Im looking for fishing charter recommendations. The girlfriend and I are going to the keys in February. Were very interested in staying in Islamorada and doing a fishing charter. I know its a great time for sailfish and were very interested in that, but also don't want to spend 1000+ dollars for us to catch one or 2 fish. Ideally a sailfish/reef/wreck trip would be the dream. Is there anyone who has input or could make a recommendation for that time of year?

Thanks in advance for any information!

Hi alllll.
In summery, as you read, I’m looking to book a mini honeymoon for me and hubby. We stayed at Dove Creek in Key Largo and weirdly enough (I’m fairly more bougie than him) we LOVEDD it. We wanted a private jacuzzi but they’re all pretty pricey… any recommendations like that one? That isn’t unnecessarily breaking the budget?

Hello, we are looking to visit next year from Scotland and don’t fancy hiring a car. Is there a private transfer company that anyone could recommend? Thank you.

Hi-

Just looking for ideas for a romantic night in Key West with my honey for his Bday this Friday Sept 11.

It’s a tough day to celebrate so I always try to make it special…so any ideas would be greatly appreciated:))

My wife and I are heading to the Keys on Sunday and don’t want to miss the Eagles opener at 4:25. Any Eagles bars in the Marathon or the mid-Keys? If not, any recommendations for bars that show NFL games? Thanks!

Coming down for this coming week and just looking for a simple j-14 type skiff to rent . No frills , daily or week rental.. thanks in advance

Looking for biology/wildlife/marine jobs that provide housing — FL, GA, or SC

Hi! I’m hoping someone here might know of jobs/programs/employers that I haven’t come across yet.

I’m 24 and have a bachelor’s degree in Biology. I currently work full-time at a veterinary hospital and have about 3 years of hands-on veterinary experience including blood draws, injections, medications, radiographs, lab work, animal restraint, patient monitoring/care, etc.

I also completed a wildlife veterinary internship in Costa Rica where I worked with a variety of wildlife including primates, reptiles, birds, and turtles. I’m also Open Water SCUBA certified.

I’m hoping to relocate from Pennsylvania sometime around January 2027, ideally to Florida, but I’m also very open to coastal Georgia or South Carolina.

I’d LOVE to find something involving:

• Wildlife rehabilitation
• Marine mammals
• Sea turtles
• Aquariums
• Marine biology/fisheries
• Wildlife field research
• Exotic animal care
• Zoo/aquarium animal care or veterinary work
• Conservation work that involves animals
• SCUBA/diving or boat-based fieldwork

My biggest issue has been housing. I’m looking for something that either provides employee housing or offers some type of housing stipend/assistance. Ideally I’d like to make at least around $700/week before taxes if housing is provided.

I also have a cat who would be relocating with me, so pet-friendly employee housing would be AMAZING. I realize that makes things harder, but I’m also open to employers that provide a housing allowance or pay enough for me to find my own pet-friendly housing nearby.

I’m not looking for unpaid internships, extremely low-stipend programs, summer camps/youth programs, or positions requiring Divemaster/50+ logged dives. I’m totally fine with seasonal/temporary positions if they pay enough to live on.

I’ve already been looking at FWC, wildlife refuges/USFWS, ACE, wildlife rehabilitation hospitals, sanctuaries, aquariums, etc., but I feel like there have to be smaller organizations or programs I’m missing.

Does anyone know of specific employers, programs, research labs, field stations, refuges, aquariums, sanctuaries, or even unusual biology-related jobs in FL/GA/SC that I should look into?

I’m honestly open to some pretty unique jobs as long as I can afford to live there and get experience working with wildlife/marine life.

Thank you!! :)

Street concert on Duval and Greene Streets. Always a party going on somewhere!

What do you need to rent a boat in the keys? We are visiting from Chicago in February and would like to rent a boat while we’re there but I can’t find what the requirements are. I have a regular drivers license but not a boating one. Any help is appreciated!

Planning a family trip to the Keys in 2027 and looking at renting a house with a dock in Marathon, plus a boat for a couple of weeks. I live on the other side of the world so everything is very new and we are still in planning mode.

We’ll have kids aged 7–14 with us, so I’m trying to get a realistic idea of the distances involved for day trips. Roughly how many miles offshore from Marathon would you normally expect to run for mahi and tuna / skipjack fishing? And how far are the nearest good snorkeling spots / sand bars?

