Egmont Key Without the Ferry: Take Your Own Boat
The Egmont Key ferry runs about $45 a head on someone else's schedule. Rent your own boat and the island is yours — anchor off the beach, stay as long as you want, up to 8 aboard.
Egmont Key sits at the mouth of Tampa Bay with an 1858 lighthouse, the ruins of a Spanish-American War fort, white-sand beaches, and no way to get there but the water. Most visitors take the ferry. This is the case for not doing that.
What the ferry actually costs
The main ferries run around $45 per adult, leave on fixed departure times, and give you roughly three hours on the island before the boat goes back. For a couple, that's $90 and a schedule. For eight people, it's around $360 — and still a schedule.
The math with your own boat
- Full Day rental — 8 hours, up to 8 people, $799 with fuel included. Same ballpark as eight ferry tickets, except the boat is yours all day.
- No departure times. Leave when you want, stay as long as the island's open (day use ends at sunset).
- The ride out is part of the day — dolphins work the passes around the island more mornings than not.
- Egmont is one stop, not the whole trip. Sandbars, a dock-and-dine lunch, and the Skyway are all on the way back.
Can you take a rental boat to Egmont Key?
Yes. There are no docks for private boats — you anchor just off the beach on the island's north end or its Gulf (west) side and wade in (the south end and part of the east beach are closed year-round for bird nesting — steer clear). Sand bottom, easy holding, and on a calm morning the run down from our launch near the Skyway is a straightforward open-bay leg. It's the most exposed stretch of water we send renters on, so we route it for calm days — the dockside orientation covers it.
The rules that matter
- The southern third of the island is a closed bird sanctuary — no landing, no walking in, patrolled. Stay to the north beaches.
- The lighthouse is a photo stop, not a climb — it's not open to the public.
- No alcohol, no glass, no pets, no drones on the island. Keep the cooler on the boat.
- Day use only — everyone is off the island by sunset.
- Watch for gopher tortoises on the brick paths. More than a thousand live there. Look, don't touch.
When to go
Calm mornings, spring through fall. The water is clearest for snorkeling the submerged fort ruins on light-wind days, and an early start means you're anchored before the ferry crowds land. Book the ¾ Day or Full Day — Egmont deserves more than a half-day sprint.
Dates fill weekends first. Check the calendar and the island's yours.
Common questions
How long is the boat ride to Egmont Key?+
From our launch near the Sunshine Skyway it's an open-bay run of roughly half an hour, depending on conditions. We route Egmont trips on calm days and mark the route at the dockside orientation.
Can you land anywhere on Egmont Key?+
No — the southern end and a section of the east beach are a closed nesting sanctuary with no public access, and it's patrolled. Anchor off the north end or the Gulf (west) beach, wade in, and stay on the open part of the island.
Do you need a license to take a boat to Egmont Key?+
Florida has no boating license. Whoever drives just needs a Boating Safety Education card if born on or after Jan 1, 1988 — the online temporary certificate takes an evening and starts around $8. It must be done before rental day.
Ready for your day on Tampa Bay?
Self-drive boat rentals from $250 — pick your package and your date, you take the helm.
Keep reading
Egmont Key by Boat: the Island You Can Only Reach on the Water
Snorkeling the Sunken Fort at Egmont Key
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