Sandy Beach Ecology Bahia Honda State Park, five miles east of Big Pine Key, has one of the few sandy beaches in the Keys. Here students can snorkel, tidepool, and study beach and dune vegetation.
Older students can conduct a beach transect and construct a beach profile.
Porites Shoal Looe Key may be glamorous, but it is seven miles offshore. By snorkeling over the finger coral Porites, students have a chance to observe many species of fish. Intertidal Ecology At low tide, several areas around Big Pine Key are perfect sites for tidepooling. Chitons, limpets, nerites, urchins and sea hares abound in the limestone pools. Stresses of life in this harsh environment are discussed.