Sightseeing enroute
to Dry Tortugas
 As
the only air service, we are by far the quickest and most exciting
way to reach the Dry Tortugas, North America’s most inaccessible
National Park. In our seaplanes everyone gets a window seat and
with your pilot as your personal tour guide it is a low altitude
(500 feet) sight-seeing flight you will never forget. In fact, we
have many passengers whose sole purpose of going to the Dry Tortugas
is to experience our flight. The National Park lies in the blue/green
waters of the Gulf of Mexico, 70 miles due west of Key West. It
is the true end of the Florida Keys.
 After
departing Key West we fly over an area known as the ‘Flats’.This
is a body of very shallow water (3-5 feet deep) extending almost
20 miles to the west of Key West. Marine life can be spotted any
where along the flight route; however the shallow Flats make spotting
marine life easy. Expect to see plenty of sharks, sting rays and
the occasional porpoise. There are plenty of uninhabited mangrove
islands in this area, only one island has a private house, this
is Ballast Key. 25 miles out we fly over the Marquesas Islands,
this is a coral atoll (a circular group of coral islands). Coral
atolls are usually volcanic in origin and are found in the Pacific
and Indian Oceans, there is some speculation this Atoll was caused
be a meteorite impact, however it is more likely this Atoll is just
naturally occurring shaped by wind and wave action.
 Beyond
the Marquesas Islands lie the ‘Quicksands’. This area
is excellent for spotting huge sea turtles. The water goes down
to 30 feet deep and you will be flying over an under water desert.
The sea-bed is made up of huge sand dunes that are continually moved
by the strong tidal currents. It is here that the famous treasure
salver Mel fisher found the treasures of the Spanish Galleons ‘Atocha’
and ‘Margarita’. Over half a billion dollars  worth
of gold and silver strewn across an 8 mile area. Today this is still
an active treasure site with regular finds of huge Spanish Emeralds.
It is in this area we will show you a couple of ship wrecks, the
first of which is a World War II Destroyer Escort, the ‘Patricia’.
She was intentionally sunk by the U.S.  Navy
to use for bombing practice. The second is the ‘Arbutus’.
This was a 70ft work vessel used by Mel Fisher’s divers and
it sank without loss of life, due to hull deterioration. It marks
the northern edge of the treasure site and with its mast still above
water it makes for an excellent photograph. The last part of the
flight is over deeper water (70ft). Here you can still spot turtles
and sharks near the surface.
Upon arrival at the Dry Tortugas we make a low pass over Fort Jefferson
for a photo opportunity. After circling the fort we make a smooth
water landing, beach the airplane and you will be free to enjoy
the delights of the Dry Tortugas. Bring along your camera, the photography
is spectacular.
Flight time is approximately 35 minutes
each way.
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