3 Hour Panama City Beach Dolphin Cruise and Shell Island Tour
Description
Join our all-in-one family tour and experience the best of Panama City Beach in one unforgettable trip! Cruise aboard our spacious 50-foot sailing catamaran as we search for dolphins and other marine life, including sea turtles, manatees, stingrays, eagle rays, and fish (wildlife sightings are common but not guaranteed). We'll stop at beautiful Shell Island, where you can snorkel, swim, search for seashells, look for crabs, or try one of our two paddle boards. Snorkel equipment is included. Our boat features onboard restrooms, shaded and sunny seating, and a full-service bar offering snacks, soft drinks, beer, wine, light cocktails, and our famous Rum Punch for purchase. Perfect for families, couples, and groups, this is one of the best Shell Island snorkeling and dolphin tours in Panama City Beach.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Shell Island is a #1 attraction and a must-do experience in Panama City Beach. This untouched barrier island is famous for its crystal-clear emerald waters, white sand beaches, and abundant wildlife. During your visit, you'll have time to snorkel, swim, paddle board, search for seashells, and look for crabs along the shoreline. Keep an eye out for dolphins, sea turtles, stingrays, eagle rays, fish, and other marine life that call these waters home. Shell Island offers the perfect mix of adventure and natural beauty, making it a favorite destination for families, couples, and nature lovers visiting Panama City Beach.
St. Andrews State Park is one of the most scenic areas in Panama City Beach and home to the famous St. Andrews jetties, where the Gulf meets St. Andrews Bay. As we cruise past the park, you'll enjoy beautiful views of its white sand beaches, emerald waters, and natural shoreline. This area is one of the best places to spot bottlenose dolphins along with sea turtles, stingrays, and other local marine life. It's common to see pelicans diving for fish along the jetties. If you're lucky, you may even catch a glimpse of deer walking near the beach. While we don't stop inside the park, cruising by St. Andrews State Park is one of the highlights of our tour and offers some of the best wildlife viewing in Panama City Beach.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(212)
It was fun, calm, and exciting. The boat ride was calm, we saw dolphins, and snorkeling was great! We found many live sanddollars, mini conk shells, and 2 sea urchins. This was our second time on the catamaran and it didn’t disappoint. We’ve been coming here first 4 years and this is our favorite thing. Kids drinks, hooks hooping, and limbo for kids was also very entertaining! Coming back every year!
We had a great time! The crew was very good! Kenzie was very nice! Saw a Dolphin and had fun snorkeling!
This was an amazing experience and we had so much fun snorkeling on Shell Island!
What a great day! This was the highlight of our trip to Panama City beach. We saw dolphins on the way out to shell island. The island was amazing and even if you aren’t a fan of snorkeling, you will still love it. So much to see and they got out paddle boards, nets to look for shells, a touch area to put anything you found on the island (and put back). Crew was amazing and the experience just one of a kind. Highly recommend !
It was perfect, everyone in our group loved it which ranged from toddlers up to grandparents and all ages inbetween! Captain and crew were fun, informative and made sure everyone had a safe/fun time. I could’ve spent all day snorkeling at shell island. Saw dolphins, jellys, and all kind of small creatures at the island.
Captain Christo, Carter, and Kenzie provided a great and knowledgeable experience. Between spotting dolphins on the ride out to Shell island as well as pointing out the best places to dive for sea life and/or shells they were top class the entire way. We found so many sand dollars and sea shells while snorkeling, making for great keepsakes of our trip. Captain Christo even let our daughter steer the boat twice on the way back. They provided clear instruction on the intensity of the surf on the opposite side of the island (in case we wanted to try our luck over there), returning to the boat, and ensured that nobody was left behind. Overall, this experience checks every box.
The boat ride is beautiful and there were many dolphins out. The captain heath and the crew Sarah and Carter were very friendly, easily the best time on a dolphin tour! Not to mention seeing shell island and getting to explore!
Had a blast! Heather, Sarah and Emma were the best hosts.
Had a great time on the cruise. Mckaylee, Payton and the Captain were very friendly, supportive and entertaining. Highly recommend
Thank you for choosing Island Time Sailing! It was a pleasure having you aboard, and we're honored to have been part of your vacation. Reviews like yours inspire our team every day, and we appreciate you taking the time to share your experience with others.
I brought my momma here for her 81st bday.. She had never left Missouri and had never seen the ocean. Lovejoy has amazing style in there beachfront property that we stayed in. Best trip ever! My momma cried when she got into the condo and then when she went on the balcany and seen our view. Unbelievable!
Thank you so much for sharing this. What a beautiful gift to give your mom for her 81st birthday! Knowing that this trip brought her so much joy truly touched our hearts. Those are the moments that stay with us forever, and we’re so grateful we could be a small part of such a special memory for your family.
