St. Pete Dolphin Watching and Shelling Adventure
Overview
Available languages
3 hours
Mobile ticket
Escape the mainland and join Coastal Cruises for a perfect day of Dolphin Watching and Shelling in St. Pete! Our three-hour tour starts with a slow 45-minute dolphin-watching cruise along the intercoastal waterways in St. Pete amidst the multi-million dollar waterfront homes en route to one of our favorite local shelling islands in Florida.
Once stopped at either Shell Island, guests will have up to an hour and a half to go ashore and enjoy the day the locals’ way swimming and exploring at one of these pristine shelling destinations!
Our boat has plenty of shade for those who aren’t quite as adventurous, so feel free to stay aboard, pick the crew’s brain on the local St. Pete area, take in the coastal views, or enjoy the satellite TV featuring your favorite game!
Upon departing the St. Pete shelling islands, we will have an opportunity to once again search for dolphins along the 45-minute intercoastal route back to the marina.
Additional Info
Service animals allowed
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
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.
What‘s Included
Bar On Board
Restroom On Board
Outside Alcohol Not Permitted
Guests are welcome to pack a snack or lunch to enjoy while stopped at the island
Options
Dolphin - SkyBeach Location
Starting point:
6800 Sunshine Skyway Ln S, St. Petersburg, FL 33711, USA
Dolphin - Gulfport Location
Starting point:
4630 29th Ave S, Gulfport, FL 33711, USA
St. Pete Dolphin Watching and Shelling Adventure
Dolphin - MarineMax Location
Starting point:
MarineMax St. Petersburg, 6810 Gulfport Blvd S, St. Petersburg, FL 33707, USA
Reviews
191 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Excellent experience!
586jaymeh,,Dec 30, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Polite, helpful, friendly crew. Paul and Tony were great! Clean boat and bathroom. Felt safe. Beautiful views. Enjoyed seeing dolphins, even happened to see a stingray breach the water. The island had lots of beautiful shells, my daughter even found 2 fully intact sand dollars!
Amazing
William H,,Dec 30, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Very clean and well maintained boat. The two guys handling the cruise was fantastic. Definitely family friendly. No cussing which was so appreciated. Shell island is so beautiful, and tons of shells. Highly recommend!
Family friendly adventure
Anne M,,Dec 30, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00A great, family-friendly adventure to share! saw 6 dolphins on our cruise & enjoyed a relaxing walk on shell key beach! 🐚
A fun family trip
Staci K,,Dec 29, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00This was a safe and comfortable ride looking for dolphins(we did see some!) and exploring a great shelling beach. It was a great trip for kids as it wasn't too long. The crew was great, too. I would recommend it for families or those who want a smooth boat ride and a little bit of shelling time on Shell Key.
Great day on the water
jodsl,,Dec 28, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Got to see some dolphins crew was fun took extra time with us to pick shells and take some pretty cool family pictures!! Would recommend to anyone wanting to dolphin cruise thanks coastal cruises
Amazing daytime cruise with dolphin watching!
A3374SPjessicac,,Dec 28, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We absolutely loved our daytime cruise to Shell Island. We had a group of 15, all ages, and everyone loved the trip. Captain Paul and Aaron were great! We’ll be planning another cruise on our next trip!
Dolphins!!
gargib2017,,Dec 25, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a wonderful day with this cruise adventure! Our crew Paul and Chase were amazing and Paul was so knowledgeable about dolphins and their habitats! We saw several dolphins and then went to the shell key for some shells! It’s an activity that was equally enjoyed by us, our 6 year old and my 80 year old mom! We’ll do it again if we come back!
Dolphins in the wild!
Gargi B,,Dec 25, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00We watched so many dolphins in the wild! Paul the boat captain was so knowledgeable about the habitat and the behaviors of the dolphins. Chase was super attentive to guests and took good care of us. This trip is perfect for a family with small kids or elderly! They took us to a perfect shelling beach! It was a lot fun.
Definitely worth the time! So great!
329GraceFu,,Dec 1, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Very awesome view and the beach is very special! Full of shells and sand make those layer. The sand is so clean and easy to walk! I saw a few bird there as well. Very great experience! Thanks Paul for driving the boat!
Relaxing way to get a feel of the Tampa Bay
832venkatr,,Nov 28, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Had a great experience exploring the Tampa Bay and Shell Key island on this cruise, as part of a college reunion with friends! It was a relaxing way to experience this area. The staff were friendly, flexible and helped us have a good time, while balancing our safety too. We had a fantastic 3 hours with the boat to ourselves!
From US$42.80
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Operated by Coastal Cruises