Dry Tortugas National Park

While we have been to Dry Tortugas National Park many times, this was our first time going on our own boat.  We were excited to be there on our own time with no agenda.  We had the most amazing beam reach sail on a perfect 15 kt wind out to the Marquesas Keys (see post), where we spent a couple days exploring the beaches and doing a little spearfishing.

The wind was not going to be favorable for much longer, so we upped anchor and continued on to Dry Tortugas National Park, which is located approximately 70 miles west of Key West. The only ways out there are aboard a fast ferry from Key West, via seaplane, or on your personal vessel.  DTNP is one of the least visited parks in the system due to its remoteness, but it is one of the most beautiful and unique places you will ever visit.

Garden Key is the hub of the park and home to Fort Jefferson, a civil war era fort that was basically obsolete before it was finished being built due to advances in naval weaponry. “Fort Jeff”, as it is known to Keys locals, remained in Union hands throughout the Civil War. It later was used as a prison until abandoned in 1874. Dr. Samuel Mudd, famous for being the doctor who treated John Wilkes Booth in the wake of the Lincoln assassination, was imprisoned here until early 1869. He was later pardoned after helping to treat soldiers during a yellow fever epidemic. During the 1880s, the Navy established a base in the Dry Tortugas, and it subsequently set up a coaling (refueling) and a wireless (radio) station there as well. During World War I, a seaplane base was established in the islands, but it was abandoned soon thereafter. From 1903 until 1939 the Carnegie Institution of Washington operated the Marine Biology Laboratory on Loggerhead Key which conducted most of the early research on coral reef ecosystems.

Today, you can explore the fort via foot, which is over a square mile in size (reputed to be one of the largest masonry structures in the Western Hemisphere). The brickwork and views are amazing so bring your camera! Overnight tent camping is an option if you come on the ferry and want to stay longer than a few hours. Bush Key is the island next door and is closed parts of the year for bird nesting (terns that nest here nest on the ground in the dune vegetation).  However, it is worth the walk around the island if its open.

Other options on Garden Key include a nice sandy beach to chill on and some good snorkeling on coral heads about 100 yards off the beach at 1 o’clock if facing the water. IN my opinion the better snorkel is around the pilings of the old coal docks.  There used to be the biggest barracuda I have ever seen under those pilings.  He was 7 feet long if he was an inch and about as big around in the middle as a good sized Christmas ham!  Unfortunately, have not seen him on my last few visits.

The highlight for me on this trip was a visit to Loggerhead Key, located about 7 miles west of the fort. We motored over on a calm day to visit the historic lighthouse and do some snorkeling.  Off of this island is some of the best snorkeling I have ever done in the Florida Keys! This is said by someone who has lived and worked on the water professionally in the Keys for over 20 years! There is a mooring buoy you can pick up on the east side of the island and a dinghy landing area on the beach next to the Park Service dock. While you can’t go IN the lighthouse, it is still fun to walk around it and the rest of the island.  If you have time, you can walk to the north end of the island and find the remnants of the old marine laboratory.  On the west side of the island is a shallow inshore patch reef called “Little Africa”. It is one of the healthiest patch reefs I have seen in in the Keys in 20 years.  All types of brain, plate, and branching coral can be found here in their full glory. Giant hogfish, mutton snapper, and grouper are everywhere (this is a highly protected area where fishing is not allowed and it IS enforced). Look for the non-descript marker buoys, put on your snorkel gear and be ready to be blown away!  The reef is so named because if you look at Google Earth, you can see it is indeed shaped like the African continent. We snorkeled the entire circumference of the reef which took us about two hours. If the markers are no longer there, it is about a couple hundred yards up from the building that has broke in half and fell partly into the sea.

The other amazing snorkel off of Loggerhead Key is about a half mile south of the island and known as the “Windjammer” wreck.  There is a mooring on it as well, but the depths there are a bit shallow for our 5 ft. draft so we took the dinghy over. Coordinates can be found in the park literature. This is a huge wreck that breaks the surface in some areas and is in about 20 feet of water in others. The park’s website has a 3D underwater movie of the site you can check out. Be aware of tide and current.  The wreck is huge and covers a wide area. Celia and I saw the biggest turtle we have ever seen…its head was bigger than a basketball! It was riding the current along the bottom and hunting. Absolutely another must-do if you are out here on your own boat.

For avid divers, there are several amazing dive sites within the park boundaries that have mooring buoys for day visits from the fort.  Again, more info can be found on the park’s website and literature.  They routinely rotate the available mooring balls at the dive sites so check with the park.  Anchoring is not allowed outside the main harbor.

All boats must anchor each night in the main harbor just off Garden Key. Holding is good to fair in sand and grass. There is plenty of room for several boats. The day ferry comes each day and if you talk to the Captain, they will usually be happy to sell you a couple bags of ice or anything else from their ship’s store (like ice cream!). They will usually tolerate a quick rinse under their aft deck showers, but don’t show up with your soap and shampoo and try to take a leisurely shower!  Bring what you need and pay special attention to the weather…it is not a fun trip to beat all the way back to Key West once the easterly winds set in at 15-20 kts! You can sometimes get stuck here for a while if you are not watching the weather closely.

Anyway, enjoy the pictures and make sure to put this on your itinerary if you are in the area.  When sailing from Key West, we usually break up the trip with a stop at the Marquesas Keys (about 20 miles west of Key West). Highly recommended!

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