The 58 foot motorized catamaran: Reef Express offers speed, stability, and a great value all in one trip.  Daily departures at 9 am and 1 pm, (sunset & snorkel departures vary depending on the time of sunset) offer a 3-hour snorkel trip, which allows for snorkeling two locations on North America’s only living coral reef.  This boat was designed and built in the keys by Sonny Eymann to provide passengers with a comfortable, quick ride to the coral reef so passengers can enjoy almost two hours of snorkeling in a 3-hour trip.

The newest addition to the Sunny Days fleet is a 43 foot motorized catamaran: Cruzan Cat. This vessel also offers 3-hour snorkel trips that allow for snorkeling in two different locations on our reef.  With unique departure times at 11 am and 3 pm daily this allows our customers to enjoy a less crowded snorkel experience on a state of the art power cat.  This is a great boat for small groups and charters!

These special departure times allow for optimal reef viewing with less crowds!

Reef Express and Cruzan Cat provide a fast, comfortable ride out to the coral reef which is located about seven miles off the coast of Key West. We are able to go to two different reef locations during a three hour trip.

Prices:
Adults $38.00 + tax
Children (Ages 3-14) $22.00 + tax

Features of trip

Join our crew and let us show you North Americas only barrier reef!

Coral Reefs

Coral reefs are known as the rainforests of the oceans and are among the world’s most fragile and endangered ecosystems. These biologically diverse ecosystems are the largest living structure on the planet and have existed for over 200 million years.

Corals are made up of hundreds of thousands of living organisms called polyps. There are two types of corals, hard and soft. Brain and Elkhorn are types of hard corals and sea whips, sea fans, and sea rods are types of soft corals.

A few miles off of the Florida coast in the warm, clear and shallow waters of the Atlantic Ocean, is the world’s third largest barrier reef and the only living reef in North America.

Coral reefs cover less than one percent of the earth’s surface but are home to 25% of all marine life. More than 300 species of fish are commonly found at our coral reef. Beautifully colored tropical fish you might see include angelfish, blue tangs, sergeant majors and parrotfish. Other prevalent marine life that are seen include sting rays, lobsters, crabs, starfish and sea cucumbers.

Coral reefs face many threats both natural and man-made. Over development of shorelines can cause runoff that reduces water quality and prevents much needed sunlight from getting to the coral. It can also produce sedimentation that can smother the living organism. Sewage treatment plants and agricultural runoff can introduce bacteria and nutrients into the water that can encourage algae blooms. Reefs are also over exploited for fishing, recreation, and commercial enterprises.

The brightly colored corals and fish are collected for aquariums and jewelry. Natural forces such as hurricanes and climate change can also affect coral. The intense wave action during hurricanes can break fragile fringe corals such as stag horn and elk horn. Corals prefer water temperatures between 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Climate change can make the water either too hot or too cold for corals to survive.

While visiting our coral reefs here are some rules you should follow:

Back to Top