Go to the Dry Tortugas if you have a full spare day, about $260 per adult for the ferry and a real interest in Fort Jefferson as well as the water. Stay with a Key West reef trip if you have a morning or an afternoon, a budget nearer $50 to $80, or anyone in your group who struggles on a long boat ride. Dry Tortugas National Park lies about 70 miles west of Key West. The ferry crossing takes about 2 hours 15 minutes each way and gives you about four and a half hours on Garden Key, snorkel gear included. A Key West reef trip is three hours dock to dock, with 30 minutes to an hour and a half in the water depending on the boat.
One thing to know before you search: neither Viator nor GetYourGuide sells the public Dry Tortugas ferry. You book it with the ferry operator, and the National Park Service lists the official ways to get there on its Dry Tortugas directions page. If the Tortugas will not fit, the Key West trip with the most reef time is Fury’s Double Dip: two reef stops and about 1.5 hours of snorkeling in three hours, from $73 per person (checked November 2026), rated 4.6 from 203 reviews on Viator.
Key West Double-Dip Snorkel Tour-Two Stops, Twice the Fun!
- 4.6/5 (203 reviews)
- About 3 hours
- Free cancellation
- Operated by Fury Water Adventures
Includes Top-of-the-line snorkel gear · Snorkel instruction from the crew · Beer, wine, soda and water (alcohol after snorkeling)
You'll choose your date and complete the booking on Viator. Free cancellation under Viator's standard terms; the booking page shows the deadline.
The Dry Tortugas ferry: schedule, price, what is included
The Yankee Freedom is the ferry most visitors take. Its published day runs like this, and times can shift with the weather:
- 7:00 a.m. check-in, 7:30 boarding, 8:00 departure from Key West.
- About 10:30 a.m. arrival at Fort Jefferson on Garden Key, with a 45-minute narrated fort tour at 11:00.
- 3:00 p.m. departure, back in Key West about 5:30 p.m.
That leaves about four and a half hours on the island, including the fort tour, so roughly three and a half hours for snorkeling, the beach and wandering the fort.
The operator’s ticket page shows the day trip “From $260.00”. Its 2026 pricing, valid through 30 November 2026, lists $260 per adult, $245 per adult with a National Park Pass, $220 per child and free for infants; we could not confirm the child age range. Check the price at checkout. The fare includes a breakfast snack, a box lunch, snorkel gear and fins, the park entrance fee (refunded if you show a National Park Pass at check-in) and the fort tour. Older blogs quote $200 to $235; those prices are out of date.
The seaplane: faster and far dearer
Key West Seaplane Adventures flies about 40 minutes each way. Its rates page lists:
- Half day: $527 per adult and $421.60 per child 12 and under, just under 4 hours in all with at least 2.5 hours on the island.
- Full day: $910 per adult and $728 per child, just under 8 hours with at least 6.5 hours on the island.
- A park fee of $15 per person over 16 on top.
The company gives a full refund if it cancels for weather or maintenance. Its rates page does not say whether snorkel gear is included, so ask, or bring your own. Some blogs quote $507 and $890; the operator’s own page is the one to trust.
Other experiences
Other Key West snorkeling trips to compare
More ways to explore the area. Each listing shows its own cancellation policy.
Snorkeling at the Dry Tortugas
Yes, you can snorkel at the Dry Tortugas, and it is one of the main reasons people go. The park tells visitors to swim around Garden Key to see coral and wildlife, so the snorkeling is from the beach and along the fort, not from a boat over an offshore reef. With the ferry’s gear included and a few hours on the island, you set your own pace.
Two warnings. First, the 2023 marine heatwave reached the Tortugas too: around the Keys and the Dry Tortugas, 98 to 100% of elkhorn and staghorn coral colonies died. Expect fish and some coral, not the thickets in old photographs. Second, the park does not accept cash, so bring a card for anything you buy there. The National Park Service also says winter is usually windier than summer, with rougher seas, which matters on a 70-mile crossing.
