Sea Base Brinton Environmental Center, Pine Key, FL - Site Map, Check-in Process - Everything You Need To Know!

If you've got an upcoming trip to Sea Base Brinton Environmental Center (BEC) Pine Key, FL planned, you may be curious as to what to expect when you arrive . What does it look like? What's the layout How does it work? This page provides a walk through tour of the camp as you arrive for your Sea Base adventure with a layout locations map and photos to give you a better idea what to expect.

Here is a map and layout of the base and the various stations and locations you will need to know.

Arrival at Sea Base Brinton Environmental Center (BEC) Pine Key, FL

You may arrive at Sea Base in a car, a small van or even a large bus. Commonly, you get dropped off in the front parking area (6) near the program office (1). But you may have to park further down. First, your leader needs to meet with your mate, get your dorm assignments and begin the check-in process. Then you will then unload your gear and carry it to the dorms (2) on the map above. This is a blue building raised over a covered area that's open on the sides and has a number of wooden picnic tables underneath . Each crew typically takes a table.

Checking In

When you turn into the BEC on Summerland Key, the Seabase sign will be directly in front of you. On the left is the parking lot. On your right is a large blue building with open space underneath. That open space is known as the quarterdeck and that is where you will go to check-in. Someone is usually there to meet you when you show up between 1 pm and 3 pm. They will immediately want to see your crew paperwork (medical forms, leader training certificates, swim test documents, etc.) and check your crews in. This could take as little as 30 minutes to as much as an hour and a half. It depends how organized you are and how complete the paperwork is. It's best to make sure there is nothing left unchecked uncompleted or ambiguous on the paperwork for all participants. Even something as simple as a missing date for a tetanus shot can cause an issue.

Once checked in, you will meet your assigned crew mate. The crew mate will be the main person you interact with for the remainder of your adventure. He will fish with you, eat with you, take you to Key West, be your tour guide, etc. water and ice station

Settle in, stow your gear and fill water bottles

Your crew mate will give you a tour of the facilities, assign you to your dorm, conduct your swim review, and then give you some time to settle in before a leader’s meeting at 5:30 pm, and dinner at 5:45 pm. After dinner, there will be a brief opening ceremony and then its bedtime.

Ship Store

Those who have time can visit the Ship Store. Besides souvenirs, you can picked up obscenely over-priced necessities your forgot, like deodorants, sunscreen, toiletries, etc. The ship store (8) is located right behind the admin building and dorms. .

But DO look for the clerance rack near the entrance , good bargains there, like Sea Base T-shirts for $12.

Photos and Flags

At some point, your crew mate will take you over to the photo area but you can pretty much do it anywhere and they will give you your crew flag if you don't already have one. Photos there go on the wall so to speak on the Sea Base website and of course you get a copy as well electronically.

Find your adventure's specific tentative itinerary here:

What you need to do and where you go right after check-in depends upon your specific adventure, the weather, and other factors. That said, here are the typical schedules:

BEC Dorms

The dorms, (2) on the map, are air-conditioned with bunk beds with twin-sized mattresses, large enough to sleep three crews. Linens are not provided. Shower and free laundry facilities (detergent included) are available. The Fishing Adventure dormitory is equipped with one footlocker per crew. Bring your own lock.

There is one electrical outlet in each dorm, right by the door. There are 2 fans plugged into the outlet. Bring an 8 power outlet plus 4 USB connector power strip with a USB hub built in! Expect to be sharing it with the other crews in your dorm.

This lightweight Mylar emergency sleeping bag would be perfect to bring along as a emergency blanket for the cold dorms,, rain tarp on the boat, etc.

Note: participants say the bunks are AWFUL!! They are a very thin mattress on top of wooden slats. Bring a self-inflating foam mat to put on top of it!

Laundry

BEC lockers and laundry facilities BEC has a free laundry facility and provides free detergent. The washers and dryers are in the crew lockers room.

BEC-specific tips

Bring along any spices you want. BEC only has basic supplies. Many crews find the following spices work well with the fish: Tony Chachere’s, blackening seasoning, Old Bay.

Bring ping pong balls. There is a table below the dorms and the will enjoy that. They do ping pong balls in the ship store for $2 per ball. You can buy a pack of 6 at home for $4!

