Watch the Full Moon Rise & Sun Set from the Middle of Tampa Bay on Shell Key

Watch the Full Moon Rise and Sunset from the middle of Tampa Bay

Get ready for a three hour tour of Shell Key and watch the full moon rise and the sun set from the middle of Tampa Bay. Peter Clark, President of Tampa Bay Watch, and Jeff Donald, FCCP Director, have been talking about doing this trip for several years and the time is finally right.

We'll meet at TBW facility around 5:30 PM, near the entrance to Fort De Soto and catch a ride to Shell Key. Peter will be at the helm of their 25 passenger pontoon boat. After a brief 10 to 15 minute ride to the Shell Key, we'll explore the key with the aid of one of their naturalists.

Around 7:30 PM the moon will rise behind one of the bay bridges and about 20 minutes later the sun will set in the Gulf. Weather permitting, this should be an extraordinary sight. The bright evening sky will make photographing the moon easier. A tripod is recommended, but not mandatory. Here is a map of the bay from Shell Key with lines for sunrise, moonrise, etc.

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Around 8:30 PM we'll make the return trip to TBW and then their will be an optional meet at Billy's Seafood on Tierra Verde.

The cost for the trip is just $30 and it includes a membership in one of TBW's environmental programs. More details on this as we get closer, but we think it is their sea grass planting program.

We are limited to just 20 people because of the size of the pontoon boat. More details and car pooling information will be announced as we get closer to the date.