Aquatic Adventures Aplenty at Navarre Beach Marine Park

Colorful fish swim around a section of artificial reef at Navarre Beach Marine Sanctuary. Photo by Sandi Kemp. If you like your beach getaway to be equal parts relaxation and adventure, then Navarre Beach Marine Park is the place for you. Located on a barrier island and surrounded by Santa Rosa Sound on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other, the park is a destination at which you’ll want to spend an entire day. Packed with everything from hands-on educational activities on land to goggles-on adventures underwater, this park, part of Gulf Islands National Seashore, has something for everyone in the family. Boasting three attractions — two above water and one below the surface — Navarre Beach Marine Park educates, entertains, and elates with Navarre Beach Marine Sanctuary and Artificial Reefs, Navarre Beach Marine Science Station, and Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center. [caption id="attachment_3847" align="alignright" width="624"] A young visitor examines a small stingray from a touch tank at Navarre Beach Marine Science Station.[/caption] The Navarre Beach Marine Science Station is all about teaching students and visitors about marine life and their relationships with one another. Hands-on experience is how they teach at the NBMSS, and kids and adults alike will have a blast with the touch tanks teeming with fish, rays, and other cool sea life. Visitors might even witness a dolphin rescue, which happens occasionally. Used as a classroom and lab for Northwest Florida students and other visitors, the science station turns classroom learning into fun and games. Turtle lovers can come out of their shell and get excited about the Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center. Featuring interactive displays that inform, as well as a cool gift shop that provides lasting keepsakes of your visit, the turtle center is always staffed with volunteers ready to teach about everything from hatching season to a typical sea turtle’s life. Navarre Beach is ground zero for many of the area’s sea turtle nests, so the turtle center will help you know what to look for and what to do if you come across a nest while exploring the coastal areas. The true gems of the Marine Park — and perhaps even the crown jewels of the Emerald Coast — are the artificial reefs of Navarre Beach Marine Sanctuary. It’s a snorkeler’s paradise, as the multiple artificial reefs attract an eclectic mixture of marine life ranging from tiny, colorful tropical fish hiding from predators to elusive octopuses blending in with their environment and dolphins just passing through. Kiosks on land will guide you to where the reefs are and inform you of what you can expect to see on each side, Gulf and Sound. The reefs in the murky waters of Santa Rosa Sound attract different marine life than the crystal-clear waters of the Gulfside reefs, so dive both for a well-rounded experience. It’s like being in an aquarium with the sea life literally swimming all around you. Pictures will never do this breathtaking view justice, so thrill-seekers and nature-lovers will have to move this to the top of their to-do lists in Navarre. Of course, there are plenty of other activities to enjoy at the Marine Park. There are several pavilions with tables that provide the perfect setting for a family picnic with cool breezes and sensational views. In fact, because the sea breezes are always blowing out here, this seaside park is a delightful destination for flying a kite. [caption id="attachment_3855" align="alignleft" width="624"] Releasing rescued sea turtles back into the wild is one of the functions of the Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center.[/caption] The beaches at the water’s edge are pristine and clean and offer great sandcastle-building opportunities. They’re also perfect for holding a friendly family competition to see who can collect the most seashells and spot the most coastal birds and wildlife along the way. Navarre Beach Marine Park is located on the left just after crossing over the Navarre Beach bridge (causeway) when traveling southbound. It is open to the public free of charge from sunrise to sunset, so book a stay at a Navarre Beach condo or beach house and dive into some aquatic adventures while staying at this serene location.

Published on Friday, October 9, 2015