Meet your captain

BEC has about a dozen 27’ Dusky center console fishing boats and one 33’ Dusky (the Dorado). The Dusky/Dorado is equipped with outriggers and a tower. Your mate will schedule which boat and captain you will have on any given day of fishing. Generally, crews get 2 days of fishing on the Dorado and 2 days on the smaller boats. But this can vary, based on conditions of weather, boats, etc.

When the check in process is complete, your mate MAY tell your it's time to carry your gear out to the docks (5) and meet your captain and board your boat, if you're on a boat trip that is departing right away. Sailing trips may depart for their sailing that evening, the next morning or later in the week.

The captains own or lease their own boats, or in some cases, captain the boat for an owner.

Each captain sets his own rules for the boat. Most do not allow you to wear shoes of any kind on the boat. Some allow dive socks but you probably won't even want to wear those. Your feet give you the best grip. Once you've met your captain, you start boarding the boat, bringing your crew bags on first (typically) and then the other bags. Most gear gets stored below deck. Snorkels and Heading out to sea bins and masks usually get stored above decks bungeed or clipped to a line or railing so they don't fall overboard.

Fishing

If you are on a fishing adventure, then the next morning is when it is time to go fishing. The type of fishing you do on any given day is up to your crew, the weather and what fish are biting. The captains talk to each other via radio and they will know where the best fishing is. The fishing reels provided by BEC are the Penn brand with the lever drag.
Fishing options are: trolling offshore, trolling along the reef, drift fishing a wreck, fishing for tarpon in the flats near Munson, targeting sharks, and more.

One day you will go snorkeling at Looe Key Reef, in the morning before heading to Key West in the evening. See this page for info about snorkeling on the reefs!

And on the last full day, you will go fishing again.

Cooking

The cooking gear is pretty basic at BEC. There is a small electric fryer, a few pans, and a 3-burner camp stove that you can use. If you catch fish, your crew mate will clean and fillet your fish while your crew cleans the boat. Kaya that will cook your fish for you. sEE BELOW.

Key West

You may be recommended to wear non-scout clothing to avoid getting into uncomfortable conversations involving politics & BSA. But this seems to largely be a thing of the past now. And do avoid cosplaying whackos like Spiderman and anyone who wants to let you take photos with them or a parrot. Key West does have its share of strange folks and many are high on something. Slogans written on t-shirts in the shops are enough to raise eyebrows among the scouts. Just be aware.

Restaurants:

Pro tip: there is a restaurant there called Kaya Island Eats in Key West that will cook your fish for you. If you mate allows you to go, and you have fish, do it!. This is a Scout friendly dining option. If you don't have your own fish, entrees pretty much start at $17, drinks, sides, tips, tax, not included. All Burgers & Sandwiches Served with French Fries, Lettuce, Tomato, & Onion on the side (about $30 - $35 per person, total, including drink and tip). Also Tacos, Island meats, salads.
618 Duval St, Key West, FL, 33040.
Phone: 305-395-0213.
Open: Mon-Thurs: 11 AM - 10 PM,
Friday: 11 AM - 10:30 PM,
Saturday: 8 AM - 10:30 PM,
Sunday: 8 AM - 10 PM.

Other BEC Notes

Flying into Key West the day before

If you fly into Key West International you'll probably want to reserve a 15-passenger van for the crew, and a separate mini-van for luggage. Do this well in advance and ask about discounts when you book and even when you arrive, as for “walk-up” discount code.

Some crews stay at the Looe Key Reef Resort motel:
27340 Overseas Hwy, Summerland Key, FL 33042; Phone: (305) 872-2215 ) at US Hwy 1 Mile Marker 27.5; which is 35 minutes from the airport, 30 minutes to Marathon, and 15 minutes from BEC. The hotel offers a BSA discount and are welcoming and Scout friendly. The rooms are simple, clean, in good repair, have , Wi-Fi, A/C, cable, a mini-fridge and the beds are comfortable.

Crews often then eat at nearby Boardwalk for dinner and Galley Grill for breakfast, both of which are reported to be delicious and affordable.

Veteran’s Park, a public beach, is also only 20 minutes north of the motel.

Now it's time to head out to sea!

More information

FAQs : Sea Base frequently asked questions
Next, click here to get familiar with the typical Sea Base Morgan 41 sailboat. (Coming soon!)

What can you do after finishing at Sea Base if you have time before your flight or before coming to Sea Base?
Some crews do the following, all of which are close by, some just 5 minutes away.