Boat Tours Key West

Boat tours in Key West come in six main kinds: a reef snorkel, a dolphin cruise, a sunset sail, a catamaran day, a mangrove kayak and a private rental. I compared 13 Key West boat tours, from $49 to $700, and the best value is not the most expensive one. Prices are in US dollars, checked in October 2026, and the booking links are affiliate links, as I explain on my about page.

My pick for a first boat tour in Key West is the Fury dolphin watching and snorkeling eco cruise: $73, 3 hours, rated 4.6 from 871 reviews, on a 45-foot power catamaran with snorkel gear, drinks and a guide. If I wanted the best evening, I’d choose the Classic Harbor Line schooner sunset sail at $123, rated 4.9 from 335 reviews.

Boat Tours in Key West

Almost every boat tour in Key West starts in Old Town, within a few hundred meters of the Historic Seaport, and sails into the water between the island and the reef line. Two things separate one Key West boat tour from the next: how long you are out and what you do once you are there. A two-hour sunset cruise is a drink and a view. A four-hour snorkel day is a swim in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, which the sanctuary’s own site describes as protecting the reef that runs along the island chain.

The most reviewed boat tour in Key West in my data is the Fury dolphin and snorkel eco cruise, with 871 reviews. It lists a dolphin-watching cruise, snorkeling equipment, a guide, water, soda, and beer, wine or champagne, and it departs from the Fury kiosk in front of the Conch Republic Seafood Company. Gratuity is not included, and groups of eight or more pay an automatic 10 percent service fee. Fury does not own parking, so allow for paid downtown parking or walk in.

If your priority is food, look at the Sebago catamaran snorkel at $70. It adds an all-you-can-eat seafood boil and a premium open bar, with snorkeling at two locations. It has 4.7 from only 21 reviews, so I treat it as promising rather than proven, and one reviewer says the boil is not the best they have had.

Fury Water Adventures

Dolphin Watching and Snorkeling Eco Cruise Tour

• ★ 4.6 (871 reviews)
• 3 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: My first-timer pick: $73, 3 hours, 4.6 from 871 reviews, dolphins plus snorkeling with drinks included.

from

$73

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Sebago Watersports

Catamaran Snorkel with Seafood Boil and Open Bar

• ★ 4.7 (21 reviews)
• 4 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: The party-and-snorkel option: $70, 4 hours, seafood boil and open bar, but only 21 reviews so far.

from

$70

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Key West Boat Trips

Key West boat trips do not all point at the reef. The cheapest way onto the water is the Fury reef snorkeling trip at $49, a 3-hour outing on a 65-foot catamaran that you can book in the morning, in the afternoon or at sunset. The listing offers mimosas at the first slot, margaritas in the afternoon and rum punch on the sunset trip, always after the snorkeling. It is rated 4.5 from 609 reviews, which makes it the second most reviewed trip on this page, and it leaves from the Fury booth behind the Opal Key Hotel on Front Street. You pay extra for a towel and a seasonal wetsuit.

The other end of the range is not a tour at all. The Beach Weekend tiki party boat is listed at $700 for 4 to 8 hours and takes up to 13 passengers. It comes with two large coolers, a slide, a swim ladder and a GPS with preset lines to local sandbars, and you can hire a captain. It has a single 5.0 review, so there is almost no evidence yet. Split between 13 people the rental works out at about $54 each, which is close to the price of the cheapest shared trip.

Fury Water Adventures

Reef Snorkeling with Drinks and Sunset Option

• ★ 4.5 (609 reviews)
• 3 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: The cheapest way out: $49, 3 hours, morning, afternoon or sunset slot, 4.5 from 609 reviews.

from

$49

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Beach Weekend

Tiki Party Boat Rental

• ★ 5.0 (1 reviews)
• 4 - 8 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: For a group of up to 13: $700 for 4 to 8 hours, slide and coolers included, but only one review.

from

$700

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Key West Boat Cruises

A Key West boat cruise that keeps your feet dry is almost always a sunset. The Sunset Watersports signature cruise is $80 for 2 hours, rated 4.6 from 513 reviews. It sets out from the historic seaport, and the listing promises an unlimited open bar of rum runners, champagne, margaritas and draft beer, plus finger foods and live music. It lists tips as not included.

If you want something calmer on the water, the Beach Weekend double decker pontoon is also a cruise of sorts, for a group that wants to set its own pace. It is listed at $700 for 4 to 8 hours and holds up to 13 people, with a choice of two or three slides, GPS and two 70-quart coolers. Fuel is not included. The listing has no reviews, so I would ask the operator what a typical day costs before I booked.

