For years now Escambia and Santa Rosa County visitors and residents alike have asked the question  – Where can we snorkel?  A ready answer may be forthcoming.

Beach accessible snorkeling and diving reefs are in the process of being installed off Pensacola beach and could be in place as early as November 1.  Within the next month the Marine Resources Division of Escambia county should have permit applications for a similar Perdido Key snorkeling reef ready for submission by Escambia county.

To top it off, the state permits for Navarre Beach snorkeling and diving reefs in the Gulf and in Santa Rosa Sound are in hand with the federal permits expected to be issued next year.  In addition, the Navarre Beach Marine Sanctuary Committee is pursuing a $114,000 grant from the Pensacola Bay Area Impact 100 organization which could fund two of the three sites planned there (1 in the gulf and 1 in he sound).

With the creation of all three sites – a real snorkeling trail will emerge.   This will make not only Navarre, but the Emerald Coast…..Snorkelicious!

Escambia County received word today from NOAA,  of a favorable ruling for the  snorekeling reef permits in the sound near the Fort Pickens gate and nearshore in the Gulf, just west of  Casino Beach.   This means  after the Army Corps of Engineers is officially notified of the ruling, that Federal Permits should be forthcoming.

This is GREAT NEWS for both Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.  Because of the favorable ruling, the way is paved for application of the same criteria and precedent  inthe permits being sought by the Marine Sanctuary.  We are one very large step closer to Making Navarre Snorkelicious!!

Another bit of good news is that the re survey of the Navarre Gulf Reef Site came back with no changes to the original survey.  This means no  information gathered for the Navarre Gulf side snorkeling reef permits will need to be altered, which should further help the speed of the permitting process.