Peanut Island In West Palm Beach, Florida - Boating, Snorkeling, Camping & Nuclear Shelter

PEANUT ISLAND

Outstanding Facilities, Great Location And A Variety Of Fun Things To Do Make Peanut Island The Best Place To Boat In Palm Beach County.

Pictures

Location: Just north of the Lake Worth/Palm Beach Inlet, just south of the Blue Heron Bridge.

Photos: Peanut Island Fun!

Photos: More Peanut Island Fun

Peanut Island is the obvious choice for the Palm Beach County�s top boating destination. It has a dock, anchorage, designated swimming area, snorkeling, sandbars, picnic areas, restrooms, showers, camping, footpath, museum and presidential nuclear bomb shelter. On an incoming tide the nearby Lake Worth Inlet floods the area with crystal clear blue water. Nearby are the famous homes of Palm Beach and the large ships at the Port Of Palm Beach.

Photos: Peanut Island Fun Sights

Photos: Snorkeling Reef

Photos: Palm Beach Inlet

Photos: Palm Beach Princess

Nearby Boat Ramps

Peanut Island is manmade. It�s a big pile of dredged sand created over the past 80 years. It got its name from a peanut oil shipping terminal that at one time was to be built there. The county has done an excellent job turning Peanut Island from a seedy hangout into a beautiful and enjoyable place for everyone. The facilities are second to none. Click here to see pictures of the fun that awaits on Peanut Island.

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PEANUT ISLAND'S EAST SIDE: The main facilities are located on Peanut Island�s east side. This is just across the channel from Sailfish Marina. The island�s dock, restrooms, public phone, drinking fountains, picnic area and developed campground are all located here. There are sandbars in the area so be careful when crossing from the channel over to the dock.
All of the dock spaces are free and open for day use by the public. They�re �first come, first serve.� Overnight the dock can only be used by people using the paid campsites. Note that the current is especially strong at the dock. It�s tough to tie-up on an incoming or outgoing tide! There is an anchorage just south of the docks. Many times it is easier just to anchor and swim in than to use the dock. The paid campsites are wonderful (they�re available through the county.) There is some good snorkeling in the swimming area and around the dock.

More Information

Camping On Peanut Island

Peanut Island FAQ

Peanut Island Information

Snorkeling At Peanut Island

Kennedy Bomb Shelter Tour

Museum On Peanut Island

Area Water Taxi

Area Kayak Tours

NORTHERN SANDBAR: The area north of Peanut Island and South of the Blue Heron Bridge is very shallow. It's a popular sandbar during low tide.
Local knowledge: The sandbar is huge. You can walk from Peanut Island north to within a few hundred feet of the Blue Heron Bridge. The sandbar is made up of clean white sand. There is a large submerged dingy that can be seen at lowest tide. I have found conchs while snorkeling here. Watch the current� people have drowned here after getting caught in it. Obviously, watch for shallow water on approach.

NORTH AND WEST SIDES: Many boaters will beach here or anchor just off shore. Watch for shallow water when approaching! The west side affords good views of the Riviera Beach Marina, Palm Beach Princess gambling cruise ship, Cracker Boy �Do It Yourself� Boat Works and the Port Of Palm Beach. There�s plenty of interesting action to watch. There are restrooms and outside showers located on the west side. Boaters can use Peanut Island's west side dock.

SOUTH SIDE: This area is home to the old Coast Guard station (located here for decades before morning to Lake Park.). The New England style building is now occupied by the Palm Beach Sheriff�s Office. It operated as a Coast Guard station from 1936-1995. The station moved to shore at nearby Lake Park. It currently handles 500 search and rescue missions each year, saving 600 people and $12 million in property. It also handles 300 law enforcement cases each year ranting from marine violations to imigrant smugging to drug interdiction.
Next door is the Palm Beach Maritime Museum and the Kennedy-era nuclear bomb shelter (built for the President whose family compound was on nearby Palm Beach.) It�s the quietest part of the island and a great place to anchor near the beach. In the works are a shallow water reef and lagoon (near the old Coast Guard station.)
Also on Peanut Island's south side is snorkeling lagoon.

Palm Beach Maritime Museum: (Palm Beach) The Palm Beach Maritime Museum (PBMM) emphasizes maritime topics of Florida and the Caribbean Basin through a variety of educational programs, collections and interactive exhibits. The Museum is located in the historic Coast Guard buildings, docks, and President Kennedy Bunker on Peanut Island as well as in a "preview" building in Currie Park in West Palm Beach.

FOOD: There are no concession services on Peanut Island. There is a nice ship's store at Sailfish Marina (directly to the east) that sells drinks and sandwiches.
On weekends a converted houseboat sells pizza on Peanut Island's north side. Sometimes the restaurant will send a dingy to the west side and deliever food right to you.
For a causal sit-down meal, tie off at Riviera Beach Marina directly to the west. They have an informal restaurant/bar.

Nearby Anchorages: South of the Blue Heron Bridge, near Red Day Mark 40. There are two anchorages. One is south of the bridge west of the channel. The other is south of the bridge, east of the channel and east of Peanut Island. Many boats are anchored in these areas.

VISITOR ALERT: There appears to be problem with Peanut Island visitors receiving unfair parking tickets. Problems happen inside Phil Foster Park (just east of the Blue Heron Bridge) and outside the park along Blue Heron Blvd. Parking restrictions are not well marked in these areas. Law abiding visitors are parking in areas they believe are proper, then returning from Peanut Island to find they have received an unusually expensive parking ticket.
The mysterious lack of parking regulation signs and zeal for writing tickets appear to go beyond normal law enforcement. It suggests that the parking tickets are seen as a source of revenue.