You're probably staring at photos of bright blue water, coral heads, and schools of fish, wondering whether snorkeling in Key West is as good as it looks. The short answer is yes. The honest answer is that it's only that good if you get on a boat.
That's the part many visitors miss. They assume they can walk out from the beach, put on a mask, and drift over a proper reef. In Key West, that's usually not how it works. The world-class stuff is offshore, and if you want the actual reef, you need to plan for that from the start.