Sunset Watersports Key West

Key West Signature Sunset Cruise with Open Bar, Food & Music

• ★ 4.6 (513 reviews)
• 2 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: The easy evening: $80, 2 hours, open bar, food and live music, 4.6 from 513 reviews.

from

$80

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Beach Weekend

Double Decker Pontoon Boat Rental

• 4 - 8 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: For a private group of up to 13: $700 for 4 to 8 hours with slides and GPS; fuel is extra and there are no reviews yet.

from

$700

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Best Boat Tours in Key West

The best boat tours in Key West are the ones that put you close to something you cannot see from shore. The Sunset Watersports dolphin and snorkel cruise is the one I would pick when the weather is warm and you want both in a single trip: $80, 3 hours, rated 4.4 from 573 reviews. Aboard the Sunset One, you head for the small islands in the Key West National Wildlife Refuge, watch for dolphins and then jump in at the reef. The listing includes snorkel gear and draft beer.

The most unusual trip I found is the shark tour on a 34-foot shaded catamaran, run by Key West Extreme Adventures. It is $99 for 2 hours and rated 4.8 from 276 reviews. The listing says a scent is used to draw sharks close, and that you may also see turtles, stingrays and birds. It meets on pier B behind the Opal Key Resort. That is a deliberate wildlife encounter, so I would not book it for a quiet family sunset. Searches for a Key West boat tour from Fort Myers or Marco Island lead to the same boats, because every trip here starts in Key West itself and you have to get there first.

Sunset Watersports Key West

Dolphin Watching and Snorkeling Sunset Cruise

• ★ 4.4 (573 reviews)
• 3 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: Dolphins and a reef stop on one ticket: $80, 3 hours, 4.4 from 573 reviews, sunset timing.

from

$80

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Key West Extreme Adventures

See Sharks Up Close on a Wildlife Catamaran Tour

• ★ 4.8 (276 reviews)
• 2 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: The one that stands out: $99, 2 hours, sharks and backcountry wildlife on a shaded catamaran, 4.8 from 276 reviews.

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$99

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Sailing Tours in Key West

Sailing tours in Key West are about the boat as much as the destination. The best-rated trip on this page is the Classic Harbor Line schooner America 2.0 at sunset: $123, 2 hours, rated 4.9 from 335 reviews. The listing describes teak decks, mahogany trim and 3,600 square feet of canvas, with complimentary drinks and an hors d’oeuvres plate. Check in at the ticket booth 30 to 45 minutes before departure, directly behind the Schooner Wharf Bar on William Street. Reviewers mention the swells on windy nights, and one says the captain handled a passenger with vertigo well.

For a sail with something to do, the Danger Charters afternoon excursion is 4.5 hours long and combines sailing, snorkeling, a kayak and a sunset. It sails on shallow-draft schooners, is limited to 20 guests, and leaves from the Danger Chandlery Store at the Opal Key Resort and Marina. At $134 with only 24 reviews (4.8) it is not the purest sailing trip, because the snorkel and paddle take up much of the time, but it is the only one here that offers a sail, a snorkel and a paddle together.

Classic Harbor Line - Key West

Schooner Sunset Sail with Food & Drinks

• ★ 4.9 (335 reviews)
• 2 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: The prettiest evening: $123, 2 hours under sail, 4.9 from 335 reviews, drinks and food included.

from

$123

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Danger Charters

Key West Afternoon Sail, Snorkel, Kayak & Sunset Excursion

• ★ 4.8 (24 reviews)
• 4.5 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: Sail, snorkel, kayak and sunset in 4.5 hours for $134; great rating but just 24 reviews.

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$134

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Glass Bottom Boat Tours in Key West

Plenty of people search for glass bottom boat tours in Key West, but none of the 13 trips in my data is one. A snorkel stop gives you a better view of the reef than a window would, so I would point those searchers to the snorkeling trips above. The closest in spirit is the Sunset Watersports sandbar excursion: $150, 5 hours, rated 4.8 from 203 reviews.

It is the longest shared trip in the list. You cruise to the marine sanctuary, take a guided kayak through the mangrove islands, then land at a sandbar for lunch (Cuban sandwiches, chicken tenders, wraps and platters are named in the listing) with unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks. It includes snorkel gear and a paddleboard and meets at the office opposite the waterfront on William Street. A reviewer says their preteen daughter loved it, which is the family signal I look for.

Sunset Watersports Key West

Sandbar Excursion & Kayak Tour with Lunch & Drinks

• ★ 4.8 (203 reviews)
• 5 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: The full day: $150, 5 hours, kayak, sandbar, lunch and unlimited drinks, 4.8 from 203 reviews.

from

$150

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Boat Rides Key West

If you only want a short boat ride in Key West, the two-hour Kayak Kings mangrove tour is the quietest. It is $65, rated 4.6 from 241 reviews, and the listing names manatees, nurse sharks and jellyfish among the things to look for in the mangrove tunnels on the island’s southeast side. It meets at Cow Key Marina, which is about 5.5 kilometers in a straight line from the Historic Seaport, so plan the transfer. A single or tandem kayak and a guide are included, and gratuities are not.

