tortugas banks

Sail away back into history and paradise. Literally in the middle of nowhere waits this great national park

I visited this national park where we used roofless boats to sail through its banks with its amazing bird & wildlife especially when I see some of them like the great blue heron, white egret, snowy egrets, green heron , turkey vultures, black vultures, black fisher , green kingfishers, and great tailed grackles , white face monkeys, hauler monkeys and spider monkeys... I recommend visiting here any time .. Best Wishes

We took the boat over to the island. A sea plane is available but of course at a significant increase in cost. The boat ride was long but actually fun as we were able to walk outside and take pictures as we were “sailing through the aqua colored water”. Upon arrival at the fort, it is advisable to visit the fort first then go on to do your snorkeling. Be advised the steps to the upper level of the fort are steep. My spouse did not traverse them because there is no handles to hold onto when going up. Additionally, if you take children to the upper level, hold on to their hands as there are no safety rails and the a young child can easily fall a significant distance of not watched. The top level of the fort offers gorgeous views of the ocean which provides a multitude of “Kodak moments”. The visit to the fort can last as long as you like but you do not want to pass up the snorkeling opportunity. We snorkeled along one of the sides of the fort. Thanks to the currents, it was an arduous swim but again offered many “Kodak moments”. The water was warm and clear and fish were visible everywhere. If you have an underwater camera it is highly advisable to bring it along. The activity of walking the fort and swimming in the ocean will wear you out and make you tired for the boat ride back so you may consider taking a pillow with you for comfort on the sail back.

This was absolutely amazing! We took the Yankee Freedom ferry and spent the day snorkeling and exploring the fort. We saw several sea turtles and even had a 6' nurse shark swim under us while we were snorkeling. Our 10yo completed the scavenger hunt and became a Jr Ranger. This experience should be on everyone's to do list

I totally recommend going by Sea plane. Snorkling the Reef is beautiful. The tour of the fort is pretty cool ..I think the amount of time alotted by the Sea plane is more than enough time to investigate the Island. It is so beautiful. and there was even a crocodile in the moat around the fort...I recommend this trip HIGHLY.

Had a nice visit to Dry Tortugas National Park this year with my daughter. The ride out was a little rough with the wind chop. However this was only for about an hour. After that we had the anticipation of coming up on Fort Jefferson. Fort Jefferson takes up much of the above the surface area of the Dry Tortugas National Park. We had a tour with one of the boats' staff for about an hour. Then we headed for the visitors center for the Junior Ranger booklet. We then spent some time with that before lunch. Lunch was on the boat as there are no facilities on the island for visitors. After lunch we made our way to the snorkel beach. This was on the south side of the park away from the windward shore. The water was still murky so we just splashed around. After cleaning up we walked around the moat which encircles the fort. This is very pretty walk which gives you a full perspective of the history surrounding this island. There are lots of birds out there so take your cameras. The colonies are off limits so a long lens is needed to so all the birds.

This if an all day trip. The snorkeling around the mote and reef is amazing. You will see fish of all colors and take home amazing pictures to share with your friends and family. The staff were efficient, accommodating, fun and wonderful to be around. I would highly recommend this trip.

I got the best pictures of the trip on the Yankee Freedom on our walk around the moat of Fort Jefferson. It was amazing the fish and the many different types of coral that you see from the moat. The water was very very clear.

There are two ways to get out here. One is by boat and the other is by air. The boat ride is long no doubt about it but it is a part of the experience. We watched the seaplane land and leave and quite frankly wished we had taken that option but the cost is considerably higher than the boat. Dry Tortuga is an old fort built on a small island. Made of 16 million bricks all brought from the mainland by ship Fort Jefferson is a sight to see. After a century and a half of hurricanes and time itself it is showing its age but also its toughness. Snorkeling is decent but not great but touring the old fort and walking the .6 of a mile moat is a must. We saw more fish in the clear waters of the moat while walking than we did snorkeling. A huge draw is the large birding area but unfortunately that area was closed because of breeding season.The Yankee Clipper is a nice vessel. The breakfast and lunch were more than adequate. The crew was personable and friendly.All-in-all a great day, relax and enjoy it! It isn’t something you’d want to do everyday but well worth it.

This is the best thing to do on a trip to Florida & possibly the most beautiful clear water I have ever seen.

We opted to visit Fort Jefferson by way of the Yankee Freedom cruise ship.We booked online and followed their recommendations to the letter. Our experience was wonderful. The boat ride was pleasant with calm seas on that day, albeit it ended up being extremely hot. (predicted). The fort itself is quite interesting especially if you try to rationalize how the heck they got cannons and the like out there and installed. There web site is very accurate pertaining to amenities such as washrooms, food, drink and the like. Can't imagine anyone not enjoying this outing on the water unless high seas and heat ruined the day.

This was my second visit to the Dry Tortugas. Many folks who visit the Florida Keys are not even aware of its existance. It is 70 miles west of Key West reachable only by boat or sea plane. Both services are available out of Key West. The boat trip takes about 2.5 hours, the seaplane about 30 minutes. The main attraction is Fort Jefferson on Garden Key. Pristine waters, good snorkeling, and abundant sea birds are a plus. There are no accomadations in the park for visitors. If you come by your own boat, which I do, there is an anchorage next to the Fort and a small campground for tent camping on Garden Key. NOTHING in the way of supplies is available in the park: not a drink of water, not a candy bar, nothing. If you're staying overnight you have to bring everything you need in and take all your waaste out. If you come by the tour boat it furnished food and drink and bathroom facilities. To learn more, check out the National Park website.

We love history so this was very interesting for my husband and myself. It was quite windy for some of the boat ride over, several people were getting sick. (On the way back, more people bought dramamine). We tried snorkelling but because of the wind, it wasn't real good that day. But we still had an enjoyable day.

In early December, 2011 my husband and I booked a trip aboard the Yankee Freedom to Dry Tortugas park. It was advertised as "one of the best snorkeling locations in the world". It was not. We did not see one fish, not even a bait fish.On the day of our trip it was a little breezy and we were told before boarding that the ride would be a little bumpy. We are not bothered by motion sickness, so we boarded. We were advised on the ship that only one place, the South shore was recommended for snorkeling that day. Twice, once before lunch and once after lunch we snorkeled, following the map we were given. Other passengers we spoke with did not see any fish either that day.That was not our only disappointment. My husband has a lifetime pass entitling him to enter National Parks for free. When we signed up an additional fee was added for this entrance. We showed the card, but were told a refund would be given at the park. We were unable to obtain this. The following day we went to the concierge who booked the trip and he told us to contact his manager. After exchanging several emails, each time being told that our message was being forwarded to his supervisor, he finally gave me the phone number for his supervisor. He does not return calls. After several attempts I reached him, but he would only give me the number for the manager of the Yankee Freedom. He does not return calls or emails either. The return trip was awful. At one point I was thrown at least a foot out of my chair into the table in front of me. I later developed a huge purple bruise across my mid section. The crew could not keep up with the barf bags. No wonder we saw no fish. It was apparent to us that this ship was going out, no matter what.I recommend that if you take this trip you go on a calm day. Hopefully you will enjoy it more than we did. If not, don't waste your time or money.

Once we arrived at the island we took a tour of the fort and then headed down to the beach for swimming and snorkeling. It was great to explore the clear waters and see the various fish and some small sharks and other waterlife.