Heavy sargassum is affecting the beach today. Water entry may be unpleasant in impacted areas. Ask locally for the cleanest available stretch.
Key West is the southernmost point of the continental US, surrounded by water on all sides. Its main beaches face south and southeast: the Gulf side stays calmer than the Atlantic side of the Keys.
Key West can still receive sargassum on Atlantic-facing and south-facing beaches when Gulf Stream and wind patterns push mats into the Keys. Smathers Beach, Higgs Beach, and Fort Zachary Taylor can differ day to day, so current local visibility matters more than the long-term low-risk baseline.
Key West was once the wealthiest city per capita in the United States: not from tourism, but from 'wrecking': the licensed, competitive salvage of ships that ran aground on the treacherous Florida Reef. Professional wreckers would race their boats to reach a stricken ship first, claiming the legal right to its cargo: a business that made Key West fortunes in the 19th century and funded the ornate Victorian mansions still standing on its streets. Ernest Hemingway lived in Key West through the 1930s, writing 'A Farewell to Arms' and 'To Have and Have Not' while deep-sea fishing these waters: his cats' descendants (with the famous six toes) still roam his home, now a museum.
"Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea: the LORD on high is mighty!": Psalm 93:4Live seaweed levels, surf, water quality and hotel deals — updated daily. Free.
View Live Conditions →