Honest Eco Tours — Attraction in Key West

The Honest Eco private charter experience was absolutely lovely. We were greeted by a friendly and professional crew who were eager to show us a good time. They listened intently to our goals for the day and we created a well thought out plan before we even left the dock.

Both the Captain (Andrew) and the Mate (Heather) were knowledgeable in the local ecosystem and were very forthcoming with fun facts and impressive ecological concepts. We appreciated being onboard with folks who clearly cared about the environment and were dedicated to its stewardship.

We we to the coral reef first. We had someone who had never snorkeled before and both Andrew and Heather were patient and supportive as we learned. Our goal for the trip was to get video and camera footage of the reef - we just weren't getting it so Andrew took our equipment and beautifully dove down for amazing shots! Andrew and Heather were both really attentive while we were getting in the water, snorkeling, and then getting out of the water. I always felt really safe.

On our way to the seagrass beds and mangrove forests, an ecosystem not often targeted for trips, we came across a pair of male dolphins. Andrew immediately slowed down and gave us a really educational brief about the local dolphin populations and how they are cared for and their typical daily behavior. I didn't know any of the information he shared! I learned something!

When we got to "The Back Country", we anchored and Heather took our crew on a paddleboard into the mangrove trees for some beautifully peaceful footage. Andrew stayed on the boat for a while and then got in with us to show us some spectacular sites. Seagrasses and sponge flats that were absolutely stunning. If you get the chance and you have the personal buoyancy to sneak quietly into the water next to mangrove roots, I highly recommend going and going with Honest Eco - it was stunning.

The customer service was top notch, there was fresh fruit and water onboard for us to enjoy - the crew was SO friendly and I learned so much. In a destination town where folks just want to dump as many people in the water as they can so they can get paid more - I appreciated the time and attention that Honest Eco took in order to teach out about the environment that we were in and to properly show us how to enjoy it safely and respectfully.

I can't say enough great things about...

I wanted to snorkeling and sail while visiting Key west for the first time in many years. I chose this tour and this operator because it offered both options without adding a lot of other activities I didn't want.

The boat is clean and well kept with plenty of space to move around and a variety of places to sit. There was room for everyone if you don't mind getting to know people. Two tour operators were professional and entertaining.

They offered a tray of fresh vegetables and had cold water for everyone. The snorkeling gear was well maintained and worked well. We had plenty of time to enjoy the view on the ride to the reef, all the time we wanted to snorkeling over a patch reef. I saw huge rainbow parrot fish, swam through schools of tiny fish, saw soft and hard corals, and caught my breath as a giant oceanic gray manta ray glided under me. The barracuda didn't bother me but did show up too.

We gathered back on the boat and moved to an underwater sandbar and explored the creatures that lived on it. There were a few other boats nearby, but no big crowds of people. The boat guys explained everything before we got to each location and made the experience fun for everyone. One engaging child had lots of questions for Andrew, the captain, and he taught her how to move the tiller to control the direction we were traveling. He also kept a watchful eye on the environment and made sure we didn't go into any problem areas.

The wind was favorable for a sail so we got to sail for a little while once we were back in the harbor, which made up for the haze on the horizon that obscured the final part of the sunset.

We had fun closely buzzing the crowds along Mallory Square on the way back to the dock. This was a well-run tour by good tour guides, and I learned a lot while really enjoying myself. I even met different crew member the next day at the NOAA research center on Truman Annex and shared more stories about this adventure.

Thanks for a great 4 hour...

I am in the environmental field and value responsible eco friendly tours and they delivered. All the staff was so friendly- not to mention the fruit provided was delicious. I want to give an extra special shout out because I became sick during the excursion (not their fault, I have issues with vertigo/dizziness) and they were very attentive and nice about it. I had trouble snorkeling due to seasickness and one of the guides Andrew literally got in the water and took me over to see a turtle and made sure to take me out further to the reef so I could see it. I have studied turtles so that meant a lot to me. Heather and Sam were the other guides and they were awesome and so kind too. Sam made sure to get pics of us on the boat which was appreciated! Heather was great about checking in with me and was a great guide through the mangroves, informing us of wildlife like the subspecies of White Heron which is only found in the Keys, amazing to learn as a birder. The sunset was BEAUTIFUL from the boat. They all knew so much about the ecosystem and were incredibly friendly, and even recognized us when we ran into them later on the island; Heather even helped suggest vertigo friendly snorkel places for me closer to shore when I asked. Andrew also mentioned it's the last family owned tours in Key West which is awesome and made me feel good to support. Highly recommend tipping when you check out online like we did because the team is so great. I hope these three get props for how awesome they are! I would love...