Do it All in Key West

Key West is a place where you can live out your water sports fantasies. You know, the ones involving crystal clear blue water at the perfect temperature, shining white sand, and a warm sun in the cloudless sky? This type of scenario must be part of some sort of universal human yearning if you consider the number of times some variation of it appears in advertisements, on product packaging, and even as part of home décor. Think about it next time you are in your favorite electronics store looking at the TVs on display – how many are using demo clips that feature surfers, tropical fish and coral reefs, sailboats, and other ocean scenes?

If you want to get a real taste of this type of experience, one of the great things I have found about Key West is the number of tours available that feature a combination of water sports activities packed into one day. Trips like the Key West Ultimate Adventure, or the Backcountry Safari Key West let you live the dream as you experience many of the activities that beach-dwelling locals and hard-core surf bums take for granted. This kind of a trip is an ideal way to get a big dose of the seaside life even if you only have a few days to spend in Key West.

A sailing Backcountry Safari is a wonderful taste of the life lucky yachties lead as they wander from island to island, dropping over the side to snorkel pristine reefs, exploring hidden coves by kayak, and feeling the wind in their faces as they enjoy meals and cocktails on the deck of a cruising sailboat. From my point of view, the lunch and cocktails alone were well-worth the price of the tour. Snorkeling over sunken wrecks and watching the incredible variety of brightly-colored tropical fish at play on the living coral reefs was just a great bonus. Everything was very relaxed and easy, and the crew and guides were completely helpful and friendly.

I was already an experienced snorkeler, but nobody had any problems getting the hang of this easy sport. A little-known secret of snorkeling is the fact that you do not really need to be a very good swimmer. The snorkel itself takes all the difficulty out of getting a breath, and once you can easily breathe while floating effortlessly on your stomach, it is no problem at all to spend an hour or more in the water.

While the sailing safari was a rather relaxing taste of the Luxury Yachting life, the Key West Ultimate Adventure will get your pulse racing. Imagine running offshore on a 65-foot luxury catamaran, then spending the day with water activities including snorkeling, parasailing, and jet skiing, as well as kayaking, swimming, and just generally having a great time jumping in the water and relaxing on deck. This is a chance to try some of the more “extreme” activities that most people have only seen on TV and in the movies.

One of these Key West water sport combination trips is a great way to spend a day. They are especially effective if you only have a few days on the island and would like to try several things in an efficient way. I found the prices of these trips to be very reasonable as well – a great deal compared to trying the activities individually.