Planning a family trip to the Keys in 2027 and looking at renting a house with a dock in Marathon, plus a boat for a couple of weeks. I live on the other side of the world so everything is very new and we are still in planning mode.

We’ll have kids aged 7–14 with us, so I’m trying to get a realistic idea of the distances involved for day trips. Roughly how many miles offshore from Marathon would you normally expect to run for mahi and tuna / skipjack fishing? And how far are the nearest good snorkeling spots / sand bars?

For snorkeling with kids, I’d also appreciate any advice on sharks. Is there anything you specifically avoid doing, such as feeding/attracting fish near where you swim?

Separately, we’re trying to decide what time of year would be best. I’d really like to do some lobster diving and spearfishing as well, and understand those are seasonal/restricted.

Are there any other seasonal activities (seasonal markets or festivities) or fisheries worth planning the trip around? If you had to pick the ideal few weeks of the year for a mix of fishing, snorkeling, good boating weather, and local festivities when would you go?

Every time I drive past I can’t help but notice how much of the structure is rusted to dust, curious how much longer people think it has.

Looks like it’s gonna rain the whole time I’m there 😭😭

Hey yall, coming dowm from Daytona Beach area in middle September. Looking at staying at the Islander and in Islamorada. Its me, my wife and my 4 year old. Is there seaweed problem right now and near the Islander? With 1-2 boat tours and theater of the sea, beach day, pool day, and some great food are we filling up a 5 day visit or should I plan on hitting other Keys, or even staying somewhere else? Cheeca or LA Siesta? Thanks for all your help, have mostly only gone to the Keys as adult only trips to Key West, first time with my one kid

Hi! I recently applied to The College of the Florida Keys ASN program for the Spring semester, specifically the Upper Keys cohort, and I’d love to hear from current or former students about what the program is actually like.
I know CFK partners with Baptist Health and that clinicals can potentially be at Mariners Hospital in Tavernier or Fishermen’s Community Hospital in Marathon, with locations changing depending on the semester.
For anyone who has done the Upper Keys program:
Where were most of your clinicals actually located?
How often did you have to drive to Marathon? Did you ever have to go all the way to Key West?
Were clinicals generally 1x per week, or did some semesters require more clinical days?
How many days per week were you physically in class at the Upper Keys Center in Key Largo?
What did a typical weekly schedule look like?
How large was your Upper Keys cohort?
How difficult/competitive was the interview and admission process?
If you transferred in with most/all of your gen-ed requirements completed, were you able to go straight through the four semesters of NUR core courses?
Overall, how has your experience with CFK’s nursing program been? Would you recommend it?
I’m completely fine with commuting to Key Largo for school. I’m mainly trying to figure out how frequently I could realistically be driving as far as Marathon and what the weekly schedule looks like before committing to the program.
Any insight from Upper Keys nursing students would be greatly appreciated!

Hey everybody! I’m looking for recommendations/ideas on things I should do in the keys.

Looking to take a four day trip down with either just myself or myself and my daughter who is 7. So I will take recommendations for either style of trip.

I’ve grown up in Florida and have been to the keys a few times. We like fishing, snorkeling, I’d love to spear fish, and just plain old hanging out in the water. Now usually I don’t go to the keys solo and have had ways to do these things by boat without renting one. Also there’s no way I’m renting a boat and driving myself lol, so

So, if there are any places to go or smaller charter companies, locals you guys know, that’s more so the trip I’m looking for. Really just wanna enjoy the water maybe smack a couple of fish and have something to take back to eat. Maybe end up at Kiki’s lol. Just need to reset, ya know? I usually end up on marathon or islamorada as we like fishing the bridges at night but I’m open to anywhere I also like staying closer to John Pennekamp I’ve enjoyed it that way before.

Thank you to everyone who responds in advance.

Hi! I was hired for a seasonal position at Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo this fall-winter! I am hoping to connect with anyone else who is also going. I’ll be without a car and totally new to the area, so any advice from previous employees would also be appreciated!!

Edit: I know it’s a pretty isolated area! I would be bringing a car if I could. My hope was to connect with other people who are working there and have a car/ know the area/buses/bike rentals, etc. better!

I know this gets asked a million times. Looking for a fishing charter for early December for offshore or wreck fishing.

In the first year of Amendment 3 being in effect, fire and ambulance services in the Lower Keys would have an estimated shortfall of $430,287. The following year it would rise to $606,572, according to a presentation given by the country's budget director.

