Florida Keys Backcountry · Snipes Keys
Northeast of Key West in the protected backcountry. A long crescent of soft sand emerges at lower tides between mangrove islands. Shallow, clear, almost always empty — the place locals take their own boats on weekends.
Why Snipes is on the locals' list
Most Key West sandbar tours stop at the same three places. Snipes is the alternative the brochures don't list.
Snipes is off the standard tourist sandbar circuit. On a typical day you'll share the bar with one or two other private boats — or no one. The exception is a holiday weekend in season, when locals trickle in mid-afternoon.
At lower tides the Snipes sandbar emerges as a long shallow crescent between the mangroves. Soft white sand, ankle-to-knee-deep water. Walk for a few hundred yards in any direction and the water stays clear.
Snipes sits inside a triangle with Mud Keys and Jewfish Basin. A full-day private charter can hit two of the three — or all three if conditions cooperate. Tell Captain Dustin which mix you want.
A backcountry half-day from Key West
From our dock at the Perry Hotel & Marina on Stock Island, Snipes is about an hour of running across the backcountry — through the shallows north of Key West, past the mangrove channels, and out to the cluster of small keys that make up the Snipes area. The water gets clearer the further north you go.
Snipes is best at mid-tide on the way out, low tide at peak. Low tide exposes the long sand crescent and you can step off the swim platform straight onto dry sand. High tide submerges the bar and you'll wade in clear, ankle-deep water but won't get the dry-sand experience. Captain Dustin watches the tide table and times the trip around your priorities.
Walk the sand. Float in clear shallow water. Bring a paddleboard or kayak (we can rent the SUP through our excursion partner network with notice) and explore the mangrove channels around the keys. Birding is excellent — ospreys, frigates, wading birds in the shallows. Bring a cooler; we provide the ice.
Snipes is in the protected backcountry, which means it's usable on most wind directions — including the days when offshore reefs and southside sandbars are blown out. North or northwest wind is the easiest. Captain Dustin will pivot to Snipes on wind days when the original plan was something more exposed.
How Six Fins gets you to Snipes
Both options launch from our Perry Hotel & Marina dock on Stock Island. Snipes is private-charter only — no group tours run out here.
Your group only, full day at your pace. Tell us Snipes is the priority and we build the itinerary around tide timing. Half-day or full-day. Up to 6 standard, 8 by arrangement. From $1,195 half-day, $1,795 full-day.
See private charter →Captain picks the day's best backcountry stops based on tide and wind. Snipes is one of the three regular destinations on this trip — Mud Keys and Jewfish round out the loop. Half-day from $1,195.
See sandbar escape →Snipes Keys FAQ
Tell us your date and group size. We'll match it to the tide, pick the right stops, and have you on the water without the crowds.
Or email info@sixfinscharter.com with your date and group size.