Small Group 2 Hour Dolphin Cruise with Snorkeling to Shell Key

Overview

Available languages

English

2 hours

Mobile ticket

Hop on a cruise to Shell Key Island and see dolphins and other wildlife while snorkeling. At this pristine wildlife preserve, you'll get to snorkel and observe the wildlife, go for a relaxing swim, or just walk along the beach and collect shells. Depending on the time of year, you'll see dolphins in their natural habitat, along with manatees, rays, and wild birds.

All of our rides are semi-private, with a maximum of 6 passengers per boat, so you get to avoid the crowds when you ride with us.

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller

Service animals allowed

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

You must check in 30 minutes prior to your departure time. All trips leave promptly at their departure time

A minimum of 2 people per booking is required

Cancellation Policy

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

What‘s Included

Bottled water

Use of Snorkelling equipment

Parking at the marina

BYOB welcome

Cooler with ice on board

FREE parking at the Tierra Verde Marina Resort

Food, unless specified

Gratuities

What To Expect

Island Ferry's Dolphin-Snorkeling Cruise takes you snorkeling by boat to Shell Key, and to see dolphins at the same time! See dolphins in their natural habitat, along with manatees, rays, and wild birds. Go snorkeling and shelling on Shell Key Preserve, where you'll find hermit crabs, conchs, rays, horseshoe crabs, and more. Island Ferry is not a drop-off service, but rather the boat stays at Shell Key with you for the entire time. You can take a break from snorkeling and shelling, and sit on our shaded boats with a cold drink. And while you and your family are in the water, the Island Ferry crew stands watch on lifeguard duty. So we keep everyone safe! We provide the snorkel gear and the floating noodles.

Options

9am Dolphin/Shell Key

See dolphins and visit Shell Key at the same time! See dolphins in their natural habitat, along with manatees, rays, and wild birds. Then go shelling on Shell Key Preserve.

4:15pm Dolphin/Shell Key

See dolphins and visit Shell Key at the same time! See dolphins in their natural habitat, along with manatees, rays, and wild birds. Then go shelling on Shell Key Preserve.

Mid Day Dolphin/Shell Key

Dolphin/Shell Key: See dolphins and visit Shell Key at the same time! See dolphins in their natural habitat, along with manatees, rays, and wild birds. Then go shelling on Shell Key Preserve.

Reviews

4.87

1,519 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

1416

Book it!
Companion19111611868,
Nov 10, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
This was the highlight of our trip. We had the most amazing time with our tour guide, Noel. He was extremely knowledgeable and knew how to make sure we'd get to see dolphins! Not only did we see them, but they stayed and played in the boats waves for quite some time. Noel also pulled all sorts of creatures out of the ocean to show us - spider crabs, conch, horseshoe crab, etc. We then got to go to Shell Key Preserve and found the coolest shells to take home. We had ages 3 - 63 on the boat and our time was enjoyed by all!
Great Job Capt. Noel
Flyer63058666505,
Oct 19, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Capt. Noel was very knowledgeable of the area and made our family vacation one to remember! A wonderful two hours on the boat and in the ocean. We greatly appreciate his ability to find cool stuff for us to look at!
Amazing time with dolphins!
Emily F,
Oct 17, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Great experience on a nice intimate boat. Like that they keep the group small. Guide was knowledgable and friendly!
Amazing experience!
T8944XEsydneyl,
Oct 14, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Was a great experience! My fiancé got to see dolphins in the wild for the first time and I’m so grateful I got the chance to experience that with him.
Family outing
BrandiM273,
Oct 1, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Captain Dave was very accommodating and we had a great time! He was a good Captain, informative and good with the kids We saw a pod of dolphins who swam around us for about 15 minutes and the shell punting was very successful
Capt David was a fantastic host!
C7297WTmaryd,
Sep 28, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Captain David was a fantastic host! David was the perfect guide, dropping little nuggets of knowledge about the area, wild life & million dollar homes you pass by as you head down to shell keys. On the way we saw some dolphins, ospreys, egrets & some flying fish. Shell key was our favorite part - walking up and down looking at shells and snorkeling. Highly recommend, much needed break this weekend from nyc!
Great trip!
Robin D,
Sep 22, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
It was a great trip even though we didn’t get to see any wildlife besides a rare snake near Shellley! Wish we had a little more snorkel time but captain Dave was great showing us around and being knowledgeable
Cpt Dave gave a wonderful Cruise!
jeffcE5219AO,
Sep 17, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Dave was a wonderful Cpt! Our young boy loved it, we loved it, and we got to see all sorts of aquatic life, including some very playful dolphins! Dave was extremely friendly and full of information!
beautiful relaxing boat trip🐬 We have taken this trip numerous times and we always have a different experience:)
ds2665,
Sep 16, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We always Enjoy the scenery, dolphins and just the view from the pontoon boat . The captains are all great ! We had Dave on this trip ! We also collected some shells at Shell key then headed back to relax at Island Grille have some lunch and Enjoy a swim
Great trip with Captain Dave, thank you!
Speedypip,
Sep 14, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Would highly recommend, had a fab trip with Captain Dave, thank you! Captain Dave was very friendly, personable and knowledgeable and really fun to do this as a small group. We will definitely be booking this again on a future trip!