Corey R.

I was thinking of going snorkeling off the wrecked fort on the south side of Egmont on sunday. I have never been to that side of the island, so I have a few questions as I want to play it safe.

- How deep is the water off of the reef? I only have a sand bag anchor. Looking at google maps, the water may be too deep for me to use this. I thought about anchoring off the beach and swimming out, but it looks a bit far.

- Is taking myself and my 105 lb Girlfriend out of ft desoto ramp to the south side of the island a doable trip with snorkel gear?

I dont want to attempt a trip or try to anchor up in rough water with improper gear. Would this trip be better using the buddy system? It seems like going by boat would be safer...

kevinhocky

Corey, I do this exact trip all the time. I leave from the Fort Desoto boat ramp and hang out at Egmont all day. The West side of the island usually has much rougher water due to winds out of the West. Water around the ruins is about 10 ft deep. I've never anchored the ski there. My wife and I usually take turns getting in the water while the other floats or circles on the ski. There are almost always other boats around so I've never felt unsafe, even with lots of chop. There are days, however, when no boats can be found on the west side of the island due to excessive winds/chop. On these high wind days I'd stick to east Egmont.

My parents are in town visiting this weekend. We'll be renting a boat this Saturday (8/1) from Frenchy's in St Pete Beach and heading down through Fort Desoto, eventually arriving at Egmont around 10:30 AM. It'll be a group of people on the boat, and I follow on my ski. You're more than welcome to meet up with us at Desoto and join in on the trip if you like.

-Kevin

-Kevin

Corey R.

That sounds great, but I have a a moving party and a separate house warming in Treasure Island on Saturday. That means I have to go out on sunday.

Do I need a dive flag? I think by law I need one. I do not have one.