Tortuga-lly Awesome: Snorkeling in Key West
Updated: Jul 19
My friend Shannon and I have started the tradition of taking a trip together every summer, and this year we decided on Key West! We flew out of Providence with a quick layover in D.C. We even got seats with extra legroom on our second flight which was so nice. We arrived at our hotel around noon, dropped off our bags, and hung out by the pool while we waited for our room to be ready. We played a lot of rummikub and had pina coladas. When our room was ready we dropped our bags and decided to grab some groceries for the week and got acai bowls for dinner, and played more rummikub!
For our first night, we booked a night kayak ride through the mangroves! We were dropped off at the location by our Uber and at first we were a little concerned. The address was at the end of a road and looked a little sketchy, had barely any signage for the kayak tour, and no one was around. We also booked this for 10 PM, so it was really late and dark. After a few minutes, other folks and our guide arrived, so that put our nerves at ease. We did a brief safety talk, loaded into our double kayak and headed out into the mangroves. The kayaks have a clear bottom with lights so you can see below into the water. The ride was about 90 minutes and we learned so much from our guide. The mangroves are a vital ecosystem and provide a safe haven for juvenile fish. We saw nurse sharks, sea stars, coral, jellyfish, and even a raccoon in the trees. Make sure you stay close to the guide because they point out all of the wildlife and everything moves very fast! The currents were also pretty strong, so make sure to pay attention to where you are going, especially for beginner kayakers. We did go through some mangrove tunnels which were really cool, but difficult to navigate, even with our kayaking experience. We all crashed into the mangroves and other kayaks several times, but everyone was in the same boat (haha... get it?) Overall this was an awesome way to kick off our first day here!
Smather's Beach
On our second day we wanted to relax at the beach, do some reading, and get a base tan. We took a shuttle from our hotel to Smather's Beach which came with chairs and towels, but not an umbrella. At first we thought we did not need the umbrella, but it got very hot very fast! So we caved and rented it. We went swimming in the water a couple times which was so warm, and clear. We saw some tropical fish which got us excited for our snorkel trip tomorrow. The one bummer was our hotel shuttle did not come back to pick us up (after we confirmed with the front desk in the morning), so we called our hotel and they sent some random man from a different taxi company. This was very strange and not a great experience. We got dinner at an Italian Restaurant called La Trattoria Oceanside which was delicious. I got a Key Lime Martini and we caught an awesome sunset!
Dry Tortugas National Park
Dry Tortugas National Park is 70 miles from Key West. There are two ways to get there, by plane or by ferry! We elected for the Yankee Freedom ferry which was the cheaper option! Make sure you book your tickets in advance because they do sell out. The ferry ride was about 2-2.5 hours each way. We were honestly so impressed with the ferry! We thought the crew did such an amazing job telling us about the history of the National Park, pointing out landmarks on the ride, preparing us to board and de-board, and making sure all our questions were answered. The ride was smooth and you could sit outside or inside. We opted to sit inside because it was very sunny. Make sure to look for turtles on the ride, we probably saw a dozen or so.
Our tickets for the ferry included entry into the National Park, snorkel gear and a lunch. If you don't like sandwiches, chips, and carrot sticks, you should bring your own food. They do sell some snacks on the ferry and also alcoholic beverages on the way back. When you arrive at the park, you can choose to walk around Fort Jefferson on your own, join a guided walking tour, or begin to snorkel. There is also a small gift shop where you can get a National Park patch, t-shirts, and other souvenirs. We decided to walk around the fort first. Some facts we learned about Fort Jefferson:
The island was discovered in the 1500's by Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon.
The word "Tortugas" is Spanish for turtle. There are so many turtles here so it makes sense! "Dry" was added because there is no fresh water source on the islands.
The fort on the island, Fort Jefferson, started being built during the 1840's. It was originally built to protect shipping canals. The fort was never completed and never saw any battles. It was used as a Union prison during and after the Civil War!
Fort Jefferson is shaped like a hexagon and even has a moat surrounding it.
In 1874 the fort was abandoned after a run of yellow fever and a hurricane.
