Can you go shark fishing in Key West?
Yes. Key West Fishing Deals runs private shark trips of three, four and six hours from $600 plus fuel, and Florida Straits, Blind Squirrel and Boa Vida offer shark trips too. Florida allows one shark per person and two per boat, protects 29 species, and requires circle hooks with natural bait. Most trips release everything.
Shark trips you can book out of Key West
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Key West Fishing Deals
4.8 Google · 1,019 reviews · read 4 October 2026
Private shark charters only, up to six: inshore 3 hours $600 + $50 fuel, reef 4 hours $800 + $100 fuel, offshore 6 hours $1,050 + $150 fuel; and a 4-hour evening shark-and-tarpon combo at $900, fuel included. It says every dedicated shark trip is catch and release, and only the crew handles sharks.
Departs: 1801 N Roosevelt Blvd Key West, FL 33040
Check availability -
Florida Straits Sportfishing
5.0 Google · 30 reviews · read 4 October 2026
A two-hour night tarpon and shark trip, and shark trips it describes as largely catch and release because many species are protected.
Departs: A&B Marina, Key West
Check availability -
Blind Squirrel - Key West Florida Fishing
4.7 Google · 53 reviews · read 4 October 2026
A sunset shark and tarpon trip and a shallow-water shark trip. No price published.
Departs: 1801 N Roosevelt Blvd, Charter Boat Row (light tackle section)
Check availability -
Boa Vida Charters
5.0 Google · 44 reviews · read 4 October 2026
Its four-hour half day, from $800, can be a shark or tarpon target trip.
Departs: Historic Charter Boat Row, Garrison Bight City Marina
Check availability
Google · 1,019 reviews · read 4 October 2026 Florida’s shark rules
Source: FWC shark rules.
- One shark per person per day, two per vessel, whatever the number aboard.
- 29 prohibited species must stay in the water with gills submerged, including great, scalloped and smooth hammerheads, tiger, lemon, sandbar, dusky, silky, oceanic whitetip, shortfin and longfin mako, and whale and white sharks.
- Harvestable sharks: a group with no minimum size (blacktip, bonnethead, Atlantic sharpnose and others) and a group with a 54-inch fork-length minimum (bull, nurse, spinner and others).
- Gear: non-offset, non-stainless-steel circle hooks when using natural bait, and a device that can quickly cut the leader or hook.
- Kept sharks stay whole, head, tail and fins attached, until landed.
- The shore-based shark permit is for shore anglers: FWC says it is not required when fishing from a vessel.
- Shortfin mako: federal retention is zero until further notice.
What a shark trip is like
Inshore trips work the flats and channels close to Key West; reef and offshore trips run further for bigger sharks. Expect to catch and release: Key West Fishing Deals releases every shark on its dedicated trips and does not let guests handle them. The evening combo trips pair sharks with tarpon in season; see night fishing.
Read for this page on 6 October 2026: FWC: sharks .
Check it at the source
- FWC — Recreational saltwater fishing regulations Current state size limits, bag limits and seasons, species by species. Link checked 6 September 2026
Shark fishing: questions
How much is a shark fishing trip in Key West?
Key West Fishing Deals charges $600 plus a $50 fuel surcharge for three hours inshore, $800 plus $100 for four hours on the reef, and $1,050 plus $150 for six hours offshore, private for up to six; its evening shark-and-tarpon combo is $900 with fuel included.
Can you keep a shark in Florida?
One per person and two per boat per day, if the species is not one of the 29 FWC protects and meets any size limit (54 inches fork length for the larger group). Hammerheads, tiger and lemon sharks may not be kept. Most Key West shark trips release everything.
Do I need a shark permit on a charter?
No. FWC’s shore-based shark fishing permit is for anglers fishing from shore; it says the permit is not required when fishing for sharks from a vessel.
Next step
Looking for fishing trips in the Florida Keys?
Fishing Trips Florida Keys is an independent guide — no boats, no bookings, nothing to sell. It exists so you can ask better questions before you hand an operator a deposit.
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