Frequently asked questions

A boat trip where you watch the reef through windows built into the hull, so you see coral and fish below without swimming. The Transparensea has 16 glass viewing windows and a guide who narrates what passes underneath.

No. You stay on board and dry the whole time. There is no swimming or snorkeling on any of our tours; you watch the reef through the glass.

Corals, sea fans, schools of tropical fish, eels and sea turtles are regulars. Guests have also seen sharks, rays, lobster and dolphins. It is a wild reef, so every trip is different.

About 4 miles offshore. The captain picks the spot with the best conditions that day, such as Cheeca Rocks, Alligator Reef or Caloosa Rocks.

Pick the day tour for bright colors and your first look at the reef, and the night tour to see what comes out after dark under the underwater lights. Plenty of guests do both and see different things each time. Compare the tours.

Yes. The Transparensea’s night reef tour starts with the sunset from the water, then lights up the reef after dark with underwater lights. As far as we know, it is the only night glass-bottom tour in Islamorada. About the night tour.

Yes. Our bayside and sunset cruise leaves in the late afternoon and spends about two hours on the calm Florida Bay side, looking for dolphins and manatees and catching the sunset on the way home. It is $50 for guests 5 and up, and kids under 5 ride free.

In the late afternoon, timed to the sunset, so the departure moves with the season. The booking calendar shows the exact time for your date. Check in at the kiosk on the waterfront dock 30 minutes before departure.

Both start with the sunset. The bayside and sunset cruise stays on calm Florida Bay, looks for dolphins and manatees, and is $50 for guests 5 and up. The night reef tour watches the sunset from the ocean side, then lights up the reef after dark; adults are $75, and it runs only when the reef is reachable. How the two sunset trips compare.

Yes. Every trip has a guide educated in marine science who narrates the whole way and answers questions.

Yes, bring a camera or phone. The viewing windows are right below you, so you can shoot straight down onto the reef.

About two hours on the water. FareHarbor lists the reef tours at 2 to 2.5 hours, and the booking calendar shows the exact length for your date.

Day and night reef tours: $75 for adults (18+), $60 for ages 5 to 17, and free for kids 4 and under. The bayside and sunset cruise is $50 for ages 5 and up, free under 5. Taxes and booking fees are added and shown at checkout before you pay.

Online through our booking partner FareHarbor, which shows live availability and handles payment. If you would rather talk to a person, call (305) 214-5277.

Cancel with at least 24 hours’ notice and we will give you a full refund or credit. If we cancel for weather or other unforeseen circumstances, you get a full refund or credit too. If weather moves your trip from the oceanside reef to the bayside, we call you first and offer the bayside trip or a full refund: guests who take the bayside trip get a partial refund of the difference, because Bayside Eco-tours are $50 per guest (ages 5 and up). No-shows are charged the full price. To cancel or ask about a cancellation, call us at (305) 214-5277.

No-shows are charged the full price, so if plans fall apart, call us at (305) 214-5277 and we will sort it out. One more thing worth knowing: every tour needs a minimum of 6 paying guests to run. If we have to cancel for that reason, it is covered by our cancellation policy, so you get a full refund or credit.

Yes. Gift cards are sold through our booking page: buy a gift card.

Yes, we offer private charters. Give us a call at (305) 214-5277 and tell us about your group, and we will set up a trip for your dates.

The captain makes the call based on real-time conditions. When weather moves your tour from the oceanside reef to the bayside, we contact you first and offer the bayside trip or a full refund. The bayside version is two hours in calm water looking for dolphins, manatees and wildlife in the mangroves, and because Bayside Eco-tours are $50 per guest (ages 5 and up), guests who take it get a partial refund of the difference. If we cancel for weather or other unforeseen circumstances instead, you get a full refund or credit. You never find out for the first time at the dock.

No. The night tour needs the reef, so on windy days it does not run and only the 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm bayside trips go out. If we cancel your trip for weather or any other unforeseen reason, that is a full refund or credit.

Much less likely than on most boats. The Transparensea is the only Seakeeper-stabilized glass-bottom boat in Florida. Seakeeper says its gyro eliminates up to 95% of boat roll at anchor, at drift and at low speeds, which is exactly when we are stopped over the reef. No boat can promise that nobody feels any motion, so if you are prone to seasickness, bring whatever usually works for you. How the Seakeeper works.

A gyro stabilizer mounted inside the boat. A flywheel spinning at up to 9,750 rpm in a vacuum-sealed sphere pushes back against the rocking motion waves cause, automatically and without anything hanging off the hull. Seakeeper rates it at up to 95% less roll at anchor, at drift and at low speeds.

Because you spend the tour looking down through the glass. On a boat that rolls, the view swings back and forth, which is hard on stomachs and makes the reef hard to follow. With the roll cut down, the reef stays in the frame, kids and grandparents can move around more easily, and photos come out sharper.

Yes, there is a clean restroom on board, down a set of stairs.

Never a full load. The Coast Guard certifies the Transparensea for 49 passengers, but we keep it to about 30 so everyone has room to move around and get to the glass.

Yes. The deck is open-air for the breeze, with full shade overhead.

Yes, you are welcome to bring your own snacks and drinks along. Soda and bottled water are also for sale on board.

Well-behaved animals are welcome aboard, as long as no other guests have an issue.

Boarding means walking down the dock and taking stairs to the boat, and whether those stairs go up or down depends on the tide. Our crew is glad to lend a steady hand getting on and off, but for everyone’s safety they cannot carry personal items or lift guests, so guests who need extra help are welcome to bring a companion. The restroom on board is also down a set of stairs. Our accessibility page has the full picture, and you can call us at (305) 214-5277 to talk it through before you book.

Yes. Kids can see the reef through the windows without swimming or snorkeling, and children 4 and under ride free. Our guides love questions from kids.

Yes, all ages are welcome on the night tour. Keep in mind it starts around sunset and runs about two hours, so think about bedtime for little ones.

At World Wide Sportsman Bayside Marina (at Bass Pro Shops), 81576 Overseas Highway, Islamorada, FL 33036. Park there and walk through the arches down to the waterfront dock, where there is a check-in kiosk. See directions and parking.

No. The Transparensea now departs from World Wide Sportsman Bayside Marina at 81576 Overseas Highway. Some older listings and reviews still mention Robbie’s, so please double-check the address before you drive.

Arrive with time to park and check in: our attendant is at the kiosk on the waterfront dock 30 minutes before departure, and boarding begins about 10 minutes before we leave.