Snorkeling off the coast of Florida or within a controlled area near Kissimme can be a great experience because there is a vast array of tropical fish to be seen, not to mention the many coral reefs. Stingrays, groupers and minnows are commonly seen.
Inside the city of Kissimme is the Kissimmee Dive Center. It is the only snorkeling option that is actually available in the city.
Even though Kissimmee offers many tourist amenities, most of the snorkeling excursions are in the surrounding area and not within the City of Kissimmee. Orlando, which is approximately a 30-minute, 25-mile car ride from Kissimmee, offers many of the snorkeling opportunities in the area through Orlando Dive & Snorkel Tours Inc. (diveorlando.com) and Discovery Cove Orlando (discoverycove.com). There is also Fun 2 Dive Scuba and Manatee Tours in Sanford (extremedivers.com) and the Typhoon Lagoon Water Park at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista.
Being that Kissimmee is located in Central Florida, many of the snorkeling options take place at the resorts or at marine habitats, meaning that they are essentially man-made. For actual snorkeling excursions that take you into natural bodies of water, you would want to visit a nearby coastal community, such as Key Largo, West Palm Beach, Tampa or the Florida Keys.
The various snorkeling and diving excursions in the surrounding area all offer to show you a variety of tropical fish that you likely wouldn't encounter at home, but many also offer views of dolphins, sharks, stingrays, walruses/manatees and more. Some tours simply say that you may see creatures like this out in their natural habitat, while others include views of them in their snorkeling packages. You can also buy excursions that cater to these kinds of underwater experiences. Many allow you to swim specifically with the dolphins in an enclosed facility, or to interact with sharks.
