By Gerry Barker
Photos/Video by Gerry Barker
One of the first things you wonder about Dry Tortugas is how it got its name. After all, located at the end of the Florida Keys, it’s surrounded by water.
Here’s the deal: Discovered by that intrepid Spanish explorer, Ponce De Leon, in 1513, he named it Las Tortugas — the Turtles — for the many turtles he saw there. It’s said “Dry” was added to alert sailors there’s very little fresh water to be found.
What we did find, in abundance, is beauty in and around its aquamarine waters. Garden Key, of the seven islands that comprise Dry Tortugas, is home to Dry Tortugas National Park. Unlike other national parks, you won’t find Dry Tortugas choked with traffic and crowds, for the simple reason it’s not easy to get there. Post-COVID, the park has seen a little over 80,000 visitors a year.
Located 70 miles from Key West, you have three options: Seaplane, ferry or private boat. During our two-day stop in Key West on an American Cruise Lines’ 8-Day Florida Gulf Coast & Keys cruise, aboard their small ship, American Legend, ACL arranged a seaplane excursion to Dry Tortugas for us. That shoreside experience ticked two boxes on our travel wish list: a visit to Dry Tortugas, and our first ride in a seaplane.
Since 2010, Key West Seaplane Adventures, located at Key West International Airport, is the only National Park Service-approved seaplane service going there. To date, they have flown over 20,000 flights with a perfect safety record (we like to hear that), operating two, 10-passenger DHC-3 DeHavilland Turbine Otter Amphibians. We actually got lucky. Normally, planes are sold out up to three months in advance, but we were able to join an early morning flight.
Flight time is around 40 minutes, and once there, you have about two-and-a-half hours to explore. Our pilot, Joe, had extensive experience flying in Alaska before coming to Key West and warmer climes. As we climbed the small ladder into the plane, he invited someone to seat in the co-pilot seat. Well, you don’t have to ask me twice.
We each put on our headphones, strapped in and soon we were soaring above the blue-green waters off Key West. Flying low over the clear waters, Joe pointed out sealife, including turtles, manta rays and dolphins, as well as the sites of shipwrecks. Luckily, Joe didn’t call on me to co-pilot, so I enjoyed the view with the rest of our group.
It was in these very waters beneath us where treasure hunter Mel Fisher, after 16 years of searching, found the remains of two Spanish galleons — Atocha and Margarita , sunk by a hurricane in 1622 — and recovered gold. silver and jewels worth hundreds of millions.
As we neared Garden Key, Joe made a sweeping turn so we could get photos of the island’s main attraction — Fort Jefferson, “the largest brick masonry structure in the Western Hemisphere,” according to Wikipedia, “composed of more than 16 million bricks.” The fort was intended to protect U.S. interests in the shipping straits connecting the Gulf of Mexico with the Atlantic Ocean.
Work on the fort started in 1846 and continued until 1875, but it was never finished. Today, visitors can get a feel for the everyday life of a 19th century soldier as you take a 45-minute, self-guided tour among the rooms and along the top, where you get magnificent views of the ocean and nearby islands. There’s a lighthouse as well, and a moat surrounding the fort (where on our visit a large sea turtle was awaiting rescue).
Fort Jefferson was also used as a Civil War military prison for captured Union deserters, but its most famous prisoners were the four men convicted of conspiracy in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, including Dr. Samuel Mudd, who set the fractured leg of John Wilkes Booth. His second-story cell is clearly marked.
Another main attraction here is snorkeling the outstanding reefs adjacent to the island’s sandy beach. Also popular is kayaking (bring your own), camping, birdwatching and star gazing. One of the reasons Dry Tortugas was designated a national park in 1992 was to protect its fragile ecosystem.
There are a number of things to keep in mind if you plan a visit. Among them:
— No food or drink is available. You’ll need to bring all your own supplies, and carry any trash back with you. The seaplane service provides small coolers and water, and you can obtain snorkeling equipment from them as well.
— The $15 park entrance fee per person is collected before you depart. Reservations are a must.
— The weather can be unpredictable. Our day started bright and sunny, then after we arrived on the island, some low-hanging fog rolled in. Our flight back was delayed almost two hours, and the guests departing after us had their flight canceled.
— There are public toilets and picnic tables, as well as a limited number of camping sites, which have to be booked up to a year in advance.
— The seaplane offers a half-day or a full day visit. They don’t accommodate overnight or one-way stays.
— Don’t expect any cell phone service. Your phone won’t work here. In the event of emergencies, park rangers have satellite phones.
If you opt to go by boat, the Yankee Freedom ferry departs from the Key West Ferry Terminal, and can take up to 250 passengers. You can find out more on their website.
If you’re a national park buff, or just enjoy history, natural beauty and nature, Dry Tortugas should be on your wish list, too. If you go by plane, ask for Joe — you might be his next co-pilot.
(Our thanks to American Cruise Lines for hosting us on American Legend)
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