An aerial perspective on the lonely Dry Tortugas
Fort Jefferson
Stop 4 : Dry Tortugas
A 70-mile seaplane-hop keywestseaplanecharters . com or ferry ride drytortugas . com from Key West , the Dry Tortugas National Park is a remote wonderland comprising of seven keys , plus the largest all-masonry fort in the USA , Fort Jefferson . Living up to its Spanish name , the region is a hotspot for turtles , which nest on its beaches from March to October . Five of the world ’ s seven species of turtle can be found in southern Florida ’ s seas , and the Tortugas ’ abundant coral reefs and seagrass beds provide a playground for loggerhead , leatherback , green , hawksbill and Kemp ’ s Ridley turtles .
Snorkelling so far from civilisation takes the thrill level up a notch , although even first-time snorkellers will enjoy the warm waters and more than 30 species of corals on display from just under the surface to a depth of five metres . With snorkel spots accessible from the sandy Fort Jefferson beach , highlights include the Windjammer wreck at Loggerhead Key , ruins of historic coaling docks , nurse sharks , octopuses , and thousands of tropical fish .
Meet a manatee
Florida ’ s warm waters are home to the West Indian manatee , and snorkellers can enjoy a close-up encounter with them at Crystal River , known as the Manatee Capital of the World . From mid-November until the end of March , as the sea temperature in the Gulf of Mexico drops , hundreds of manatees find sanctuary in the warm , spring-fed waters of Kings Bay and Three Sisters Springs on Florida ’ s west coast . Now a National Wildlife Refuge established to protect the manatees , this is the only place in North America where it ’ s legal to swim with the marine mammals . Join an early-morning guided snorkel tour with Plantation on Crystal River Adventure Center plantationadventurecenter . com to watch them graze the seagrass beds in the calm , shallow waters of the bay .
PHOTO : ALEX TATTERSALL
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