For a gentler boat ride on a catamaran, the Sebago afternoon sail and dolphin watch is 2.5 hours for $50, with unlimited beer, wine, sangria, soft drinks and water. It has 4.4 from 149 reviews. The office is on Lazy Way Lane, the little street along the water between the ends of William and Elizabeth Streets, and one reviewer followed a pod of dolphins for about an hour and a half. The same mix of drinks and dolphins is why people also search for Key Largo boat tours, but those leave from a different key; both of these start in Key West. If you are weighing a private boat tour in Key West, my boat rental page compares the two rentals.

Kayak Kings of Key West

2-hour Mangrove Kayak Tour

• ★ 4.6 (241 reviews)
• 2 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: Quiet and wildlife-led: $65, 2 hours in the mangroves, 4.6 from 241 reviews, meets at Cow Key Marina.

from

$65

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Sebago Watersports

Afternoon Catamaran Sail and Dolphin Watch

• ★ 4.4 (149 reviews)
• 2.5 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: Cheap and sociable: $50, 2.5 hours, open drinks and dolphin watch, 4.4 from 149 reviews.

from

$50

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What You See on a Key West Boat Tour

Most of what you see from a boat tour in Key West is flat, shallow water in unlikely shades of green and blue, with the low skyline of Old Town behind you. The reef line sits offshore, the mangrove islands lie on the backcountry side, and the sunset happens over open water to the west. For the place itself, the Florida Keys tourism board is the official visitor source.

The sights on land are close together. From Sebago’s office at the Historic Seaport, the Southernmost Point is 1.6 kilometers away, Fort Zachary Taylor Beach is 1.8 kilometers and Higgs Beach is 2.1. Smathers Beach is 3.5. These are straight-line figures I computed from the place coordinates, not walking distances. Mallory Square, where the sunset crowd gathers, is 0.6 kilometers from the seaport, so you can step off an evening cruise and walk to the sunset celebration if the timing suits.

Sunset changes a lot through the year. By my calculation from sunrise-sunset.org for the island’s coordinates, local sunset falls at about 5:41 PM in mid-November and 8:19 PM in mid-July, with daylight saving time included. My sunset cruise page has the full month-by-month table.

Where the Boats Leave From

Most boat tours in Key West leave from the Old Town waterfront, and four operators sit within 0.7 kilometers of each other. Sunset Watersports and Fury’s watersports kiosk are 0.1 kilometers from Sebago’s office, and Danger Charters is 0.6 kilometers away. That makes it easy to walk past a few boards before you book, although I would check the meeting point in each listing because several use separate piers on Front Street behind the Opal Key Resort. The cards below show the places that matter for a boat tour in Key West: the operators’ bases and the beaches and landmark you see from the water.

Which Key West Boat Trip Type Fits You

Pick the trip type first and the boat second when you plan a Key West boat tour, because the type sets the price, the length and the crowd. This table is built from the 13 listings in my data. Each type has its own page where I compare the boats side by side.

Trip type	Price from	Typical duration	Best for
Snorkeling tour	$49	3 to 4.5 hours	Reef swims with drinks after the water
Sunset cruise	$49	2 to 4.5 hours	Open bar, live music or a schooner at dusk
Dolphin watching	$50	2.5 to 3 hours	Wildlife lovers and families
Catamaran tour	$50	2 to 4 hours	Shaded decks, sharks or a seafood boil
Kayak tour	$65	2 to 5 hours	Mangrove paddling and sandbar days
Boat rental	$700	4 to 8 hours	Private groups of up to 13

How I’d Choose a Key West Boat Tour

My short answer for a first boat tour in Key West is the $73 Fury dolphin and snorkel eco cruise, because 871 reviewers rate it 4.6 and it covers dolphins, snorkeling and drinks in 3 hours. Here is how I’d decide, in order:

• Lowest price: the $49 Fury reef snorkeling trip, with a sunset slot if you want one.
• Best evening: the $123 Classic Harbor Line schooner, rated 4.9 from 335 reviews.
• Party mood: the $80 Sunset Watersports signature cruise with an open bar and live music.
• Something different: the $99 shark tour, rated 4.8 from 276 reviews.
• Quiet and active: the $65 mangrove kayak or the $150 sandbar day.
• Big group: the $700 tiki boat or pontoon for up to 13 people.

Before I booked any boat tour in Key West, I’d check three things: the meeting point, which differs by operator and sometimes by option, whether gratuity is extra (it is on nearly every listing), and the cancellation text, which is free up to 24 hours for all 13. Browse the Key West boat tours above, pick one and use the booking links to see current availability for your dates.