The best overall time to boat Biscayne Bay around Key Biscayne is winter into early spring, when local weather is normally mild and dry. Occasional fronts can still bring wind, so the day’s marine forecast matters. Summer brings hot, humid conditions and scattered afternoon thunderstorms, while average water temperatures at Virginia Key rise from the low 70s in winter to the upper 80s in July and August. Because Biscayne Bay’s high- and low-tide times vary by location, check the Miami Harbor entrance prediction and the National Park Service’s local tide differences before using shallow routes.

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (ncei.noaa.gov)

From Key Biscayne, boaters can launch at Crandon Park Marina and choose Biscayne Bay, No Name Harbor, Bear Cut or the Atlantic off Cape Florida. Biscayne Bay is shallow in many places and dotted with shoals, so marked routes matter. No Name Harbor at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park is an anchoring stop with a seawall and pump-out. Bear Cut passes beneath the Rickenbacker Causeway by Virginia Key. For open ocean boating, Biscayne Channel is the marked connection through the shoals at Cape Florida; NOAA notes that the channel itself has shoaled.

Source: Miami-Dade County Parks (miamidade.gov)

Boaters from Key Biscayne head onto Biscayne Bay for Nixon Beach Sandbar, where shallow water makes it a popular swimming and tie-up stop; No Name Harbor in Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, for anchoring and waterfront dining; Stiltsville, for a cruise past its colorful stilt houses; and Boca Chita Key in Biscayne National Park, where boats can tie to the harbor bulkhead and visitors can walk to the ornamental lighthouse and island trail.

Source: Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (miamiandbeaches.com)

Florida does not issue a boating license, but operators born on or after January 1, 1988, must carry photo ID and a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission boating education card when running a vessel with a motor of 10 horsepower or more. This includes personal watercraft. There is no general minimum age for boats; personal watercraft operators must be at least 14, and no one under 18 may rent any vessel other than a human powered one. Exemptions include Coast Guard licensed masters, private lake or pond operators, operators accompanied aboard by someone 18 or older who holds the card or is exempt and is responsible for the vessel, and nonresidents with proof of a NASBLA-approved out of state course. Any non exempt operator may instead pass an FWC approved temporary certificate exam and carry that certificate with photo ID for 90 days.

Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (myfwc.com)

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission rules require boaters to carry life jackets, stay sober, use properly registered vessels, follow personal watercraft limits, and obey posted no wake and manatee zones. Every vessel must carry an accessible U.S. Coast Guard approved wearable life jacket for each person; children under 6 must wear one while underway on vessels under 26 feet. Operating while impaired is illegal; a .08 blood or breath alcohol level creates a presumption of impairment. Most vessels must be registered and carry the certificate aboard. Personal watercraft operators must be at least 14, wear a noninflatable PFD, and not operate from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise.

Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (myfwc.com)

Florida law requires you to be at least 18 to rent a livery vessel other than a human-powered vessel. Florida sets no general minimum age to operate a boat, but a personal watercraft operator must be at least 14.

Under section 327.395, anyone born on or after January 1, 1988, operating a vessel powered by 10 horsepower or more must carry the required boating safety credentials. An exemption applies when accompanied by a credentialed or exempt person age 18 or older who is attendant to the operation and responsible for safe operation and violations. The rental operator sets its own booking minimum subject to state law, so confirm it when booking.

Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (myfwc.com)

Alongside the marinas on this page, Key Biscayne has 6 boat rentals and 6 boat clubs.