What Viator and GetYourGuide do sell
Neither network lists the Yankee Freedom ferry. What they do list are two private boats:
- SeaEO Nautical Ventures’ Dry Tortugas day trip by luxury private boat on Viator: $1,500 per person, 8 hours from Stock Island, rated 4.1 from 13 reviews. Park admission and fuel surcharges are extra.
- Reel Paradise Charters’ Dry Tortugas boat charter on Viator: $1,699 per group of up to 10, 8 hours, rated 5.0 from 1 review. No free cancellation; fuel and government fees are extra.
These suit a group that wants its own boat and its own timetable. For most visitors the public ferry is the sensible way to the park. GetYourGuide had no Dry Tortugas listing at all when we checked.
The two days compared
| Dry Tortugas by ferry | Key West reef trip | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $260 adult (2026) | from $49 to $79 per person on the main reef trips |
| Length | about 10.5 hours from check-in to return | about 3 hours, plus 30 to 60 minutes’ check-in |
| Time in the water | your choice within about 4.5 hours on the island | about 30 to 60 minutes on most big boats; about 1.5 hours on the Double Dip |
| Snorkeling | from the beach around Garden Key | from the boat at an offshore reef the captain picks |
| Food and drink | breakfast snack and box lunch | drinks on most boats, breakfast on some morning trips |
| Extra sights | Fort Jefferson, 45-minute tour | sunset on afternoon and evening trips |
| Booking | operator directly | Viator or GetYourGuide |
Is the Dry Tortugas worth it? For a history lover with a free day, yes: the fort is the draw, and the snorkeling comes with the ticket. For someone who mainly wants to see fish and coral, a Key West reef trip puts you over an offshore reef for a fifth to a third of the price and leaves the rest of the day free.
Which Key West trip to book if the Tortugas will not fit
- The most reef in one trip: Fury’s Double Dip, two stops on the 57-foot Reef Express, $73 (our review). Check in at 631 Greene Street.
- A whole day on the water, like the Tortugas but closer: Danger Charters’ full-day trip, 6.5 hours of sailing, kayaking and snorkeling in the backcountry with lunch, $159, rated 4.9 from 850 reviews on Viator. Note that it snorkels the shallow refuge, not the offshore reef (our review).
- The cheapest reef trip: Fury’s reef snorkel on GetYourGuide, from $49 for the morning departure, rated 4.5 from 615 reviews.
- A sail with an hour at the reef: Floridays’ Reef Snorkel & Sail, $79, rated 4.7 from 569 reviews on Viator.
Our guide to the best snorkeling spots in Key West explains which reefs the captains choose between.
Frequently asked questions
Can you snorkel at the Dry Tortugas?
Yes. The National Park Service tells visitors to swim around Garden Key for coral and wildlife, and the Yankee Freedom ferry includes snorkel gear and fins in the fare. You snorkel from the beach near Fort Jefferson.
How much is the ferry from Key West to the Dry Tortugas?
The operator’s 2026 pricing, valid through 30 November 2026, is $260 per adult, $245 with a National Park Pass and $220 per child. The fare includes breakfast, lunch, snorkel gear, park entry and a fort tour.
How far is the Dry Tortugas from Key West?
About 70 miles west, according to the National Park Service. The ferry takes about 2 hours 15 minutes each way and the seaplane about 40 minutes.
Can you book the Dry Tortugas ferry on Viator or GetYourGuide?
No. Neither sells the public ferry. Viator lists two private boat trips, from $1,500 per person or $1,699 per group. Book the ferry with the operator.
Is the Dry Tortugas worth it for snorkeling alone?
Not usually. You pay about $260 and give up a whole day, and the snorkeling is from the beach. If fish and coral are the goal, a Key West reef trip from $49 to $79 covers it in three hours.
Pick your morning or afternoon
Reef trips leave Key West most days of the year. Wind decides which reef the captain chooses, so check your date and book with free cancellation where you can.
Check dates and prices