2019-10-07 - Anclote Key State Park, FL - Cylinder

7 People on a pontoon witnessed a cylinder object about 3/4 mile West of Anclote Key Preserve State Park in the Gulf of Mexico

We were on my pontoon boat - we had spent most of the afternoon on Anclote Key Preserve State Park and the Sandbars that are just to the North of the park. There were 7 of us on the boat. We left the sandbars and headed out about 7 miles as the sun was setting, towards a reef sight and known fish haven. Because of the storms that had passed through earlier, the water was rough, with 3-foot seas, we decided to make a turn South and then head back just after the sun had set. We were pulling a jet ski so we could only move at around 4-5 mph in fear of snapping the tow line. As we were approaching the pass between the Anclote Key Preserve and the sandbars, two of the people on the front of the boat started talking about seeing what they thought was a bag or a balloon sitting on the water up ahead and to the right of the boat. We had no lights, other than standard navigational lights on at the time, however, because of the moisture in the air, the city lights were causing the water to have enough light reflected on it to see ahead in the water. As we approached the object, the 4 guests on the front of the boat were trying to figure out what it was, going back and forth as to whether it was a big plastic bag, a balloon or maybe even a big bird of some sort. However, as we got closer is was apparent that the object was bigger than everyone though, probably around 4-5 feet across, cylinder in shape and maybe 4 to 5 feet tall. As we came to with 100 feet or so of the object, it lifted quickly into the air straight up and hovered at around 8 to 10 feet off the water. It was a dull color, and you could tell it was solid but had no shininess to it at all. Everyone on the boat sat in silence and disbelief as we passed by the object to the right of the boat as it just sat there. No sound, no lights - nothing. Once passed, I turned to everyone and asked, 'Did you all just see that?' and everyone was still looking trying to see it. I turned! on my flood/spot lights, and turned the boat around because w! e all st ill thought it was something that may have been attached to the water and floating, but none of us seen any sort of cable or string attaching it to anything. After turning around, and making a couple of passes in the shape of a figure 8, we did not see the object again. We discussed the object all the way back in to the dock and we do not know what it was that we say. We all were in agreement that it was NOT as balloon, bag or bird of anny kind. We all believe it was a solid object, or what appeared to be very solid.