Dry Tortugas National Park
Today was the day. We were finally going to the Dry Tortugas. We got up early, and made some breakfast before our adventure. We found a parking garage near the ferry terminal that was around $15 per day.
Travel Tip: Make sure to bring plenty of water and sunscreen. The ferry will have food and water, but you’ll want to bring a few water bottles for refilling.
After parking, we headed into the terminal to get our tickets. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we were taking the Yankee Freedom III to the Dry Tortugas. The Yankee Freedom is a high speed catamaran. Even though it is high speed, it still took us a while to get there. If I remember correctly, it was between 2-3 hours one way.
While on the ferry, the kids had fun exploring the decks, and watching for turtles off the bow of the ship. Billy slept for a good portion of the ride inside an air conditioned portion of the cabin. The ferry was not too crowded, but the seats were not comfortable. Even so, Billy had no problems sleeping on them.
On the way to the Tortugas, we saw a few sea turtles, and quite a few flying fish. It was exhilarating to see the animals, and to point them out to the kids. Once Fort Jefferson came into view, you could feel the excitement in the crowd. The sailboats were an incredible view parked near Garden Key.
Travel Tip: You can camp for free at the Dry Tortugas National Park, but it is first come, first serve. Make sure you get there early to secure your camp site. Also, logistics is a nightmare, so make sure you plan accordingly to bring your camping food & supplies.
Disembarking the Ferry was thrilling. There is a huge moat that surrounds Fort Jefferson, and sometimes you can see sea creatures swimming through it. There is also a saltwater crocodile that lives in the waters around the fort, but we did not see it. I have seen video of snorkelers encountering the croc, but it is elusive and is apprehensive towards humans.
Our group did a quick walk through the fort before heading to the water. We chose to head to the North side. I had read that is the best area for snorkeling as there are three huge coral reefs off the brick wall.
View of the moat from the bridge. You can see a fish and a conch shell.
Billy was still not very confident in the water swimming, or snorkeling. This was his trial by fire. I let Amber work with him near the beach while I swam out to the coral. The ferry only stays docked a few hours, and your time is limited. I knew the swim to the coral would be tough and might take me a few minutes, so I wanted to be the first out to it before the crowd got there. I did not know what to expect, and I did not expect to get my mind blown.
The coral and ocean life here was stunning. I had not seen anything like it. So many sea fans, and the colors were spectacular. This was some of the healthiest coral I have ever seen. The water clarity was incredible.
I made my way back to the shore after a few minutes to take over Billy’s swim and snorkel lesson. He had swam out with Mom about 50 yards out and seen a huge tarpon just as big as himself. It scared him so much, he was kicking and clawing on top of Mom to get out of the water.
Amber had to help him swim back to the beach where he refused to go back into the water. Oh boy, this was going to take a lot of work. For somebody that loves the ocean so much, he sure was not keen on swimming in it. We never did get him back into the water at the Tortugas the rest of the day. He decided to play in the sand and run along the brick walls of the fort. What can you do? As a parent, you win some, and lose some.
We ate lunch inside the ferry. They provided us with sandwiches, chips, and drinks. We sure needed it after all of the swimming. After a quick bite, we hit the water for a little while longer.
Fort Jefferson itself is pretty impressive, but the snorkeling at the Dry Tortugas was the highlight of the trip. We had gotten pretty pruned up from the water and decided to check out the gift shop/museum before we ran out of time (the meet up time at the ferry was 2pm). We bought a few items from the gift shop and briefly walked through the museum.
Travel Tip: If you want to get a really cool stamp for your passport, don’t forget to bring it! Most National Parks will stamp your passport! This is something we did not know at the time, and did not bring our passports!
Riding the ferry home seemed like it took forever. We were so glad to be back. Everyone was exhausted from swimming, and being in the sun all day. We were all ready to get back to the cottage, and soak up some A/C.
That night we grilled out in the back yard. We had a fantastic dinner, and we all slept so well. This was the end of our Florida vacation. The next day, we would be taking the long drive back towards home. The Dry Tortugas is a must visit if you want to see some incredible marine life, and go on an adventure.
I am so glad that I went on this journey with my family while I did, because unbeknownst to me, right around the corner I would be getting deployed. Military life has its’ struggles, but we make the most out of our time together when we do get it. My next journey, the military would be taking me to Guam, and while I knew I would be working most of my time out there, I figured I would be able to go on a few adventures! More to come on my Guam adventures very soon!
