Seventy miles west of Key West, Florida, lies one of the most remote and beautiful national parks in the United States: Dry Tortugas National Park. Sitting isolated in the Gulf of Mexico, these islands mark the westernmost edge of the Florida Keys archipelago.
The park consists of four main islands — Garden, Bush, Long, and Loggerhead Key — and a handful of smaller, more dynamic sandbar islands that come and go with each new storm that passes through the area. Each of these islands is surrounded by ecosystems ranging from expansive seagrass flats and vibrant coral reefs to shifting sandbars and black mangroves. Add in the Civil War-era Fort Jefferson on Garden Key, and you have one of the most unique blends of cultural history and natural ecosystems in the world.
This juxtaposition of history and wilderness boggles the mind when considering the years of labor and the challenges endured to construct the fort in such a remote place. Life on the islands today is far from the struggles of the past. Modern reverse osmosis systems supply fresh water for those stationed here, helping alleviate this dry part of the Tortugas. But bringing your own water remains essential for visitors, especially campers. Day-trippers can purchase water (and beer) on the ferry.
While the Dry Tortugas might not be the easiest destination to access, it’s one of the best dive locations in the Florida Keys — and I dream about returning there, especially when conditions are ideal. The shallows surrounding Fort Jefferson have provided some of my most incredible underwater experiences, starting with my first camping trip here with my dad for my 18th birthday.
The park’s marine life has flourished, thanks to its remoteness and lack of fishing pressure. You can witness a thriving food chain in action just off the beaches, where I’ve often found schools of pilchards in the tens of thousands being corralled and eaten by every manner of fish, sharks, black groupers, and tarpons, all just a few feet from the sand.
It’s truly one of the last untouched places in Florida, and coming out here offers an important reminder of what the rest of the Florida Keys used to look like.
Getting There
There are three main ways to reach the Dry Tortugas, each with its own benefits. The most common, and my recommendation for campers, is the official park ferry, the Yankee Freedom. This vessel shuttles visitors on day trips or overnight camping excursions. Reservations take planning, especially during peak season, but the experience is well worth it. There’s nothing quite like cruising through miles of open water, anticipating the first glimpse of the Tortugas on the horizon. This trip can be a roll of the dice for those who get seasick easily, but if you prepare with medications and other precautions, it’s not too bad.
Flying in on a seaplane is another option for those with a flexible budget. While this limits you to day trips (camping gear isn’t allowed), it offers unparalleled aerial views of the park and surrounding waters. A good pilot will have you spotting sharks, turtles, and wrecks during the flight, an experience that adds a layer of magic to the trip. Seaplanes also allow you to bring snorkel gear if you’re planning a quick dip before returning to Key West for sunset cocktails.
The final and most adventurous option is to charter or bring your own boat. With this method you can explore more remote reefs and dive sites and bring tanks for deeper dives. Several charter operations run out of Key West, but this approach requires careful planning and a bit of luck, as the weather in this area can be unpredictable.
For those willing to invest the effort, this is undoubtedly the best way to experience the park’s less-visited areas. I’ve heard of incredible dives in the park, including pinnacles that come from 100 feet (30 meters), top out at 20 feet (6 m), and are completely covered in life. I had the chance to freedive one of the many pinnacles and had a hard time not pushing my breath-hold due to the amount of life I was experiencing at the surface.
Completing the Experience
If you’re seeking a true adventure, camping in the Dry Tortugas is unbeatable. Staying overnight allows you to experience the islands free from the crowds of day-trippers, immersing yourself in the peace and quiet of this remarkable place. The sunsets are jaw-dropping, the star-filled night skies are unpolluted by city lights, and the bird life is abundant, especially during migration seasons.
