Tropical Island Getaway
Enjoy snorkeling, dolphin-watching, shelling, exploring a tropical island with an abandoned fort and lighthouse, all on a half-day day trip to Egmont Key at the mouth of Tampa Bay. Tropical Island Getaway's mono-hulled boat attracts a number of dolphins on the way out to the island; they love to jump, twist and play in our wake... so close you can almost touch them!
Once at the island, you will be provided with snorkel gear to explore the underwater ruins of Fort Dade, a Spanish-American War era fort which has been long abandoned and parts of which have tumbled into the Gulf creating underwater reefs full of sea life and interesting sights.
After snorkeling, we will move the boat to the other side of the island where you can visit the historic lighthouse, wander through the trails and additional ruins of the abandoned fort, hunt for unique sea shells, and discover and photograph the incredible wildlife of the island including brown pelicans, sea turtles, gopher tortoises, manatees, and numerous sea birds that visit the bird sanctuary on the island.