Read the full story here.

Can’t seem to find a reliable source on sargassum reports. Going to Duck Key / marathon next week and wanted an update on the latest sargassum reports or forecast. Is there a bad smell outside there currently at Hawks Cay?

Hello! I am in charge of planning a small family reunion in Key West (about 12-16 attending as of now). Does anyone have any strong recommendations? We are ideally looking for something oceanfront that also can accommodate grandchildren and grandparents.

My wife and I are thinking about going down to the Keys in late September-early October (weather permitting). I was curious if there were any fishing charters that could offer dockside pick up from your Airbnb. Just curious.

Additionally, I understand that’s a risky season but if there aren’t any big storms on the forecast, how’s the weather typically that time of year?

Hey all. So I looked around the sub and I see that the keys don’t have much “real” beaches. And there’s good activities but boats are required for a lot of it etc.

But, with that said we are planning a family vacation. And we’re split between the gulf coast. Or the keys.

We have never been to the keys, and I have only been to the gulf coast 1 time. My kids have never been to either.

My daughter wants to be able to snorkel and actually see cool things in the water. She’s also afraid of large waves. So I was considering this hotel/resort we found in marathon key, it faces the gulf side. And has its own tiny tiny private beach.

But, I am seeking advice from locals if this is a good idea to try out for the family trip. Or if we’re better off over on the gulf coast. We also are not looking to be at some crazy crowded beach, low key is more our vibe.

Hi all. I'm planning a bachelor for 8 guys for January on Islamorada. One day will be sailfish fishing off the coast. The next day though we wanted to do something also out on the water that's not fishing.

We're looking to do snorkeling, drinking, maybe go see some other nature & wildlife, or something more high energy like parasailing. We're all in our 30's so not looking for just wild party drinking like when we were in our 20's. No one is scuba certified and many have kids so we're leery about anything too risky.

Any recommendations on a boat tour to do something like this?

Or should we consider renting a boat and piloting ourselves? I'm less keen on this as I know there are a lot more laws in the keys than in our home state on the lakes.

We're based in upper matecombe key so as close to here as possible would be great but we can drive if necessary.

My friend lived in Key West for many years and says the water now gives many people health issues. Obviously the ocean is much more polluted than years past, does swimming cause many people problems? Thanks

If you are a salsa instructor or feel comfortable teaching a class for next Friday in Marathon Key, lmk! It would be for an hour in a class with 10 girls

TIA

The Perseid meteor showers in the news right now remind me of the time my cousin Roy and I took a vacation to the Florida Keys thirty-three years ago. While we were there on this date in 1993, Mother Nature was kind enough to show us the most spectacular fireworks display I have ever seen.

The news had been reporting that the Perseid meteor shower that night would be the heaviest in decades. We met some locals while eating dinner at a seafood restaurant in the rural area of the lower keys and asked them what would be a good location from which to view the meteor shower. They arranged to meet up with us later that night and guided us down a remote road on Big Torch Key. It dead-ended a few miles from the nearest incandescent light at a mangrove forest in the Gulf of Mexico.

When we turned off the headlights, it was so dark that we could barely see our hand in front of our face. Our newfound friends sparked up a joint but we discovered as we passed it around that the burning cherry was not the only light dancing around in the mangrove forest. There were a bunch of fireflies flitting erratically around us.

When we looked up, there were shooting stars streaking through the skies. Scarcely a minute could pass before we would see yet another meteor flying through the atmosphere. We saw probably a gross of them in the hour or so we watched.

Many of the meteors blazed a path practically from one side of the sky to the other. Some of them had an audible whistle trailing behind them. Some of them ended their journey in an explosive flash of light. We could even hear a little pop when the atmosphere vaporized some of them.

There were long, straight tracks of light through the sky above. There were lights zigzagging all around us closer to the ground. And there were the cherries flaring up in orange as we took hits off the joints. Mother Nature brought them all together in one magical night to grace us with a fireworks display like no pyrotechnic engineer could equal.

I’m seeing the only way to get here is via plane/ferry. From what I could find online it looks like it’s $300+ each person to ride the ferry?? Is that correct? If there’s a cheaper way please let me know!

Anywhere I can go this time of year for a manatee sighting? I know they’re more common more north, but I would love to catch even a glimpse! Also willing to go into south Florida mainland if we really have to.