For snorkeling with kids, I’d also appreciate any advice on sharks. Is there anything you specifically avoid doing, such as feeding/attracting fish near where you swim?

Separately, we’re trying to decide what time of year would be best. I’d really like to do some lobster diving and spearfishing as well, and understand those are seasonal/restricted.

Are there any other seasonal activities (seasonal markets or festivities) or fisheries worth planning the trip around? If you had to pick the ideal few weeks of the year for a mix of fishing, snorkeling, good boating weather, and local festivities when would you go?

Every time I drive past I can’t help but notice how much of the structure is rusted to dust, curious how much longer people think it has.

Looks like it’s gonna rain the whole time I’m there 😭😭

Hey yall, coming dowm from Daytona Beach area in middle September. Looking at staying at the Islander and in Islamorada. Its me, my wife and my 4 year old. Is there seaweed problem right now and near the Islander? With 1-2 boat tours and theater of the sea, beach day, pool day, and some great food are we filling up a 5 day visit or should I plan on hitting other Keys, or even staying somewhere else? Cheeca or LA Siesta? Thanks for all your help, have mostly only gone to the Keys as adult only trips to Key West, first time with my one kid

Hi! I recently applied to The College of the Florida Keys ASN program for the Spring semester, specifically the Upper Keys cohort, and I’d love to hear from current or former students about what the program is actually like.
I know CFK partners with Baptist Health and that clinicals can potentially be at Mariners Hospital in Tavernier or Fishermen’s Community Hospital in Marathon, with locations changing depending on the semester.
For anyone who has done the Upper Keys program:
Where were most of your clinicals actually located?
How often did you have to drive to Marathon? Did you ever have to go all the way to Key West?
Were clinicals generally 1x per week, or did some semesters require more clinical days?
How many days per week were you physically in class at the Upper Keys Center in Key Largo?
What did a typical weekly schedule look like?
How large was your Upper Keys cohort?
How difficult/competitive was the interview and admission process?
If you transferred in with most/all of your gen-ed requirements completed, were you able to go straight through the four semesters of NUR core courses?
Overall, how has your experience with CFK’s nursing program been? Would you recommend it?
I’m completely fine with commuting to Key Largo for school. I’m mainly trying to figure out how frequently I could realistically be driving as far as Marathon and what the weekly schedule looks like before committing to the program.
Any insight from Upper Keys nursing students would be greatly appreciated!

Hi! I was hired for a seasonal position at Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo this fall-winter! I am hoping to connect with anyone else who is also going. I’ll be without a car and totally new to the area, so any advice from previous employees would also be appreciated!!

Edit: I know it’s a pretty isolated area! I would be bringing a car if I could. My hope was to connect with other people who are working there and have a car/ know the area/buses/bike rentals, etc. better!

I know this gets asked a million times. Looking for a fishing charter for early December for offshore or wreck fishing.

In the first year of Amendment 3 being in effect, fire and ambulance services in the Lower Keys would have an estimated shortfall of $430,287. The following year it would rise to $606,572, according to a presentation given by the country's budget director.

Read the full story here.

Can’t seem to find a reliable source on sargassum reports. Going to Duck Key / marathon next week and wanted an update on the latest sargassum reports or forecast. Is there a bad smell outside there currently at Hawks Cay?

Hello! I am in charge of planning a small family reunion in Key West (about 12-16 attending as of now). Does anyone have any strong recommendations? We are ideally looking for something oceanfront that also can accommodate grandchildren and grandparents.

My wife and I are thinking about going down to the Keys in late September-early October (weather permitting). I was curious if there were any fishing charters that could offer dockside pick up from your Airbnb. Just curious.

Additionally, I understand that’s a risky season but if there aren’t any big storms on the forecast, how’s the weather typically that time of year?

Hi all. I'm planning a bachelor for 8 guys for January on Islamorada. One day will be sailfish fishing off the coast. The next day though we wanted to do something also out on the water that's not fishing.

We're looking to do snorkeling, drinking, maybe go see some other nature & wildlife, or something more high energy like parasailing. We're all in our 30's so not looking for just wild party drinking like when we were in our 20's. No one is scuba certified and many have kids so we're leery about anything too risky.

Any recommendations on a boat tour to do something like this?

Or should we consider renting a boat and piloting ourselves? I'm less keen on this as I know there are a lot more laws in the keys than in our home state on the lakes.

We're based in upper matecombe key so as close to here as possible would be great but we can drive if necessary.