Beautiful Geiger Key Kayaking Tour – the Quite Side of the Florida Keys

Being avid kayakers, we welcome getting to join a guided kayak tour, and kayaking at Geiger Key is a really cool tour to check out. Geiger Key is just before Key West on the Overseas Highway, so it’s not tricky to get to and being set apart from the development of Key West, it feels like it’s a world away. Spending time on the water with a naturalist is always great too. Geiger Key Paddle Hut does a great job.

Have you gotten to do the kayaking tour at Geiger Key? Add it to your list of things to do in Key West if you’re into Florida Keys wildlife or just love kayaking. Navigating these quiet waterways is pretty cool. We’ve got the full scoop on this great tour from Geiger Key Paddle Hut and can answer any questions you might have. Leave a comment or send us a note if you want to know anything else!

Highlights of Geiger Key Kayaking

You know I love getting to see wildlife up close, whether that be during a Florida Keys birdwatching trip or if I’m snorkeling. Doing the Paddle Hut’s Geiger Key kayaking tour was a combination of both of these things paired with a beautiful paddle trip. We saw so many cool birds, sharks, dolphins upside down jellyfish and even huge conchs, all from our kayaks. The sheltered and shallow waters around Geiger Key are a quiet refuge that marine life loves, so this makes being on the water much more exciting than you might expect at first glance.

A highlight of being out on the Geiger Key kayak tour with Geiger Key Paddle Hut was having a very passionate naturalist for our guide. With many years’ experience paddling and guiding on the waters of the Florida Keys, our guide was full of both wildlife info and Florida Keys history. He made the paddling time during the stretches of calm water between points of interest really fly by with his stories. And then his eye for wildlife and being able to spot bird deep in the mangroves and sharks in the shallows from 50 yards away was amazing. He made our Geiger Key kayaking tour unforgettable, and it was great for the kids too.

Tips for a Great Guided Kayak Trip at Geiger Key

Kayaking in the Florida Keys is always fun, but it can also a lesson in proper sun protection. When you’re doing the Geiger Key kayaking tour or if you’re going out on your own, it may look like you have lots of shady mangrove for coverage during your paddle. That’s not the case though. While there are some, the area around Geiger Key isn’t full of mangrove tunnels in the way that Curry Hammock State Park in the Middle Keys is or John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park up on Key Largo is, but there are mangroves to kayak around. You need to put on your reef-safe sunblock in advance and pay attention to how your skin is feeling throughout your time on the water. Remember that being on the water doubles your sun exposure due to the reflecting sunlight.

Something else to keep in mind when your kayaking at Geiger Key, and if you’re doing the guided tour your guide will help keep this in mind, is that animals are wild here. Yes, you will likely see sharks, but they’re more afraid of you and will likely swim off before they are a danger to you. Also, it’s mostly nurse sharks that you see in this area, so when you’re kayaking and see a shark, if you’re not familiar with the species, ask your guide to tell you about them. They’re the puppy dogs of the Florida Keys shark species, so they’re nothing to worry about.

Other wildlife to keep a safe distance from includes bottlenose dolphins (they’re fun but strong) and manatees. If you see a manatee when you’re kayaking with Geiger Key Paddle Hut, follow the instructions they give you regarding space and keeping away from them. I’ve accidentally bumped into a manatee while kayaking and it’s terrifying. They can lift your boat with their bodies very easily.

Being Prepared for Geiger Key Kayaking

Kayaking in the Florida Keys is a great opportunity to get up close to some beautiful wildlife, but also being on the water and in a continual sunlight exposure sometimes doesn’t work out well for DSLRs or other large cameras. The Florida Keys in summertime can be very hot and humid, and it was actually on this specific guided kayaking that my camera overheated and stopped working.

Yes, I kept it shaded and safe from water, but because Geiger Key isn’t breezy like the waters on the other side of Key West, this is a warmer area for paddling. If you’re going out with Geiger Key Paddle Hut when it’s not absolutely blazing hot, you may have great success with a good camera and a nice telephoto, but if it’s 90 degrees or hotter on land, you may not be able to use your camera on the water after a while. I think bringing a simple camera that you can easily keep shaded, such as a cell phone in a waterproof case or a small Olympus is a good idea. You’ll want to get good photos during your Geiger Key kayaking tour, but don’t sacrifice your expensive gear for them.

Also, I recommend a very light long-sleeved shirt and very light, breathable pants for kayaking in the Florida Keys. Reef-safe sunblock is the other option if you don’t want to fully cover up, but either way, be thoughtful about protecting your skin. And DON’T forget a brimmed hat to shade your face a bit. When it comes to sunglasses for kayaking in the Florida Keys, you can’t go wrong with a good pair of polarized glasses. These help see the turtles, sharks and other marine life by lessening the glare off the water. I think they’re a good investment.

Parking for Kayaking at Geiger Key

There is plenty of parking at the Geiger Key Marina where the Paddle Hut goes from for their kayak tours. When you get off the water, there is a full restaurant with awesome seating right here, so you’ll be able to have a meal and a beverage to cool off after your paddling trip. This is a wonderful spot and you will probably want to come back on your own someday after you’ve done the kayaking tour of Geiger Key.