To the West of Key West is an area known as the Lakes Passage, a waterway between several very interesting Keys that are for the most part uninhabited. These are a haven for birds, reptiles, mammals and fish, all a part of the Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges. There are Keys like Archer Key, Mule Key, Barracouta Key, Man Key, Woman Key, and at the end of the Lakes Passage is Boca Grand, a unique key with a pond in the middle and rumors of crocodiles, raccoons, a wide variety of birds and eagles living in the center areas of the key. The only areas that you are allowed to walk on the key is on the beach, the rest is protected for the preservation of nesting areas and the wildlife in general.
I love to wander this beach and watch the birds and fish as they interact with each other in the tidal zone between the beach and the deep water. There are times that the fish are so thick that you can't tell the fish from the water, they look like a massive cloud of brown in the water. These become favorite feeding grounds for gulls and other fish eating birds.
There is about three-quarters of a mile of beach to wander and it is always changing as you wander from one end to the other. The constant tides and storms wash new debris onto the beach making for interesting pickings as you walk along the beach.
Eventually you reach the end and it is time to return to the boats and the rest of the people that have come out to visit Boca Grand for the day. Relax, have a lunch and beverage, clean up around you and head back to the reality of Key West. These days out and around the waters of Key West never disappoint me, there is always so many new things to see and do out there. Just can hardly wait for the next outing on the waters around Key West. ;o)
To the West of Key West is an area known as the Lakes Passage, a waterway between several very interesting Keys that are for the most part uninhabited. These are a haven for birds, reptiles, mammals and fish, all a part of the Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges. There are Keys like Archer Key, Mule Key, Barracouta Key, Man Key, Woman Key, and at the end of the Lakes Passage is Boca Grand, a unique key with a pond in the middle and rumors of crocodiles, raccoons, a wide variety of birds and eagles living in the center areas of the key. The only areas that you are allowed to walk on the key is on the beach, the rest is protected for the preservation of nesting areas and the wildlife in general.
I love to wander this beach and watch the birds and fish as they interact with each other in the tidal zone between the beach and the deep water. There are times that the fish are so thick that you can't tell the fish from the water, they look like a massive cloud of brown in the water. These become favorite feeding grounds for gulls and other fish eating birds. 
There is about three-quarters of a mile of beach to wander and it is always changing as you wander from one end to the other. The constant tides and storms wash new debris onto the beach making for interesting pickings as you walk along the beach.
Eventually you reach the end and it is time to return to the boats and the rest of the people that have come out to visit Boca Grand for the day. Relax, have a lunch and beverage, clean up around you and head back to the reality of Key West. These days out and around the waters of Key West never disappoint me, there is always so many new things to see and do out there. Just can hardly wait for the next outing on the waters around Key West. ;o)
