John's Pass Excursion: Sandbar, Mangrove Tunnel Exploration

Embark on an exciting excursion at John’s Pass, where you can explore sandbars, mangrove tunnels, and encounter dolphins and manatees. Enjoy the calm waters, beach your kayak or SUP, and soak up the sun!

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights

Start your adventure from our floating dock at The BoatDega. This is a half-day rental, not a guided tour.
Paddle down the canal for almost a mile and you will be at the sandbar at John’s Pass. It’s a popular destination. You can beach your kayak or paddleboard and hang out on the sandbar. Swim in the shallow water and hunt for seashells.
We often see…

What's Included
  • Single paddleboard rental
  • Single kayak rental
Additional Information

We’re situated by the bay, rather than the Gulf, which ensures more tranquil waters. The place you’re heading to is approximately a mile from here. John’s Pass is renowned for its sandbars, islets, dolphins, manatees, and more, making it a preferred spot for paddling.
Feel free to dock your kayak or stand-up paddleboard on the sandbar and bask in the…

Location
11165 Gulf Blvd
Gulf Boulevard
We are at THE BOATDEGA. Next to The Waffle House.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.7
(11 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
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1 star
Andrea
Jul 21, 2024
Good location - Great spot to paddle a long the intercostal without a lot of boat traffic. We were able to paddle out to a sandbar, walk around and cool off for a while.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brittany_b
Jun 8, 2024
We had fun kayaking out... - We had fun kayaking out to the sand bar. The mangroves were cool. Never seen anything like that. Then we hung out on the sandbar and got ice cream out on the water
Review provided by Viator
Brenda_b
Feb 21, 2024
Good old fashioned fun! - Friendly service, a relaxing excursion w my teenagers without a cellphone in sight! Serious old fashioned fun - you hardly knew you were exercising.
Review provided by Viator
Stephanie_m
Aug 6, 2023
Island paddle - Great paddle to John's pass and Eleanor Island. Staff made it super easy to check in. Saw dolphins, manatees and sea urchins and more! Check them out!
Review provided by Viator
Karen_s
Apr 24, 2023
Great morning paddling! - We saw dolphins while paddling, which was so cool! The guy who helped us with the equipment was very nice and had helpful tips on where to paddle.
Review provided by Viator
Asutrack
Aug 26, 2022
Hassle free rental spot - I tried SUP for the first time a few days ago and rented a board from Jason. If you're in town visiting or live here and don't have the equipment needed for a few hours of fun out on the water... this is the place to go. Location has parking, and is on the water (intercoastal) for easy access. (I wasn't able to take any photos because it was my very first time on a board, didn't want to try and figure out selfies while trying to keep myself from falling lol)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tia_m
Aug 18, 2022
Lots of fun - We had a blast paddleboarding. We saw 2 dolphins, jellyfish, sea urchins, clams, and lots of shells at the sandbar. We did have to paddle thru the marina which is about 1 mile they said, so definitely be prepared for a very good workout, and not much to see until you get to the open water where the sandbar is located. They had a big locked box we were able to leave our things in as well as an outdoor shower by the pool to rinse off, and a restroom to change In. We also visited the rooftop bar after for a drink. We had some spotty weather for our original time slot and they were great with rescheduling for a later time. I would definitely recommend this activity for families with teens and groups that are able to paddle at least 2+ miles
Review provided by Viator
Ambermt8776xx
Aug 15, 2022
Paddleboarding - Great time. Seen two dolphins! Would definitely do it again🤣😉 the sandbar was nice to hang out at and look for sea shells!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ashley
Aug 6, 2023
Dolphins while kayaking - The actual excursion and trip was amazing. We saw dolphins about 3 feet always from us in our kayaks. The sandbar was really nice, and getting to the place was easy. Why I rated it 4 stars was because upon check in our host was very impersonal. It was as if we were an inconvenience to him. I felt so rushed through the process that we didn’t even get to grab drinks to take with us. I thought we were going to be provided a map to use on the water instead I had to use my phone, we only got one water bag, even though we rented 2 kayaks. He said once I keep heading straight I will see the sandbar. When I asked if this was the area where we could grab food he said no it’s a sandbar. I get that!!! I wanted to know exactly where to grab lunch because it was stated we could dock kayaks to grab a bite at St. John’s pass. He never proceeded to tell us where to eat or he a maybe a drink. He was so impersonal. Like we are tourist and don’t know this area at all. Besides his interaction everything was great. We went to the sandbar, but didn’t feel comfortable eating at the places due to we weren’t instructed what to do with the kayaks. Upon getting back it was a struggle to get out of the kayaks. I put them on the dock because I was not told what to do when when returned. The man in the store was a new one. I told him about where I put the kayaks. He was a delight and so friendly, he even recommended places to eat and told me where to park for beach access.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Randy_w
Feb 15, 2024
Nice river to kayak. The staff was not friendly or helpful. - Nice day for kayaking, enjoyed the river. The man who was working to set us up was not very helpful or friendly. He did not offer and guidance for the trip. We got lucky finding the desired stops on the trip, no thanks to him. We had to get our boats out of the water ourselves at the end of the trip, a little treacherous. No one was monitoring boaters who arrived back at the starting place.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 6 guests
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October 2024
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