Explore Egmont Key as part of four-hour boat tour

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - It’s easy to see Egmont Key from the shorelines of Fort DeSoto Park in Pinellas County or Bean Point Beach in Manatee County, but getting there just got easier. 

It takes about one hour to get from St. Pete Pier to Egmont Key aboard the Pelican, a 60-foot catamaran. 

The boat holds 49 passengers who spend two hours on the island and an hour traveling to and from the key. 

"We go three times a day. We take two trips to Egmont and then we do our sunset cruise from 7-10 p.m.," said Captain John Kavanagh. "We go all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico, watch the sunset in the Gulf and then we turn around and watch the Skyway light up."

"It’s incredible. Leaving here, you get to go through the bay ad see the dolphins. You get to see the Skyway. I think we’re the only boat that goes underneath the Skyway and it’s just an incredible bridge to see with the fishing piers and the old pilings and so much history there."

The Pelican is a 60-foot catamaran that offers a four-hour boat trip to Egmont Key. 

They sail to the island and dock on the land side or channel side of the island. 

"Once we get to Egmont, we take this 60-foot boat and put it right on the beach," said Kavanagh.

READ: USCG: 3 rescued from buoy after boat takes on water near Egmont Key

The passengers disembark down a gangplank into the sandy shores of Egmont Key. 

It takes about one hour to get to from the St. Pete Pier to Egmont Key aboard the Pelican, a 60-foot catamaran. 

"We stay, we don't leave, we're the only air-conditioned bathrooms on the beach," he said with a laugh.

READ: Fort De Soto’s ecosystem, history make it a ‘piece of paradise tucked away into suburbia’

Exploring the history and nature of the island becomes an adventure all on its own.

There are ruins to explore on Egmont Key. 

The lighthouse on Egmont Key is the oldest in the Gulf of Mexico. There are also ruins to explore and the history along the bayside. 

On the other side of the island sits the Gulf of Mexico. That’s where guests can go shelling on the beach or snorkel in the crystal clear water.

Egmont Key offers snorkeling in its crystal clear waters. 

There are also 1600 endangered tortoises on the island. Plus, half of it is a bird sanctuary that does not allow visitors. 

Kavanagh and his team can and do give advice on what to see there as Egmont Key has so much to offer; after two hours of exploring, visitors are back on board for a trip back to the pier.

"It's a great trip, we're in Florida but it feels like the Caribbean," admitted Kavanagh.

LINK: Learn more about the Pelican St. Pete boat tour here. 

LINK: Click here to learn more about Egmont Key.