Key West · Updated September 29, 2026
No ferry, cruise ship or direct flight connects Key West to the Bahamas. The clear-water day trip that actually exists is the Dry Tortugas: 70 miles west, no passport, back by dinner.
Short answer: You can't do the Bahamas as a day trip from Key West. You'd first travel to Fort Lauderdale or Miami, which uses most of the day before you board anything bound for the islands. Plan the Bahamas as its own overnight trip. If what you want is clear water and a remote island in one day, book the Dry Tortugas instead.
The route
Key West to Fort Lauderdale or Miami is about an hour in the air. Flights from there to Nassau or Bimini take roughly another 40 to 90 minutes, plus the connection.
Passenger ferries to Bimini and Grand Bahama leave from Fort Lauderdale, not Key West. Each way takes two to three hours.
The Overseas Highway to Fort Lauderdale is a long drive on its own. Add a ferry and there is no time left for the islands the same day.
The Bahamas is an international trip, so bring the travel documents your airline or ferry asks for. Nothing in the Florida Keys, including the Dry Tortugas, needs a passport.
Side by side
| A day from Key West | The Bahamas from Key West | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting there | You're already there | Travel to Fort Lauderdale or Miami, then fly or ferry |
| Same-day round trip | Yes | Not practical |
| Passport | Not needed | International travel documents |
| Clear-water option | Dry Tortugas, reef snorkel trips | Bimini, Nassau, the Out Islands |
| Best as | A day on the water | A separate trip of a few nights |
The day trip you're looking for
Dry Tortugas National Park sits about 70 miles west of Key West: shallow reef, sand, and Fort Jefferson on Garden Key. It's still the United States, so there's no customs line. Prices and open dates checked against FareHarbor on September 29, 2026.
Finz Dive Center · 10 hours · Snorkelers and divers
A shared boat for snorkelers and divers. About a two-hour ride out, and they usually reach Garden Key over an hour before the national park ferry. Snorkel gear and the park entrance fee are included.
| Per person | $839 |
|---|
Laid Back Key West · 10 hours · Up to 6
A small boat, up to six passengers, with snorkeling, Fort Jefferson and time to explore the park. Fuel is included; bring your own food and drinks.
| Per person | $750 |
|---|
More detail on getting there by ferry, seaplane or private boat: Dry Tortugas Day Trip from Key West.
Photos of the Dry Tortugas and, last, Bimini in the Bahamas. Via Wikimedia Commons: Garden Key and Fort Jefferson from the air, Dry Tortugas by M. Collier / NPS, Public domain; Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortugas National Park by U.S. National Park Service, Public domain; The Dry Tortugas and Fort Jefferson by Richard Gangemi, CC BY-SA 4.0; Approaching the fort by seaplane by RuggyBearLA, CC BY 2.0; Fort Jefferson from the air by NPS staff, Public domain; Swimmers along the moat wall, Fort Jefferson by Dry Tortugas NPS, Public domain; The Bimini Islands from the air, Bahamas by LBM1948, CC BY-SA 4.0. Licenses: CC BY 2.0, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Closer to town
If a 10-hour day is too much, the sandbars and reef off Key West are 20 to 30 minutes from the dock. These combine a sandbar stop with dolphin watching and snorkeling, and kids ride at lower rates. Prices checked September 29, 2026.
Barefoot Charters · 4 hours · Noon
A sandbar afternoon with wild bottlenose dolphins and a snorkel stop. Senior and military rate $90.
| Adult | $99 |
|---|---|
| Child 6–12 | $79 |
| Under 6 | Free |
Sunset Watersports · 3 hours · Daily at 11am
A morning that covers both the dolphin watch and the reef, back in time for lunch on Duval.
| Adult | $64.95 |
|---|---|
| Youth 5–12 | $46.95 |
| Under 5 | Free |
Sunset Watersports · 6 hours · 10 activities
The widest version of a Key West water day: six hours and ten included activities, with food and drink aboard.
| Adult | $139.95 |
|---|---|
| Youth 5–12 | $109.95 |
| Under 5 | Free |
Deciding
if you want to drive in, skip the passport, and fill your days with sandbars, reef snorkeling, sunset sails and Duval Street at night.
if an international island is the point. Fly or take the ferry from South Florida and give it a few nights. Squeezing it into a Key West vacation mostly buys you time in airports.
Questions
No. No ferry, cruise ship or direct flight connects Key West to the Bahamas. You would have to travel to Fort Lauderdale or Miami first, then fly or take a ferry, which leaves no time on the islands in the same day.
No. Ferries to Bimini and Grand Bahama leave from Fort Lauderdale and take two to three hours each way. The ferry that runs from Key West goes to Fort Myers Beach, not the Bahamas.
The Dry Tortugas. The national park is about 70 miles west of Key West, reachable in one day by boat or seaplane, with shallow reef snorkeling around Fort Jefferson. No passport is needed.
For the Bahamas, bring the international travel documents your airline or ferry requires. For anything in the Florida Keys, including the Dry Tortugas, you don't need a passport.
Private and small-boat charters listed here run $750 to $839 per person for a 10-hour day, snorkel gear and park entry included on the Finz trip. The national park ferry and seaplane are covered on our Dry Tortugas day trip page.
Keep reading
The Bahamas is a separate trip from South Florida. For a day of clear water from Key West, the Dry Tortugas is it.
See the Dry Tortugas trips
