Reviews: Saddlebunch Harbor

Reviews Summary

The reviews highlight a beautiful and accessible anchorage in the lower Keys, favored for its crystal clear shallow waters, ideal for paddleboarding and exploring mangroves. The anchorage offers good holding with depths around 11 feet past marker R8, but caution is advised as it quickly becomes shallow. Reviewers noted a pleasant experience with calm seas and picturesque views, although some experienced issues with bugs, particularly no-see-ums, when winds shifted.

Dinghy rides to nearby Geiger Marina for dining and essentials are recommended, though the WiFi connection is unreliable. The area is generally quiet, but boat wakes and occasional noise from nearby Naval Air Station Key West can be expected. Reviewers suggest anchoring closer to green markers for deeper drafts and noted the presence of a strong current. Overall, the anchorage is described as a peaceful stop with opportunities for fishing and enjoying the natural beauty of the surroundings.

Review for Saddlebunch Harbor

Reviewed by: Destination Adrift, SV Konstantina, on Jan 26, 2026
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 38'
Draft: 3.5'

Beautiful anchorage, one of our favorites in the lower Keys. Crystal clear shallow water on the sides of the channel, good paddleboarding! Deep enough water past R8 (we saw 11' total) but does get shallow quick. 3 mile dinghy ride out to some rocks/coral to fish but we didn't see much worth catching. Fun to explore the mangroves by paddleboard or dinghy. Decent protection in 10-15kts NE/E winds but we wouldn't stay in higher winds due to there not being much room to drag. Bugs of no breeze and the occasional wake from smaller passing boats.

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Review for Saddlebunch Harbor

Reviewed by: Clarke Prescott, Sea Por Favor, on May 24, 2025
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 42'
Draft: 5.0'

We stayed here two different nights on our way to Dry Tortugas. First night wind was from the east. Boat swung with the tide but breeze was good. Second night wind was from the north and we had a ton of no see'ums. Got out screens. Hot night.
Holding was good. We're 5' draft, plenty of depth. We anchored about 500' past R8. Quiet. Few locals. Be prepared before dusk for bugs if you don't have east wind. No place nearby to walk dogs so we used onboard "doggie park" (artificial grass up on the bow ).

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Review for Saddlebunch Harbor

Reviewed by: Richard Allen D.O., Okie pOkie, on May 5, 2025
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 48'
Draft: 6.0'

Attempted to anchor in center of deep portion noted on chart. Bottom is maybe 2 inches of sand covering hard coral bottom. Had to move on. Catamaran looked comfortable set in much swallower water next to mangroves.

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Review for Saddlebunch Harbor

Reviewed by: Wally & Coco on Feb 20, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 55'
Draft: 5.0'

Very easy in and out. Stay in the middle. Drop in 12' of water past R8. Fantastic view, calm seas with everything except SE, but even that would be fine due to the shallows outside the channel. Dinghy ride to Geiger's for restaurant and essentials.

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Review for Saddlebunch Harbor

Reviewed by: Cary Grossman, Orville, on Jan 13, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 42'
Draft: 5.0'

Stay closer to the green markers when entering the channel if your draft is 4'+ or you'll get grounded.

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Review for Saddlebunch Harbor

Reviewed by: Bill Mcmahon on Jan 9, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 40'
Draft: 3.5'

Easy entry from Hawk Channel. Water is 8' almost right up to of the mangroves east of "8", but gets shallow farther in, at the end of the mangroves. The crab pot buoys are a good indicator of the shallow areas.

Sand bottom. Anchor set right away.

Quit, peaceful, and picturesque. We saw a loggerhead sea turtle several times while we were there for about 24 hours.

Close to Naval Air Station Key West, so expect to see and hear fighter jets. Small boats travel the channel at full speed so expect some wakes too.

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Review for Saddlebunch Harbor

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz on Apr 6, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Beautiful easy to access anchorage from the Hawk Channel. Great place to stop before Key West. Mangroves are beautiful for kayaking. Dinghy to Geiger Marina and Restaurant for a typical good Keys meal. Fresh fish, burgers, etc. Fuel and ice also available. WiFi was picked up with extender but connection was not maintainable. Cel service was good for Verizon and Google Fi. Room for approximately 5 or so boats. Anchor near Mark. We were two 40 foot cats and a monohull came in after. It becomes very shallow as you head in further. A strong current 2-3 knots comes through. You’ll likely find yourself reversing with the current even in 15 knot winds. Great stars at night!

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