I will start by saying that Eric (captain) and his assistant were great hosts and took good care of us. Unfortunately, the overall experience left us quite disappointed.
I'll start with a minor issue. The title makes you think you will "Sail" to your destination. Well, yes, you are on a sailboat but it is propelled by the engine so they can get back in time for the next group. They did put the sail out halfway through on the way back but still running the engine, a bit disappointing, although not a deal breaker.
The biggest disappointment was the destination/snorkeling. We went to the Reef on the Southern side (not sure if there are other reef options) and that is where the disappointment truly lies. I would describe it as a "brown rock" with really not much to see. The fact that the water was a little rough may not have helped with wildlife viewing but there was really not much to see there. We later snorkeled on Canon beach in "John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park" a few hours north and just got to see the same big brown rock but with more fish, so based on my experience, I would not recommend spending extra money on snorkeling excursions out of Key West in general.
While preparing for this trip, I kept reading not to go to Key West for snorkeling or beaches. After our experience, I would definitely agree after also snorkeling at Higgs beach and Fort Zachary. Although I did not get to take snorkeling excursions in the Key Largo area, it can't be more of a disappointment than what we had off of Key West. If I were to go again, I would definitely try the snorkeling trips at John Pennekamp (if anything it would be more affordable) or in Byscaine National Park where we had a great time on the "Jones Lagoon Eco-Adventure -Paddle Clear, Calm Waters". Unfortunately, all snorkeling tours were booked by the time we got there so we will never know...
I am only writing this review in the hope it will help others plan their trip to south Florida & Florida Keys.
Відповідь від хоста
Apr 2024
While we try to always be under sail, we cannot always be fully under sail as the winds do not corporate all the time. The areas we go to at the reef are rather large and do require that you make the swim out away from the boat in order to fully see and experience the vast life that the reef has to offer!