Key West Boating

boating With its Atlantic waters surrounding the Key West island, it is only natural that some of the most popular local and tourist attractions are its water fun and water sports activities. From the island marinas, take a ferry on one of its snorkel safari tours, go sailing or simply take a sunset dinner cruise and you can start enriching your vacation experience at Key West.

Renting your own boat

If you're visiting the Key West with your family or friends, nothing beats renting your own private yacht or boat to savor the tropical sights where they delight the most, from the clear Atlantic waters facing the Kew West shorelines. Whether going on boat ride to tropical reefs with a few hours of under water diving or snorkeling, a deep sea fishing expedition into the Gulf of Mexico or the Straits of Florida, a daytime or sunset cruise aboard a catamaran or tall ship, you can charter a boat of any size for your group or family.

Renting your own boat that sails from the marina affords more privacy. While there are charter yachts that come with seasoned operators with you, you can elect to steer the chartered craft yourself. But if you decide to do it on your own, be aware that the entire Florida Keys is a National Marine Sanctuary that enjoys government protection of its delicate natural reefs.

That means if your boat runs aground and ruins some coral reefs or gets to pollute the waters, you stand to suffer hefty fines should you survive the mishap. But that can be avoided by simply following the navigation charts that indicate the deep tidal channels where you should be steering the boat. Always maintain cautious speeds despite the wide open waters that can be quite inviting to run at high speeds. Never fall into the temptation to run the boat at high speeds as water depths can't always be estimated and can cause the boat to run aground.

A traditional local chart can be quite helpful for visitors in charting backwater territory when doing it alone in their rented boats and it goes this way: "Brown, brown, run aground; yellow, yellow will ground a follow; green, green, go between; blue, blue, come on through!" It rhymes perfectly and clearly guides anyone safely through Key West waters just knowing the colors on the water.