Our Philosophy

At EcoKeys LLC, our priorities extend beyond showing off Key Largo’s beauty. We want to share the reasons why the habitats here are so important to the island’s ecosystem and offer everyone an opportunity to give back and help preserve Key Largo’s unique environment.

We are not an eco-tourism company that takes the “eco” portion of our title lightly. EcoKeys will not offer any activity that does not provide our guests with an educational background and/or opportunity for hands-on involvement. We know there are many people who want to give back to the environment, and we’re doing our best to offer them the opportunity to do just that.

Who We Are

EcoKeys LLC was started in 2009 by Sarah Egner and Martha Loizeaux — two local marine biologists who originally met in 2001 during a study abroad program in the Turks and Caicos Islands and instantly became best friends. They both decided to dedicate their lives’ work to enjoying, preserving and restoring beautiful Key Largo.

About Sarah

Sarah is originally from Philadelphia where most of the time she spent in the water was in water that had concrete borders and was chlorinated. A fifth-grade field trip to the Baltimore aquarium would inspire her aquatic senses and set in motion her determination to become a marine biologist.

She became a certified diver while working towards her Bachelor’s degree in Biology at Wake Forest University — Go Deacs! A semester abroad in the Caribbean would later solidify her desire to concentrate in the marine field. After completing her undergraduate studies, she moved to Florida to earn a Masters degree in Marine Science from the University of South Florida.

Since then, Sarah has travelled extensively through the Caribbean and has backpacked through many other areas of our planet. She worked in various marine science research positions throughout South Florida and the islands before settling in Key Largo to launch her career in environmental education.

Throughout it all, Sarah has accumulated over 5000 hours at the helm, is a P.A.D.I. certified Divemaster and a Red Cross certified Lifeguard, Oxygen Provider and CPR/First Aid/AED Instructor. She is also the beaming mother of King Triton, a Yorkie, who lives up to his name as the King of the Sea.

About Martha

Born and raised in New Hampshire, where the state’s “living free” spirit helped develop her love for the great outdoors, Martha became intrigued by the natural world from an early age. During her formative high-school years, Martha attended Broadreach. It was here that she became a certified diver and vowed to one day become a certified Dive Instructor.

After graduating from Ohio Wesleyan University with a degree in Zoology, she moved to Florida to begin her career in environmental education. Since then, she’s pretty much dove her way through most of the Caribbean and visited many of the world’s other oceans. In fact, it was while diving in Thailand that Martha accomplished her goal of becoming a P.A.D.I. certified dive instructor. Since then, Martha has certified hundreds of students of all skill levels and is a Coast Guard licensed Captain.

But above all her many accomplishments and milestones, Martha is most excited about being the proud mother of her child, Manolo, the cutest fish in the sea. Manolo’s Dad, Jesus, also contributes to EcoKeys LLC as an experienced dive guide and wildlife expert.