St. Pete Dolphin Watching: Coastal Cruises Adventure
4.9
86 Ratings
St. Petersburg
Embark on a thrilling dolphin-watching and shelling adventure with Coastal Cruises in St. Pete. Explore pristine islands, swim, and discover the local way of life!
Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Pasadena Golf & Yacht Club - Our journey will begin and/or end passing by multi-million dollar waterfront homes. Our guests love taking in these massive estates owned by St. Pete’s local millionaires!
  • Gulfport - En Route to Sand Dollar or Shell Island, we will pass by St. Petersburg’s historic Gulfport community where many sailboats can be seen mooring off the coast of this waterfront town.
  • Pinellas Bayway - En route to island stop, we will pass under several bridges enjoying their architecture. In, particular, the Pinellas Bayway bridge was recently constructed and has an interesting cathedral like appearance when looking to either side while underneath it.
  • North Beach At Fort DeSoto Park - Once arrived at either Shell or Sand Dollar Island, guests will have up to an 1.5hrs to go ashore and swim, tan, or search for their favorite shell. For those less adventurous, there is plenty of shade on board to sit back, relax, and pick our crew’s brain on the area.
What's Included
  • Bar On Board
  • Restroom On Board
What's Not Included
  • Outside Alcohol Not Permitted
  • Lunch
Additional Information

Venture off the beaten path and set sail with Coastal Cruises for a delightful day of Dolphin Spotting and Seashell Collecting in St. Pete! Our trio-hour voyage initiates with a leisurely 45-minute tour, devoted solely to dolphin-spotting along St. Pete’s intercoastal waterways, boasting the backdrop of opulent waterfront residences as we journey towards some of Florida’s top-notch local seashell islands.

Upon anchoring at either Shell or Sand Dollar Island, patrons are endowed with a generous one and a half hours to step ashore and relish a typical ‘locals-style’ day by swimming or sightseeing at these untouched seashell hotspots!
People preferring a laid-back experience can lean back on our adequately shaded boat, engage in invigorating conversations with the crew about the local St. Pete vicinity, take pleasure in the magnificent coastline, or watch their preferred game show on our satellite TV!

When it’s time to leave the charming St. Pete shell islands, we’ll get another chance to pursue dolphins while cruising the 45-minute intercoastal stretch back to the marina.

Location
MarineMax St. Petersburg
Gulfport Boulevard South
Located at Slip 3 in Marine Max directly opposite the black gate. Approximately 5-10min from Treasure Island and St. Pete Beach
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(86 Ratings)
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Z6187ixkellyw
Mar 9, 2024
Definitely do it! - Highly Recommend!! Amazing experience making awesome memories. We saw lots of dolphins, found some really cool shells, spotted some interesting sea creatures and had a relaxing boat ride thanks to Paul and Tim! (The shells with creatures in them were so much fun to explore and were then placed safely back in the water 😊) Didn’t get the best photos of the dolphins because I was enjoying the experience ❤️
Review provided by Tripadvisor
113jennk
Mar 2, 2024
Highlight of our week! - This was a highlight of our vacation and I definitely recommend it! It was a nice, relaxing cruise. We saw many dolphins. We were then dropped off on a beach for about an hour with many variety of good-sized shells. We also found a handful of sand dollars. The staff was very friendly. We can’t wait to do this again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elizabeth_t
Feb 24, 2024
Fantastic - The respectful crew and of course seeing the dolphins. The crew was informative and courteous. So many dolphin encounters and the shelling was great too!
Review provided by Viator
Devon
Feb 22, 2024
Pete &Lori - Fantastic, fun trip. Captain and First Mate were professional and engaging. Saw dolphins and got to stroll along a beautiful sandy beach, found lots of cool shells. A must trip when you are coming.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cynthia_r
Feb 20, 2024
Great trip! - Had a great trip! Boat was super clean, staff friendly and informative, lots and lots of shells as well as some sand dollars and starfish. Definitely will go again if in the area.
Review provided by Viator
491cindyr
Feb 20, 2024
Great boat ride! - It was a great trip. Saw dolphins and got some neat shells. Would go again and have already recommended it to others. Boat was super clean, restroom onboard, staff explained the days adventures and Answered questions as we went along.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rhonda_j
Feb 16, 2024
Great boat ride - Had very nice weather and saw lots of dolphins which our two grandkids got to see Captain Tom and Paul were super nice guys also saw some beautiful house's on the way to shell island
Review provided by Viator
Grahamh394
Feb 14, 2024
Family Dolphin and Shell Island Trip - It was an outstanding trip, Captain Pete and Tim were incredibly helpful and friendly. We were also fortunate to see several dolphins enroute to Shell Island where we then had plenty of time to walk and collect some shells. The boat used for the trip seemed very new and gave a very smooth trip. Definitely a great family trip and three hours is a perfect length.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gary_b
Jan 28, 2024
Great cruise! - Captain’s Paul and Tim did a great job! We saw several dolphins and it was great to see the st Pete area by boat!
Review provided by Viator
Daydream15381497124
Jan 28, 2024
Morning Cruise - My husband and I absolutely LOVED our morning cruise. Both Captain Tim and Captain Paul were welcoming, knowledgeable and personable. We were blessed to see many dolphins on our way out to Boca Ciega Bay. This cruise was an anniversary present ourselves and it was PERFECT! Thank you for providing a wonderful and memorable experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor