Key west wildlife

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Key west is full of a wide range of wildlife  including birds of prey, dolphin, sharks, sea turtles, manatee, fish, starfish and more!

☆the best place to see wildlife depends on your abilities and time frame.  The most immersive experience is going to be a snorkel trip! Keep in mind the wind and weather can change visibility and conditions in the water so be sure to check the weather forecast.  (In winds over 15mph typically the visibility under water decreases, and the wave height will increase)  on these days your captain may choose an alternative snorkel location to find better conditions, ie: in heavy winds a snorkel trip to the barrier reef is unlikely. 

☆ If snorkeling isn't your thing or you aren't a confident swimmer a trip to the Key west aquarium is a great option!  Although a small aquarium it is filled with tons of great experiences,  including a touch tank where you can hold a live conch, horseshoe crab, or sea cucumber,  and shark feeding!

    If you have a rental car drive up the keys to the  sea turtle hospital to check out the rescued seaturtles, or to the dolphin research center,  where you can learn about or swim with the dolphins!

☆The Key west butterfly conservatory is a great place to be immersed in wildlife, in addition to an abundance of butterflies,  there are also 2 resident flamingos!  You can even upgrade to a special flamingo meet!

☆manatee are most often seen in the marinas, they pass through looking for fresh water as the boat crews are cleaning after the trips, anytime you are walking around the seaport be sure to keep an eye out for the "sea potatoes"!

☆My favorite way to see wildlife is kayaking, it is a  calm, quiet up close encounter with wildlife at your own pace, Geiger key has great options for paddling off the beaten path, there are also great places in key west.