I have heard horror stories and seen pics of the things that go on at the sandbar off of Holiday Isle in Islamorada, i.e., naked drunk people having sex in public. Does this type of stuff go on all the time or just during "bartenders week"? I was wondering because the sandbar sounds like a great way to spend the day, but, I don't think I want to swim around in pubes. Ha! Ha! Seriously though, I keep reading that it is an activity for "families". Is it really?

Freddie-I would hope the local harbor patrol or Coast Guard/Auxiliary would keep a tight rein on the drunken revelery at the sandbar not only because drunken boating is illegal but some idiot could damage the reef or seagrass...

Holiday Isle is famous for partying, partying and more partying. It's wildly popular with college kids and other young folks. I wouldn't consider taking a family there. I'm not familiar with their "sandbar" but all the sand in the keys has been imported, so if you're looking for a beach vacation you should look further.

While technically not a beach, the sandbar is treated as such. It is only a mile or so off of the Holiday Isle Resort (in the ocean) The sandbar is very crowded on the weekends and during the week plays hosts to those who like their swimming au natural.

Thanks for all the info. Do they import the sand to make the flats and sandbars that are miles off of the islands too? buckeyemom, I have been doing a little research about the things that go on down at the sandbar and I see that someone was arrested for stealing someone else's wallet while there. Also, there was a drunken boater accident in which one of the boaters was killed. Maybe after they see what types of things are going on there, they will keep a tighter rein on the drunks!

I would think it is natural sand and forms a sandbar because of the tides etc. That really is terrible about the boating accident, alcohol, sun and boating just don't mix. The Coast Guard is strapped as it is with border patrols, search and rescue and enforcing safety. Too bad people can't show a little restraint.

I have anchored off that very sandbar many times and have not seen any naked people. I'm not saying it doesn't exist but just haven't seen it. By the way, the sandbar is at least a mile offshore and you have to have a boat to get there. People from the shore cannot see it. There is no seagrass or reefs near it so you can't damage it. Also, it is totally submerged and the shallowest the water gets is about two feet. Mostly what I have seen are families, couples, and dogs paddling around. On the weekends, there is a houseboat that is a restaurant that anchors out and serves food and beer.

Thanks GoTravel. I found the pics that I was talking about on Webshots.com. I went there just to see if there were pics of it and came across those. I'm glad to hear that it's not like that all the time. Thanks for the info.

Forgot to add, it isn't just the Coast Guard that patrols the water in the keys. The local police, Monroe County Police, Wildlife, and numerous other agencies are out there patroling also. There are very stiff fines for damaging seagrass, something like $50 per square foot.

My 12 y.o. son and I paddled out in a tandem kayak to the sandbar from the marina there (I believe it's Bud and Mary's) late one evening. There were only a couple of boats still out there. On one side of the channel, the sandbar was exposed (sand not really like beach sand, but shelly, weedy and a bit sticky in places). The other side of the cannel was just shallow water -- that is where the few motor boats were anchored. We saw no nakey bodies floating around, but did catch a wonderful sunset on our way back (paddled back into the sunset)! Earlier in the day, that same day, you could see a crowd of HUNDREDS of boats out there (as seen from HOG HEAVEN or the marina out on the horizon). So much boat traffic at midday that we even heard the fishing boat captains complaining about it on the docks (we were there at the docks to see what the deep sea fishing charters were bringing in - a fun diversion just looking). The captains seem to think that with so many boats there at the channel, it was dangerous to navigate -- like driving through a BUSY parking lot. Anyway, I'd surely go out to the sandbar again, but again would choose to do so in the evening. Next trip, we want to paddle out to Indian Key from Indian Key fill.