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It is difficult to think that someone could watch the sun set on the beautiful, serene waters surrounding Key West without wanting to get closer. Whether for a ride to the tropical reefs offshore, a sports fishing charter into the Straits of Florida or the Gulf of Mexico, a daytime or sunset cruise aboard a catamaran or tall ship, a nature tour of the backcountry flats, or an excursion to Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas, this is the place to be. You can privately charter your craft, join a small group, or sign on with a large group ... whatever you choose.

If you go it alone, make sure you know the waters, and take a chart with marked channels and depths. To a newcomer, navigation through the backcountry can be very difficult. Tidal channels are not well marked and depths are difficult to determine for the inexperienced visitor. Because this is such a wide-open area in many places, there is a tendency to run at high speeds. This could be disastrous as it is very easy to be mistaken about depths and run aground. The entire area of the Florida Keys is a National Marine Sanctuary and there can be fines levied if you are caught in this predicament. To avoid doing harm to this delicate and beautiful environment, try to keep your boat in the deep tidal channels, avoid taking shortcuts, and proceed at a cautious speed. It is much easier to back off a flat you have glided onto than it is after you have run hard aground.

There is a chant that locals use that can be helpful when trying to determine whether or not it is safe to wander into a specific area: "Brown, brown, run aground; yellow, yellow will ground a fellow; green, green, go between; blue, blue, come on through!" It may sound simplistic, but it works.

The waters around Key West are beautiful. The romance and adventure of the seas are here for the taking and sunsets are free for the viewing.