Double Headed Shot Cays

After leaving Cuba we spent a few nights here, luckily in settled weather as there are no anchorages as such.  I suppose it was really naive to think that a place only 55 NM away from the Florida Keys would be unvisited by fast sports fishing boats, while we were there only four or five came in and anchored in our little bay, of which two stayed the night.  It seems to be visited mostly at the weekends.

We anchored under the ruined lighthouse at N23¤ 57.34 W80¤ 26.65 in 7m on white sand, good holding. 

We dinghied north east and south west into various small bays and also round the bottom and up the inside coast. Snorkeling was excellent everywhere we went. Beautiful clear water, many fish including large parrot fish, all relatively tame. We did not see any lobsters. We had a large barracuda who took up residence near our boarding ladder but he did not bother us and we did not bother him!

There is a cave in the lighthouse bay you can snorkel into and the remains of a wreck marked by 2 polystyrene floats.

The old light house is well constructed and still standing, you can go ashore by dinghy in the next small bay. The lighthouse structure seems solid enough, but all the ironwork, central pillar for the spiral staircase, doorframes etc. have rotted away. We did not venture far inside!

While we were there there were a great many birds nesting and sitting on eggs, they were very brave and some did not move as we passed them. We tried not to disturb them.

Go to The Dry Tortugas and Cuba in 2003