Key Biscayne yacht charters anchor at the Nixon Sandbar — a chest-deep sand flat north of Cape Florida that's the social hub of Miami's boating scene every Saturday and Sunday. Most Key Biscayne charters depart from Coconut Grove (Bayshore Landing) or Miami Beach Marina and run 4–6 hours. Pricing starts from $650 for 4 hours; the sandbar itself is free to anchor at.
The Nixon Sandbar (a/k/a 'the sandbar') is a roughly 1-mile-long shallow flat between Key Biscayne and Stiltsville, named after Richard Nixon's Florida White House.
Water is 2–4 feet deep at low tide — perfect for stand-up, beer-in-hand wading. On weekends 200+ boats raft up; weekdays it's nearly empty. Best window is 11am–3pm at low tide.
South of the sandbar, Stiltsville is a cluster of 7 wooden stilt houses built on the flats in the 1930s–60s.
Now part of Biscayne National Park, the houses are protected and visit-only (you can't dock at them). Most Key Biscayne charters do a slow drive-by and a photo stop.
You want a yacht with a low swim platform and a tender or paddleboards — not a speedboat (anchoring overnight at the sandbar requires a vessel rated for it).
Our 50'–75' Sea Rays, Azimuts, and Lazzaras all fit the bill.
The sandbar headlines, but Key Biscayne carries a full day.
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park anchors the island's south tip with an 1825 lighthouse that photographs like the Caribbean, fronted by a calm, shallow stretch that's ideal for a second swim stop. No Name Harbor — a protected basin inside the park — is the classic lunch anchorage; boats drop the hook and guests swim or paddle in. West of the island, the flats run turquoise for miles and hold rays, nurse sharks, and the occasional manatee in the cooler months. A 6-hour charter comfortably links sandbar, lighthouse, and harbor into one loop.
Saturday and Sunday, the Nixon sandbar is a floating block party — 200+ boats, music, jet skis, the whole scene.
Tuesday at 1pm, you can have acres of chest-deep turquoise nearly to yourself. Neither is wrong; they're different products. Families and couples tend to book weekdays for the space; birthday and bachelorette groups book weekends for exactly the crowd the weekday guests avoid. If you want the middle path, Sunday mornings before noon are social without being packed.
Browse the fleet and pick the boat that fits your group.
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Your captain and crew handle the rest from the dock.
2550 S Bayshore Dr, Coconut Grove, FL 33133
300 Alton Rd, Miami Beach, FL 33139
68' · Galeon · 13 guests
From $4,750 · 4 hr
84' · Azimut · 12 guests
From $4,750 · 4 hr
68' · Azimut · 13 guests
From $3,900 · 4 hr
70' · Sunseeker · 13 guests
From $3,500 · 4 hr
43' · Midnight Express · 13 guests
From $3,250 · 4 hr
116' · Pershing · 13 guests
From $19,000 · 4 hr
Check live availability and lock your date in under 60 seconds.
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