Swimming and snorkeling at Garden Key in Dry Tortugas National Park

There are places to swim and snorkel on both Garden Key and Loggerhead Key. Garden Key is the most visited of the islands in Dry Tortugas National Park because this is where the ferry and chartered seaplanes drop off passengers, plus it has attractions and amenities for tourists. If you came on the Yankee Freedom Ferry, the use of snorkeling gear is included in the fare. Pick up a mask and snorkel at the small shed on the boat dock. The only places off limits for swimming and snorkeling at Garden Key are the dinghy beach, the beach where the seaplanes land, and in the moat of Fort Jefferson.

As you can see from the many photos here on National Park Planner’s Dry Tortugas web pages, the water is about as phenomenal a color as you are ever going to see. People equate such water with the Bahamas and other foreign island resorts, but the United States has this same water right here at Dry Tortugas. It is so clear that I was taking photos of fish from the wall around the moat at Fort Jefferson, and they look like I was photographing them with a high-end underwater camera.

Fish photographed from the Fort Jefferson moat wall, Dry Tortugas National Park

Swimming is a popular activity at Dry Tortugas National Park, and visitors can swim year-round. However, the water from late December through March is pretty cold (and the winter months are the most popular months for tourists). The temperatures are tolerable but never enjoyable. I visited on January 1st, January 20th, and March 2nd, and the temperatures were in the very low 70s (Fahrenheit). The record high in January is 77º F and the low 70º F, with the average being 74º F. For most people, enjoyable water temperatures are in the high 70s / low 80s. It is not a bad idea to bring a wet suit if you plan to swim during the winter.

Changing rooms are located inside the dock house on the main dock. These are for changing clothes only, not restrooms. Restrooms are on the ferry boat when it is docked. There are portable toilets for those camping on the island once the ferry departs at the end of the day.

Changing rooms are located in the dock house on Garden Key, Dry Tortugas National Park

There are two places to swim on Garden Key, with the most popular being South Beach. To get to it, when you exit the ferry and are looking at the fort, head to the left, walk past the campground, and follow the moat wall.

South Beach on Garden Key, Dry Tortugas National Park

Snorkeling and swimming at South Beach on Garden Key, Dry Tortugas National Park

The other swimming area is North Beach. To reach it, when you get off of the ferry go to the right, then cut left at the area where the seaplanes land and walk around the back side of Fort Jefferson. It is not very popular due to being out-of-the-way and cluttered with old bricks and other debris. However, if you want to get away from the crowd, this is the place to go.

North Beach at Dry Tortugas National Park

Another activity at Dry Tortugas National Park is snorkeling. At South Beach you may find fish in the sea grass of the open water, but one of the best places to see marine life and corals is along the moat wall. In some spots large holes have formed below the water’s surface, and if you look into the holes, you can see some really big fish. You will also find a lot of what I call “Conch” shells with critters inside (I’m not sure of the proper name for these shells). You are not restricted to snorkeling only at South Beach and can in fact follow the moat wall all the way around the fort. Be aware that the water is a little deeper and can be rougher outside of the beach area. If you are camping and have a dive light, you can snorkel along the moat wall at night.

Snorkeling along the Fort Jefferson moat wall at Dry Tortugas National Park

Corals along the moat wall of Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park

Corals along the moat wall of Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park

There are plenty of large shells on the ocean floor in the swimming area of Garden Key in Dry Tortugas National Park

Hermit Crab found on the Garden Key beach at Dry Tortugas National Park

Garden Key has two other good spots for snorkeling: the North and South Coaling Pier pilings, which date from the late 1800s. These pilings once supported docks used to load coal into military ships. Supposedly you can see grouper, barracuda, tarpons, and even sharks around the pilings, but because the water was cold when I visited in March, I got in and out pretty quickly after snorkeling the moat wall and did not work up the nerve to try the pilings.

The South Coaling Pier pilings are the ones to the left of the ferry dock, if you are looking at the fort. Since there is no swimming in the dingy beach next to the docks, you have to start at South Beach and swim around the south corner (away from the fort).

South Coaling Pier ruins at Garden Key in Dry Tortugas National Park

For the North Coaling Pier, walk towards North Beach, but cut to the right, away from the fort, when reaching an area used to store construction materials. The pilings are just around the corner.

Pilings of the old North Coaling Pier at Garden Key, Dry Tortugas National Park

Snorkeling at the pilings of the North Coaling Pier at Garden Key in Dry Tortugas National Park

At times Bush Key and Garden Key are connected together by a narrow sandbar, and the entire land mass looks like one big island. However, even when attached Bush Key is considered a separate entity, and while you can walk along the shore when it is not closed for shorebird nesting (February through September), no swimming is allowed. Signs mark the boundary between it and Garden Key.

The shore of Bush Key at Dry Tortugas National Park

The shore of Bush Key at Dry Tortugas National Park

To visit Loggerhead Key you need either your own boat or a kayak. It is a 3-mile, one way paddle from Garden Key. If you make the journey, the best places to snorkel are on Little Africa Reef and the Windjammer Wreck. The wreck is located in 20 feet of water and is about a mile from the southwest corner of the island. If snorkeling around the wreck, you must put out a dive flag. There is a mooring buoy nearby for you to tie your kayak to, so be sure to bring a rope.

The Little Africa Reef is just a few yards off of the western shore. There is a designated swimming beach near the reef.

For a list of other snorkeling sites in the park, see Dry Tortugas National Park’s Swimming, Snorkeling, and Diving web page.

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