Key West has as many tourist attractions as we have tourists. Some of them are a lot of fun and some of them not so much. Whether you prefer being on the water or on land you will always have something to do in Key West. My favorite of all the tourist attractions is the JetSki tour around the island. It is approximately 28 miles and takes about two hours. There are several different Watersports companies who offer this tour and all of them are very good. My favorite is Barefoot Billy’s. They operate out of the Waldora-Astooria CasaMarina Resort.
You meet on the beach of the Casa Marina and get set up with your JetSki. The tour guide will spend about 15 minutes going over the tour, the different sites you’ll see, the rules and, most importantly, safe operation of the JetSki. At some points during the tour you could be moving across the water at over 60 mph. Safety is the most important thing so everyone has fun.
You will leave the Cassa Marina and head to the famous Southernmost Point. The tour stops here for a minute allowing people to take a picture of the Southernmost Point buoy with the view from the water. Then you continue on to the next stop which is Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. From there you drive along to Mallory Square where the famous Key west Sunset festival takes place. Next stop is at what they call “the playground”. That is where they take about a 45 minute stop and just drive around in a wide open area playing on the JetSki’s going as fast or as slow as you want, jump each other’s wakes, doing spins and usually falling off the JetSki. No worries though, it’s very easy to get back on and if you need help with the tour guide is always willing to lend a hand. From there you drive along past the Florida Keys Community College getting a few from the water. You continue under the Cow Key Channel bridge past Hurricane Hole Marina then by the marina at the Coconut Mallory Resort. Next you pass by some of the most expensive real estate in Key West. One house you will see recently sold for $5 million and another one is currently for sale for $12 million. Next is what they called the race track. That’s when you open the JetSki up as fast as it will go for about 3 miles. Often times you are exceeding 60 miles an hour, which on the water, feels a lot faster than it does in a car. The last stop is at the White street pier just off of Higgs Beach. From there you go back to the Casa Marina Resort for the end of the tour where I guarantee you will be tired.
Once the tour is over, unwind with a frozen cocktail. The Cassa Marina has a great little tiki bar right on the beach. Personally, I suggest a frozen rum runner. Enjoy!!
