KEY WEST, MARATHON AND THE FLORIDA KEYS

Florida Keys: boating safety

Last verified:

The Florida Keys are a chain of islands running south-west from Key Largo to Key West, with the reef tract and Hawk Channel on the Atlantic side and Florida Bay and the Gulf on the other. Key West and Marathon (Boot Key Harbor) are the main cruising bases. Nearly all surrounding waters are in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

LIFE IN DANGER AT SEA
Call 911
Call Coast Guard Sector Key West on 911. On the radio: MAYDAY on VHF 16, or DSC on channel 70.

United States: all rescue numbers → On the rescue map → Print an emergency card →

Harbour and marinas

US Coast Guard Sector Key West is at 100 Trumbo Road, Key West, and has a 24-hour command centre.

US Coast Guard Atlantic Area ▾
web.archive.org (2026-10-14): “USCG SECTOR KEY WEST 100 TRUMBO ROAD KEY WEST, FL 33040-6655 (305) 292-8779 24-hour command center: 888-245-9727”

Boot Key Harbor City Marina in Marathon asks boats to hail it on VHF 16; the office is open 8:00 to 17:30 every day. In Key West, City Marina at Garrison Bight has transient slips and a 149-ball mooring field.

City of Marathon · City of Key West (City Marina at Garrison Bight) ▾
ci.marathon.fl.us (2026-10-14): “Phone: (305) 289-8877 Email: marina@ci.marathon.fl.us Hours Monday thru Sunday 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM Hail us on VHF 16”
citymarinakeywest.com (2026-10-14): “City Marina has slips available for live-aboard, recreational and transient customers along with our 149-ball Mooring Field.”

Weather

NWS Key West broadcasts NOAA Weather Radio on 162.400 MHz (Key West to Marathon) and 162.450 MHz (Grassy Key to Key Largo), 24 hours a day.

National Weather Service Key West ▾
weather.gov (2026-10-14): “These stations operate on 162.400 MHz (serving the Keys from Key West through Marathon) and 162.450 MHz (serving the Keys from Grassy Key through Key Largo).”

Local rules

Across the whole sanctuary you must not anchor on living coral, and you must keep to 4 knots and no wake within 100 yards of residential shorelines, stationary boats and reef markers (except in marked channels).

NOAA Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary · NOAA Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary ▾
floridakeys.noaa.gov (2026-10-14): “Except in officially marked channels, operating a vessel at more than 4.6 miles per hour (4 knots)/no wake within 300 feet (100 yards) of residential shorelines, stationary vessels, or navigational aids marking reefs”
floridakeys.noaa.gov (2026-10-14): “Having a vessel anchored on living coral”

No sewage (treated or untreated) or trash may be discharged anywhere in the sanctuary. Use pump-outs.

NOAA Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary ▾
floridakeys.noaa.gov (2026-10-14): “Discharging or depositing treated or untreated sewage from marine sanitation devices, trash, and other materials”

Sanctuary Preservation Areas and conservation areas are marked by 30-inch round yellow buoys. Use a mooring buoy instead of anchoring whenever one is available.

NOAA Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary · eCFR, 15 CFR 922 Subpart P ▾
floridakeys.noaa.gov (2026-10-14): “Sanctuary preservation areas and conservation areas are marked by 30-inch round yellow buoys.”
ecfr.gov (2026-10-14): “Except in the Tortugas Ecological Reserve where mooring buoys must be used, anchoring instead of mooring when a mooring buoy is available or anchoring in other than a designated anchoring area when such areas have been designated and are available.”

Hazards

Much of the Keys is shallow seagrass and coral. Running a boat into coral or seagrass, including leaving prop scars, is an offence, so stay in marked channels and watch the depth.

eCFR, 15 CFR 922 Subpart P ▾
ecfr.gov (2026-10-14): “Operating a vessel in such a manner as to strike or otherwise injure coral, seagrass, or any other immobile organism attached to the seabed, including, but not limited to, operating a vessel in such a manner as to cause prop-scarring.”

Hospital and medical

Lower Keys Medical Center in Key West has an emergency department. In Marathon, Fishermen's Community Hospital has an emergency room open 24 hours a day, every day.

Lower Keys Medical Center · Baptist Health (Fishermen's Community Hospital) ▾
lkmc.com (2026-10-14): “The emergency medicine team at Lower Keys Medical Center provides care to patients in Key West and surrounding areas when they need it most.”
web.archive.org (2026-10-14): “Our Emergency Room is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — including weekends and holidays”

Arriving from abroad

Boats arriving from abroad must report to CBP: in person at a CBP office or by the free CBP ROAM app. The Key West CBP office is at 301 Simonton Street, open 8:00 to 16:00 on weekdays.

US Customs and Border Protection · US Customs and Border Protection · US Customs and Border Protection ▾
cbp.gov (2026-10-14): “The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) requires boaters returning to the U.S. from foreign to report to a designated CBP office for a face-to-face inspection, unless they are enrolled in an alternative inspection program allowing reporting by app or phone.”
cbp.gov (2026-10-14): “CBP ROAM™ is a free mobile application for pleasure boaters to report their U.S. entry to CBP via their smart phone or tablet.”
cbp.gov (2026-10-14): “Key West Address: 301 Simonton Street, Suite 201, Key West, FL 33040 Hours of Operation: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday - Friday”

Frequently asked

Who do I call in an emergency at sea near Florida Keys?

Call Coast Guard Sector Key West on 911. On the radio: MAYDAY on VHF channel 16, or a DSC distress alert on channel 70.

How do I contact the harbour in Florida Keys?

US Coast Guard Sector Key West is at 100 Trumbo Road, Key West, and has a 24-hour command centre.

Where do I get the marine forecast for Florida Keys?

NWS Key West broadcasts NOAA Weather Radio on 162.400 MHz (Key West to Marathon) and 162.450 MHz (Grassy Key to Key Largo), 24 hours a day.

Read before you sail

Ran aground? What to doCold water shock and hypothermia: what to doPerson overboard: what to doEngine failure: what to do when you lose power

Nearby destinations

Miami and Biscayne Bay 112 nmNassau & the Exumas 245 nmCancún / Riviera Maya 341 nmAnnapolis and Chesapeake Bay 909 nmSan Blas / Guna Yala 914 nmFajardo 979 nmSt. Thomas and St. John St. George's, Bermuda Bermuda

Local rules change. Spotted something out of date? support@vesselsos.com