Ask at the boathouse where to swim and you will get an honest answer, which is not always the nearest beach. Our three boatmen have run this water for a combined ninety years, and between them they keep a mental map of coves that never appear on a chart.
The stretch of coast south of the key breaks into a series of small bays, most of them cut off by the mangrove line and reachable only from the water. That inaccessibility is exactly what keeps them quiet. Below are the seven we take guests to, roughly in the order we would recommend them.
Start with the shallow ones
If you have children, or you simply want to float rather than swim, the first three coves are barely two metres deep at their centre and sheltered on three sides. The water is warm by nine in the morning and the sand shelves so gently that you can walk out fifty metres before it reaches your shoulders.
The rule at the boathouse is simple: tell us what kind of morning you want, not which beach you want. We will pick the cove.
The reef shelf, and when to go
Two of the seven sit above a live reef shelf, which makes them the best snorkelling on this side of the key — and the most weather-dependent. On a flat morning the visibility runs to fifteen metres. On a day with any north in the wind, the boatmen will steer you elsewhere without being asked, and they are always right.
What to bring
- Reef-safe sunscreen only — the boathouse stocks it and will swap yours out
- Shoes you can get wet, for the two coves with a rock entry
- A hat: there is no shade on four of the seven beaches until mid-afternoon
- Nothing else. Water, fruit, towels and a cooler go on the boat as standard
Booking a run
Boats leave at 8:30 am and 2:00 pm, and there is no charge for resort guests. A private run outside those times is $180 for up to six people, including the boatman. Between May and October we skip the two northern coves entirely — they sit inside the turtle nesting corridor, which stays closed.
If you only have one morning, take the 8:30. The light is better, the water is flatter, and you will be back in time for a late breakfast at Verde.