Large coral reefs surround the island, and there are several shipwrecks! Some dating back to the 1600's.
We then stopped by the gift shop and bought ourselves some matching long sleeve sun shirts, ate our lunch and spent the rest of the time snorkeling. I have not snorkeled in tropical reefs since 2015 so I was really excited! We tried to go to every part of the island and see what we could find. The water here was so clear and warm! The best part I think was the dock ruins because there were so many fish here! We saw several large barracuda, and a Goliath Grouper the size of us. (Not going to lie, that thing was scary!) We also saw pufferfish, tarpon, parrotfish, snapper, trumpetfish! I'm sure there were others too. We did see a few jellyfish as well, and I am pretty sure I got stung by one! It felt like a bee sting all over the back of my arm but went away pretty quickly. I did end up getting sunburned on my back, so I suggest wearing a sun shirt while snorkeling or making sure you put sunscreen on every half hour or so!
On the way home we made friends with people on the ferry and ended up meeting up with them later that night for drinks and live music! They showed us the end of Route 1 sign, The Green Parrot Bar, I did some karaoke (song choice "What's Up by 4 Non Blondes), and we saw a really great cover band, the Durtbags at Durty Harry's! It was a great night.
Southernmost Point Buoy
We decided to have a chill day after our night on the town. We did go back downtown to walk around to look for souvenirs and see everything in the daylight. It was very hot, so if you are walking, make sure to take breaks to cool off. We stopped for drinks at Margaritaville which were so refreshing! Our bartender was very nice and let us sample some other drinks. We found the famous buoy that marks the Southernmost Point of the Continental U.S. There was a line of people waiting to get photos, so be prepared to wait if you do want one!
Sharks Everywhere
On our last day we decided to book a shark viewing tour! The water was pretty shallow and you could see right to the bottom. The guides told us about the history of Key West and answered many questions from the group. We passed a couple abandoned boats which were left behind after storms and now serve as landmarks. When we got to the shark feeding location, the guides hooked dead fish onto a huge hook at stuck it into the water. The sharks were all in a giant ball trying to get the bait! It was exciting and a little scary to see how strong their jaws are. They let a couple of the kids help with the feeding too. We learned that sharks go after prey that is weak or struggling, which helps keep the ecosystem healthy. So if you see a shark and you are splashing around in the water, you may seem like injured prey and the sharks become interested. It is best to hold your ground and make eye contact with the shark to let it know you are not prey. A shark does not want to risk going after something unless it knows it is prey. We also learned that the size of a lemon shark size does not have anything to do with how old they are. The crew provided cold beverages on board which was wonderful. The boat did have plenty of seating and shade. This tour was very enjoyable and I would recommend it to people of all ages!
After our shark tour, we grabbed lunch and headed back to the airport. Our flight was delayed by a few hours which ultimately led to us missing our connection and getting stuck in Philly! There were storms that caused a ton of flights to be cancelled. We had to book a hotel last minute and so did everyone else in the Philadelphia airport! We got to our hotel and the line was about 150 people long. It took us about 2 hours to check into our hotel (they only had one person working), and we only got 3 hours of sleep before we had to leave for the next flight in the morning. We arrived at the airport and it was chaos. I have never seen an airport so busy before. It was very stressful, but we tried to remain calm. The line of people for security was a mile long, weaving through the hallways. The workers were very efficient and the line kept moving! We made it through on time to our flight, and we made it home! Phew!
Final Thoughts
If I was going to Key West again, I would definitely change the hotel and try to explore more of the other islands. Our hotel was ok. Our room was comfortable and it had a lovely pool and outside area, but the breakfast and other food was very expensive (I'm talking $50 for lunch for one person!) and the customer service was not great. They never came to collect our trash or replace the towels from our room. Also their shuttle service was not reliable which is one of the reasons we booked this hotel. If I came here again, I would try to find something closer to the downtown area or a beach. If we had a car, we could have tried to explore other parts of the Keys. However, the water was so warm and the snorkeling was amazing. I would love to try and scuba dive here in the future. Overall, Key West was a blast and I think we had the right amount of relaxation and activities. Till next time!
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