I'm no Key West expert - prior to my recent trip, the last time I was there was at age five. I was…read moreleft turning to the world wide web to find decent dining, nightlife, and activities. While lounging around was on the top of my family's list, a snorkeling trip was at the top of mine. I set out to find the right tour operator for us. Yelp led me toward a very well reviewed, giant tour company. As I flipped through their photos, something didn't feel right. Crowds, a party boat, frat boys. Where were the fish? Where was the coral? It seemed that these things were an afterthought for many operators.
So I hit Google. And one operator's facebook page caught my eye: Namaste Sailing. Their facebook page was loaded with albums of recent snorkeling trips. In fact, each charter had its own album full of beautiful underwater photos. Seemed like a good sign. I made my way to their official website and found more goodies. Snorkeling, sailing, and a little bit of environmental education. Sounded like the right thing for me.
Booking was painless. I called the main number and quickly realized I was talking to Jeff, the co-owner and co-captain of the Namaste, the 30+ foot sailboat he and his wife Trish call home. We settled on a "mixed private" snorkeling trip at $125/person that would last about four hours. Mixed private means other folks are free to sail with us, but no more than eight people total. It was significantly more affordable than a private charter but was still a small operation - a good trade off.
Soon it was finally sailing day. We met Trish on a marina just north of Key West. She led us to the Namaste. As we approached the boat, we all assumed it was the small, dodgy-looking boat to our right. Wrong we were. The Namaste, to our left, is a majestic 37' blue water sailing dreamboat. We hopped on and were greeted by Capt. Ron. Capt. Ron is the Namaste's live-aboard cat and he was quite snuggly. Also on board was a very sweet little dog named pollito who was amazingly well-behaved. Then finally we met Jeff who would be our boat driver (after all, Ron is the Captain). Jeff and Trish couldn't have been more welcoming. We soon realized we were sitting aboard their home - they live year-round on the Namaste.
After we left the harbor, Trish and Jeff tag-teamed a quick, informative, and passionate presentation about reef ecosystems, what we might see in the water, and how we can minimize our impact on the reef. Both Trish and Jeff are retired teachers and it shows through. This might have been our favorite part of the trip!
When we finally arrived at the reef, we tied off to a buoy, donned our snorkeling gear, and jumped in with Trish. She led the way through crystal clear water to the Western Sambo reef. The coral was from 5 to 15 feet below the water. The reef was a beautiful mural of sea fans, fish, corals, and sand. Truly indescribable. While we snorkeled around, Trish followed nearby and snapped photos of the reef, of us, and of us looking at the reef. Once we tired ourselves out, we swam back to the boat and returned to shore. Our guides had cold watermelon and cheese & crackers waiting for us as well as cold drinks.
Once we were back on shore, we started checking the Namaste facebook page religiously. We were so eager to see our tour amongst their many photo albums. About three days afterwards, our photos appeared. They were excellent and will make sure we remember the trip for years to come. Trish is quite the photographer! We were encouraged to download the pictures -- at no additional cost.
If you want to snorkel while in Key West, you should do yourself (and the reef) a favor and opt for a small and responsible operator like Namaste Sailing. Once you've committed to that goal, going with this outfit is a no-brainer. Jeff and Trish bring such deep passion to their work. If I make it back to Key West, another trip on the Namaste is undoubtedly in my plans.
