Egmont Key snorkeling day-trips...Are you coming to Florida? Orlando attractions, Tampa Bay, Bradenton, Sarasota, St. Petersburg
What a fun way to spend a half day on your vacation. A Tropical Island Getaway, complete with dolphin watch, shell collecting and more. When you come to Florida, call Tropical-Island-Getaway for your snorkeling trip to Egmont Key.
Your best choice for Florida's Egmont Key and Shell Key or Shell Island -- snorkeling, sightseeing, dolphins, and shelling. 1/2 Day Cruise to Egmont Key - Tampa Bay Cruising on a 30 minutes trip to the island of Egmont Key and 30 minutes back we maneuver the boats to get the dolphins to jump and play in our wake. Jumping, twisting and spinning so close you can almost touch them.
Located at the mouth of Tampa Bay, Egmont Key is an island with an odd history and is accessible only by boat. Private excursion boats leave from Pinellas County and Manatee County to take you there if you don't have a boat. Egmont Key is a State Park and a Wildlife Refuge. It can get very busy on weekends and holidays, but during the week is a very quiet place. It is not a really large island, but is plenty big enough to keep you busy exploring all day and wanting to come back for more. The water is particularly beautiful, especially during the spring and early summer. Snorkeling is popular around the submerged remnants of old Fort Dade. There are no cars on Egmont Key, and camping is not allowed.
How to get to Egmont Key
Tour boats (like the one pictured below) operate from Cortez, on the south side of the bay, or from the Pinellas beaches. It's easiest to access Egmont Key from the St. Pete beaches area. You could even take a kayak on a calm day if you are an experienced paddler. I wouldn't recommend kayaking to Egmont for beginners unless accompanied by an experienced paddler.
PRESENT DAY
In 1939, the Lighthouse Service was transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard, which has maintained the light as well as radio guidance equipment. The Key was designated a National Wildlife Refuge in 1974, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Due to staffing limitations and increased public visits, the Wildlife Service was unable to protect the resources on its own. When the Coast Guard automated the light, Coast Guard personnel were reassigned. The Florida Park Service began operations at Egmont Key on October 1, 1989, as part of a co-management agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
ACTIVITIES
Visitors can spend the day on the beach sunbathing, swimming in the warm bay waters, walking through the historic ruins of Fort Dade, or walking the brick paths that remain from the days Fort Dade was an active community with 300 residents. A gopher tortoise can be seen at almost every turn as you walk the historic paths. Many visitors are treated to the sight of hummingbirds as well as other seabirds.
The only access to Egmont Key is by boat, and in our case we took the ferry service from Fort DeSoto, which is $15 per person round-trip. The ferry leaves at 10:00 and 11:00 most days and returns at 14:00 and 15:00. Space is limited (around 50 people, I believe) so arrive a little earlier than your departure time. If you follow the signs for the ferry once you reach Fort Desoto, you'll wind up at the Fort and Gulfside Pier parking lot. Right at the southeast corner of the lot is an informational sign which will direct you to the ferry pick-up location. There is an optional snorkeling segment to the trip which is an extra $5 for gear rental and $10 for the ferry trip to the snorkeling area.
While in Florida Ashley and I heard about a snorkeling trip, so we decided to check it out. We both had never been snorkeling before so we thought it would be a lot of fun. On the snorkeling trip they take you out to Egmont Key, which was about a 45 minute boat ride from St. Pete beach. Egmont Key was actually used as a military base from 1858 – 1923. We were actually going to be snorkeling the ruins of the fort that has been sunken by years of erosion and violent storms. This was great because I love history, especially military history.
Once we got to the snorkeling spot, which basically looked like some concrete sticking up out of the water we were given our snorkeling gear and life jackets. The life jackets were the ones that allowed you to deflate them so you could dive down very deep. After jumping into the water Ashley and I got used to using the snorkeling gear and we started to look around. There were a ton of baby fish closer to the top of the water, but as you went down deeper you could see larger fish, we even saw a crab hiding under some rocks. You really could not make out that much of the old fort. It is covered with years of coral growth. I was able to sit up on the part of the fort that was sticking out of the water, as you can see pictured above. It was a really cool experience and if you haven’t done it you should. It is crazy because you are swimming right there with the fish. |
