Key West Private Snorkeling Charters, Priced Per Group

A private snorkel boat in Key West costs from $500 for the whole boat, usually for a group of up to six. The lowest group price we found for a captained boat that includes snorkel gear is Stock Island Charters’ Private Sandbar Adventure: $500 per group of up to six for about three hours (checked November 2026), rated 5.0 from 52 reviews on Viator. The captain tours the mangrove backcountry and stops at sandbars where you can paddleboard, snorkel or float, with dolphins, sea turtles and birds possible along the way. A paddleboard, snorkel gear and a cooler of ice and bottled water are included, and you bring your own food and alcohol. The listing says the captain picks guests up on the sea wall next to the gas dock, so confirm the marina when you book. Our review →

Private snorkel charter prices, per group

Every price below is for the boat, not per person, on the listings we track. Most private charters take up to six guests.

The links: Tiki Boat Adventures’ sandbar trip (4.9 from 139 reviews on Viator), Lazy Dog’s private sandbar and paddle (4.9 from 41 on Viator; the listing says guests must know how to swim), Stock Island Charters’ four-hour version on GetYourGuide (5.0 from 5), Danger Charters’ private sandbar and snorkeling charter (5.0 from 32 on Viator), Honest Eco’s private charter (5.0 from 20 on Viator; not free cancellation), Dolphin Safari’s half-day private charter (4.9 from 35 on Viator), Six Fins’ private reef charter (5.0 from 1 review on Viator) and Casual Monday’s private sandbar excursion (5.0 from 34 on Viator).

For two people there is a cheaper private option of a different kind. Sunset Watersports’ Eco Safari is $178 per group of up to two on GetYourGuide (4.7 from 46 reviews), and the same trip is $197 per group of up to two on Viator. You drive your own small boat behind a guide through the backcountry to Mud Key for a swim and snorkel. Florida law requires anyone born on or after January 1, 1988 to have passed a boater safety test before driving, so check that before you book.

Reef or sandbar: what private boats actually do

Most private charters sold on Viator and GetYourGuide are backcountry trips: shallow water, mangrove islands and sandbars in and around the Key West National Wildlife Refuge, with snorkeling on the side. Danger Charters’ private boat heads for “sandbars and unspoiled beaches that can only be reached by boat”. Honest Eco’s private charter says plainly that snorkeling is an option but not a guided activity. If the offshore reef is what you want, the Six Fins reef charter says the captain picks sites by visibility, tides and weather, but it has only one review so far. Fury’s own FAQ says its private charters can stop at Sand Key, though that charter is not sold on either network. Our snorkeling and sandbar tours page explains the backcountry trips in more detail.

What is included, and what you bring

Read the inclusions closely, because private boats strip back to the basics. Stock Island Charters includes bottled water, snorkel gear and a paddleboard. Tiki Boat Adventures includes water, ice, cups and a restroom, and excludes alcohol, snacks and gratuities. Danger Charters adds soft drinks and snacks (our review). Dolphin Safari includes floating toys, soft drinks, water and snacks, and leaves the gratuity out (our review). Honest Eco serves organic fruit and is bring-your-own for drinks. Plan on bringing towels, sunscreen, lunch and any alcohol, and on tipping the captain where the listing excludes it.

Departure points are spread across the island. Danger Charters leaves from the base of Opal Key Resort & Marina in Old Town. Honest Eco’s private boat is at Key West Bight Marina in the Historic Seaport. Dolphin Safari meets at the Salty Oyster pool bar, which its GetYourGuide listing places at the Perry Hotel Marina on Stock Island with free parking. Tiki Boat Adventures uses Garrison Bight Marina (Angelfish Pier, slip 8, free parking), Lazy Dog uses Hurricane Hole Marina, and Casual Monday meets at the Hilton Key West Resort & Marina on Stock Island.

Is a private charter worth the money?

It depends on how many of you there are. The table below is plain arithmetic on the listed group prices, divided by the number of people, before tips.

Compare those figures with shared seats on similar trips, which are priced per person: Fury’s Island Adventure sandbar trip is $110 per person with lunch and drinks included, Danger Charters’ shared half day is $125 per person on a schooner limited to 20 guests, and Dolphin Safari’s small-group dolphin and snorkel trip is $149 per person with a maximum of six guests. A shared reef trip such as Fury’s reef snorkel starts at $49 per person. Our reviews of Fury’s Island Adventure and Danger Charters’ half day cover the shared options.

For two people, a private boat costs at least $250 each, against $49 to $149 for a shared seat. At that size you are paying for privacy.

For four, Stock Island’s boat works out to $125 each, the same as a seat on Danger Charters’ shared half day and less than Dolphin Safari’s shared trip. Fury’s sandbar trip is cheaper per head ($110), but it includes lunch and drinks, so a private boat comes out ahead only if you are happy to bring a cooler.

For six, private is the better buy on price. Stock Island’s $500 is about $83 each, against $660 for six seats on Fury’s sandbar trip and $750 for six on Danger Charters’ shared half day. Danger’s private boat at $749 costs about the same as six shared seats on its schooner. Six seats on Dolphin Safari’s shared small-group trip come to $894, and its half-day private charter is $966, $72 more for an extra hour and the boat to yourselves.

Before you book

Check the season. Dolphin Safari’s private half-day listing showed dates through December 2026 and then again from mid-October 2027, so book early if you want it this winter. Check the cancellation terms too: Honest Eco’s private charter is not free cancellation, while the other boats above are free cancellation on their network. If someone in your group cannot swim, sandbar trips are the easier choice, but the swimming rule is per operator, so ask; our beginners page covers non-swimmers and the dolphin snorkel tour page compares the shared dolphin trips. For smaller shared boats, see our catamaran vs small boat guide, and for every shared price in one place, how much snorkeling costs in Key West.