adventures are $86 for adults. This is a great value! For those looking for a tamer experience, shelling and dolphin cruises start at just $28 for adults. You can check out the video below for a closer look at Snuba diving and can reach out to Destin Snorkel on their Facebook page.


Have you ever been Snuba diving? What did you think?

Our Snuba diving and snorkeling costs were comped on this trip, but all words, thoughts and opinions shared here are my own.