For people wanting ample time to explore the waters, I highly recommend the Yankee Freedom. Booking a trip well in advance is essential to secure a spot during the best times of the year. Having visited the park in all seasons, I have found April to June to be the most favorable months, with calm seas and islands bursting with life. Camping during this time can be hot, but the reward of glassy days makes the experience entirely worth it. A lot of fish can move through the park this time of year, providing some unique encounters. Some friends had close contact with an 18-foot (5.5-m) hammerhead as it followed a tarpon school around the moat wall.
Camping also allows you to explore the waters at your own pace. Bringing a kayak completely changes the experience, allowing you to paddle around the islands, snorkel off the beaches, or plan sunrise and sunset dives to take full advantage of the calm conditions often found in warmer months.
Preparation is key: Bring plenty of water, lightweight camping gear, charcoal, and enough food for your stay. A couple of good handheld radios will also bring peace of mind and ease of communication with your group, as cell service is nonexistent. The park’s remote nature requires ocean savviness to plan dives around weather conditions and currents, but there’s nothing better than waking up and being just steps from the water.
Diving the Leeward Side
The natural anchorage of Garden Key provides calm, protected waters perfect for snorkeling and diving. Whether you’re staying overnight or visiting for the day, exploring the island’s leeward side is a must.
The old coal docks on Garden Key’s south and north ends are among the most popular dive spots. These areas teem with marine life, including coral growth, sharks, tarpons, and goliath groupers. Sitting on the edge of deeper channels, they offer a mix of structure and open water that attracts larger animals. For people who are less comfortable in the water, the sometimes-eerie feeling of these spots might be intimidating, but diving here with a buddy is well worth it, and you can pick which coal docks to dive depending on the wind direction.
Snorkeling the length of the moat wall is another popular option. Starting at either South Beach or North Beach, this swim is famous for its easy access and vibrant marine life thriving along the old wall’s structure. If you’re willing to push it a little bit, a similar swim follows the moat wall but is in deeper water and runs the length of a series of swim zone buoys that mark the outside perimeter beyond the wall, offering a series of coral patch reefs to explore amid the seagrass beds.
Exploring Beyond Garden Key
If weather allows, take a kayak and head due west to explore beyond Garden Key. The paddle to Loggerhead Key is 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) and can be quite challenging if you’re not accustomed to kayaking long distances. The currents can flow hard through the channels, and weather can pop up randomly, so knowing your capabilities is important. The trip is well worth it for confident paddlers.
Loggerhead Key offers the kind of solitude found only on a remote tropical island. The reef known as Little Africa on the island’s west side is marked as a dedicated swim area. Loggerhead Key also has several patch reefs scattered along its coastline, so set up on the beach and dive in — you can’t go wrong here.
If the conditions don’t line up for a trip to Loggerhead, consider paddling southeast from Garden Key toward the Bird Key anchorage. This area’s spectacular seagrass flats and patch reefs hide many surprises. Jump in and drift back to the fort on an incoming tide, and you might stumble across unmarked wrecks or find old anchors buried in the sand. The seagrass meadows are full of random corals, sea fans, healthy conch populations, and some of the largest clusters of finger corals I’ve ever seen in the Keys.
One final tip is to download maps of the area and have them accessible for offline use. You can spend hours finding reefs and interesting bottom scenes worth exploring. Pair that with an app that has coastal waters maps and charts, and you’re set.
Having been fortunate to travel often for work, I can confidently say there’s nowhere quite like the Dry Tortugas. Where else can you find a Civil War-era fort (the largest masonry structure in the Western Hemisphere) surrounded by some of the healthiest and most abundant marine ecosystems in the U.S.? Even among the Florida Keys, the Tortugas stand out as a place where seagrass flats, deep channels, and patch reefs blend seamlessly. It’s a special place that I hold close to my heart.
Visiting the Dry Tortugas feels like stepping into a time machine. Its remoteness has preserved it in ways rarely seen elsewhere, making it an unforgettable destination for those who are willing to put in the time and effort to get there.
Explore More
Discover more about the Dry Tortugas in these videos.
© Alert Diver – Q2 2025
