A FUN DAY ON THE WATER

Cape Romano and Keewaydin islands are very near Marco Island by boat. Boating around these islands while visiting Marco Island is a fun day on the water! If fears of operating a boat on the ocean and navigating the waters around Marco Island are holding you back, fear no more!

Before Leaving the Marina

Our group arrived at Dolphin Cove Marina https://www.boatrentalsofswfl.com on Bald Eagle Drive around 7:30 in the morning. Our boat was ready and waiting for us at the end of the dock. A member of the staff there provided us with instructions on operating the boat (a 21′ deck boat) and safety procedures while on the water. We were shown where life jackets were and given custom navigational charts showing the 2 locations we wanted visit. The navigational signs located in the Gulf were also explained and how to use them during our trip.

Cape Romano

We left the marina around 8 am and navigated toward Cape Romano and the Dome Homes. This took about 45 minutes, taking us past Tigertail Beach and South Beach. We went around the point of Cape Marco, past Dickmans Point and Kice Island before arriving at Cape Romano. We were able to get some fantastic pictures of the Dome Homes and docked at water’s edge of Cape Romano to walk the beach and do some shelling and sightseeing.

The Dome Homes at Cape Romano were built in 1979 by retired businessman Bob Lee from Gatlinburg, TN. He and his family lived there until 1992 when Hurricane Andrew destroyed the interior of the house. Since that time, erosion and Hurricane Irma in 2017 left the homes further from land and 2 of the 6 domes were underwater. In 2022, Hurricane Ian swept through the area. The dome homes are now completely underwater, but it is still a beautiful area to explore. Since we and our visitors are from the East Tennessee area, the now abandoned homes of Cape Romano hold a special interest for us.

Our group consisted of Larry and me, and a couple of our friends visiting Marco Island. Larry and I both had previous boating experience on a local lake around our home in Kingsport, TN, however Larry and I had not operated a boat on the ocean before.

Boating Experience

Once you learn to follow the navigational signs in the water and use the map provided by the marina, boating around Marco Island was fairly easy. It does help to have previous boating experience, but previous experience on the ocean is not required. Dolphin Cove Marina did a great job of explaining everything upfront. They also provided us telephone numbers to call if we needed assistance during our boating excursion.

Keewaydin Island

After leaving Cape Romano, our group boated to Keewaydin Island to the North of Marco Island. Keewaydin is an 8 mile barrier island that has no cars, roads, or bridges. The island is part of the pristine Rookery Bay Reserve. It is only accessible by boat, and is a popular boating destination, especially on weekends. Among the boaters there, you will also find snack boat concessions selling burgers, brats, hot dogs, drinks, and ice cream. Note: There are no bathroom facilities on the island. The waters around Keewaydin are crystal clear and beautiful.

A Fun Day of Boating The Barrier Islands

This was a fun day of boating the barrier islands of Keewaydin and Cape Romano for our group, and it is something I would definitely recommend to others. The boating was fun, the waters smooth and crystal clear, and the scenery beautiful. Renting a boat will no longer be something we hesitate to do because we know now that with the proper instruction, it is easy.