Hand-Fed and Heart-Pounding: Meeting the Tarpon of Robbie’s Marina

It was another beautiful Florida Keys kinda day: sunny, breezy, and a perfect 85 degrees. I pulled over in Key Largo to put the top down on my rented convertible. Driving with the top up just seems like a sin down here.

The wind was whipping my hair around, well, what I have left, anyway. I could feel the warmth of the sun as I headed south on US-1. Islamorada slipped by in a pastel silence, its bait shops and marinas blurring into the sun glare.

As I cruised down US-1, the salty air brought back memories of when I was a kid living in Key West.

Those were the days—I was a Navy brat lucky enough to call Key West home for four years. Growing up in Key West was a blessing. Those were times I will never forget. I left a little piece of my heart in Mallory Square when we moved away.

It All Started With One Fish

The big yellow sign for Robbie’s Marina appeared as I reached the start of the bridge. I couldn’t help but smile. I wasn’t heading there for the scenic boat rides. As a kid growing up in Key West, I’ve pretty much seen it all.

I wasn’t there for the charter fishing trips. Again, been there, done that. I was there to see the monsters that lurk under the docks at high tide.

In the 1970s, a Local Named Robbie Rescued an Injured Tarpon

In the 1970s, a local named Robbie rescued an injured tarpon, named it Scarface, and nursed it back to health. The fish returned, and so did hundreds more.

A Kid Will Be a Kid

I was drawn to the shoreline first. I guess it’s an old habit from growing up in the Keys. You’ll never know what you’ll find in the shallows.

It was always, and still is, fun to explore. A nurse shark was slowly scouting the shallows for its next meal. Probably looking for a tasty crab or some morsel from a previous fishing trip. Scraps.

A little farther down, a horseshoe crab meandered along, paying no attention to me or any of the other sea creatures in the shallows.

From Bait Shack to Bucket

I finished exploring the shoreline and turned my attention to the little shack on the dock. It was built well, the faded wood showing it had weathered the Keys’ fierce storms.

Inside the shack, a row of little buckets lined the counter. Each bucket held an offering for the monsters under the dock. Small bait fish, back in my day, we called them shiners.

The girl behind the counter was tan, thin and young. Probably her first summer job. I handed her some cash and glanced over my shoulder at the others on the dock.

Some were looking around, pointing at the birds and the boats that surrounded the dock, while others threw their tarpon morsels into the water. Each offering caused the water underneath to boil as the silver monsters all raced for the treat.

The Ominous Warning

I turned back to the girl behind the counter. She handed me my change, and I shoved it into my pocket.

As I turned towards the dock with bucket in hand, I heard her say, “Careful, they bite,” and held up her left hand. Her index finger curled down, as if to show she was missing a digit. I smiled and turned toward the dock. I knew what I was up against.

A few pelicans were standing off to the side. They eyed me like a pickpocket eyeing a distracted tourist. One careless glance away and my bounty would be gone.

With the offering in hand, I strolled down the dock to a spot less crowded with people and pelicans. Setting my bucket on the dock, I shot a side glance to make sure no feathered pickpockets were eyeing up my bounty.

Three Tries and a Leap

I grabbed the first fish by the tail, bent over the water, and held it about a foot from the surface. I could feel my breathing start to quicken with anticipation.

Under the surface, the silver monsters eyed the morsel. There was a flash, and I pulled the offering back as a small tarpon leaped out of the water. Strike one.

“Come on, Dan, it’s time to pull up your Spidey undies and show ‘em who’s boss,” I thought.

I leaned in closer to the water this time, probably hovering just six inches from the surface of the water. Suddenly, there was a flash of silver, and the offering was knocked out of my hand into the water. That was a freebie. Strike two.

I checked for feathered pickpockets again. Still clear. They were occupied by a couple of kids, probably brother and sister, feeding them their bucket of shiners. This was good for me, as I wasn’t paying close attention to feathered fiends.

I grabbed another shiner and leaned over the water. It didn’t take long.

Sandpaper Smile: The Moment of Contact

From underneath the surface, I saw a silver bullet beelining straight toward my hand. A flash of silver. The tarpon shot out of the water, mouth gaping wide enough to swallow a football, and in an instant, my arm disappeared up to my elbow.

His teeth scraped my arm as he fell back into the sea, “teeth” being a generous term. Tarpon doesn’t really have teeth per se; more like sandpaper, the kind used to hold their prey before swallowing it whole.

I’m not a marine biologist, nor do I play one on TV. I just have a bunch of useless information stored in my head, which makes me great at trivia games. And just like that, it was over, my arm still intact.

The rush of adrenaline gave way to laughter as I pounded the dock, grinning like a kid at Christmas. It was the coolest thing I’ve ever experienced, exactly what I’d hoped for.

Gentle Giants of Islamorada

The ocean is full of beautiful creatures—some scary, some not so much. The tarpon at Robbie’s fall into the gentle-giant category.

They hang out, bask in the sun, and do what they do best: eat. If you ever spot that big yellow Robbie’s sign along the Overseas Highway, stop and meet the silver giants yourself. Whether you feed them or simply watch, you’ll leave smiling, too.

If You Go

• Website: robbies.com
• Where: Robbie’s of Islamorada, 77522 Overseas Hwy, Islamorada, FL 33036 (Mile Marker 77.5 on the Overseas Highway).
• Hours: Open daily 7 a.m.–9 p.m. (check day-of for any changes).
• Cost to Feed Tarpon: $3 per bucket of bait fish (5–8 fish).
• Phone: (305) 664-8070 (booking office).
• On-Dock Tips: Keep your palm flat, watch the pelicans (they’re crafty!), and supervise kids near the edge.
• Wildlife Note: Tarpon have sandpaper-like mouths—no sharp teeth—but handle all wildlife respectfully. (FWC also requires large tarpon to remain in the water and discourages harmful handling.)
• When to Go: Early morning or late afternoon for milder sun and (often) lighter crowds.
• While You’re There: You can also explore the area from the water on the 1.5-Hour Waverunner Tour, a fun way to cruise through mangroves and discover the islands surrounding Islamorada.

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Author Bio: Dan Swords is a Chicago-based travel and lifestyle writer with a lifelong soft spot for the Florida Keys. He covers road trips, quirky stops, and coastal adventures. Connect with him on Instagram @thedanswords.

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