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3 Hour Dolphin Tour and Snorkeling in Shell Island

Recommended by 93% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Panama City Beach, USA
Great choice
5+ bookings last month.
  • 3 hours (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.7
·
· Amber_W ·
Oct 2025
Captain Alex was fun, thoughtful and very knowledgeable of the area. We saw Dolphins, sea turtles, and swan at a secluded beach with all sea shells. He even thought stop and take a picture of our family in the setting sun. Definitely will be back!
· James_F ·
Sep 2025
Best part of our trip! Alex was entertaining, he explained several things along the way, and gave us dining options. We saw so many dolphins and one sea turtle. Alex was so much fun and we all had a wonderful time.

Overview

Seeing dolphins in the wild is a dream for many travelers. Join a former marine mammal trainer on this private tour that gets you up close and personal with these creatures and helps you understand their behaviors. You’ll explore Shell Island and snorkel for sand dollars and starfish (equipment included). You can also choose to swim with dolphins during the tour. Feel free to bring your own drinks on the boat.
  • Explore Shell Island, see dolphins in the wild, and snorkel for sand dollars
  • Former marine mammal trainer guides your private tour
  • Swim with dolphins in their natural habitat
  • Private tour ideal for families and small groups up to six

What's Included

  • Use of Snorkeling equipment
    Use of Snorkelling equipment
  • Bottled water
  • Please bring your own snacks and BYOB

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

  • 312 Bay Shore Dr, Panama City Beach, FL 32407, USA

    JDF MARINA

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Service animals allowed
  • Near public transportation
  • Infants must sit on laps
  • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Amber_W
Captain Alex was fun, thoughtful and very knowledgeable of the area. We saw Dolphins, sea turtles, and swan at a secluded beach with all sea shells. He even thought stop and take a picture of our family in the setting sun. Definitely will be back!

Reviews

4.7
based on 94 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Amazing!!!

Steven_F, Oct 2025
It was a blast, Captain Alex was a great guide and made sure we seen plenty of dolphins. Highly recomend this company

10/10 highlight of our trip!

Amber_W, Oct 2025
Captain Alex was fun, thoughtful and very knowledgeable of the area. We saw Dolphins, sea turtles, and swan at a secluded beach with all sea shells. He even thought stop and take a picture of our family in the setting sun. Definitely will be back!

Booked a tour for...

Lindsey_W, Oct 2025
Booked a tour for Saturday morning for me and my daughter. I literally planned my entire trip around this tour and the boat wouldn't start. I was told someone would call me later that day to see if the boat could be fixed and we could still go out on our tour. Its been 2 days and 4 phone calls with no response on a refund or ANYTHING

No refund

Raoul_S, Sep 2025
Rain cancelled trip and was promised a refund from Ashley and that was almost 2 months ago. We have called multiple times and send Text messages but we are not getting a response and no refund either! DONT BOOK!!

Dolphins! Dolphins! Dolphins!

James_F, Sep 2025
Best part of our trip! Alex was entertaining, he explained several things along the way, and gave us dining options. We saw so many dolphins and one sea turtle. Alex was so much fun and we all had a wonderful time.

Amazing tour.

Lenora_B, Sep 2025
Just came back from our tour with Captain Alex. Had an AMAZING time. We saw several dolphins and he was even able to get up close to a spotted sting ray. At the end he even jumped in the water to help with my shell collection. Shared a lot of fun facts about the area and recommended a few places to visit while we’re here. Def will book again and will absolutely request Captain Alex when we do!

Captin Alex was awesome

Nikki_A, Aug 2025
Snorkling with dolphins and other fish was the highlight of the trip! My 3 year old granddaughter even did it and had a blast. Captin Alex was awesome and very down to earth! He was very knowledgeable of the area and sealife. He took us to a very cool, secluded spot where we were able to swim with dolphins and other fish. We saw sharks, sting rays, turtles, and jelly fish! We had a great time!

Unfortunately Never again

ELIEZER_D, Aug 2025
Viator never sent my request for the trip. They had at least a three hour window to send request and the Capt. never received it.

Refund needed

RAGAN_B, Aug 2025
No communication. Drove there to be cancelled due to weather. Was told they would call at 12 to reschedule for the afternoon, never heard from anyone. Still no refund and zero communication.

5 stars!

Dakota_R, Aug 2025
Capitan Rob was the best! We had so much fun and will be back! It was perfect for the kids and for the adults!

Ask for Captain Alex!!!!!! 10 ⭐️

Jennifer_B, Aug 2025
It was my Daughter’s 21st birthday trip! Captain Alex went above and beyond to make our trip special! We loved being able to bring our own snacks and drinks. He was very knowledgeable about the area and we saw tons of dolphin!

Awesome!

Lisa_W, Jul 2025
Captain Alex with fantastic was amazing! He was full of knowledge. We saw lots of dolphins and sea turtles. Our family had so much fun!! 😁

Best bang for the buck !!

Jason_K, Jul 2025
We had the most amazing time !!! Dolphins were awesome are so close you can almost touch them. Snorkeling was a blast as well. Well definitely be coming back on this adventure... Captain Rob was super cool. I'll be requesting him on our next tour. Thank you Sir for making my family's day so fun and exciting!!!!!!!

Birthday Fun

Summer_K, Jul 2025
We had a great time! The 3 teenage girls loved seeing dolphins and snorkeling. Rob was a phenomenal captain.

Awesome dolphin adventure and beach fun.

Shon_D, Jul 2025
The captain was very knowledgeable about where to look for dolphins we saw so many we weren’t surprised to see them . Plus a great spot to snorkel and play on the beach.

Pink boat

Charles_R, Jul 2025
Our private Pink Boat tour was the best thing we did all vacation!! We got up close to dolphins, and sea turtles! Our captain was amazing and very knowledgeable, and found lots of sand dollars for the kids to take home! Highly recommend, you won’t regret it!!

Captain Alex was great!...

Michelle_T, Jul 2025
Captain Alex was great! Worth every penny to have a private boat. We saw dolphins, sea turtles, and he spent the time to find fish, sea urchins, and a ton of sand dollars for the kids. Super knowledgeable about the area. Loved the island and how we basically had it to ourselves. Thanks for making it a great time!

Captain Rob was great! He...

Liz_G, Jul 2025
Captain Rob was great! He knew exactly where to take us to see dolphins and shell island was so fun! Definitely recommend this tour and would do it again!

Awesome Dolphin Experience

Joseph_K, Jun 2025
Captain Ashley was awesome about expectations (mostly related to weather). Her boat was clean and neat and fully equipped and ready for us. She was super friendly and very personable and very knowledgeable of the waters. We saw a lot of dolphins and coordinated with other surrounding boats. Had a great time snorkeling and shelling and well worth doing. I highly recommend this excursion.

The most fun all week!

Melissa_E, Jun 2025
First trip to Florida — and it did not disappoint! We saw so many dolphins and had a blast snorkeling. It was everything we hoped for and more. We asked the kids what their favorite part of our week in FL was, and all three said, “The dolphins and snorkeling!” Thank you for the unforgettable memories. We’ll definitely be booking again!

Enjoyable. Great guide....

Tamara_C, Jun 2025
Enjoyable. Great guide. She’ll island was beautiful. And we saw lots of dolphins. We would go again.

Family of 6 Excursion

Arje_C, Mar 2025
AMAZING trip!!!! We saw TONS of dolphins and even newborn dolphins!! Sooooo many shells to be discovered on Shell Island. Jamie, our tour guide, was an awesome captain!!

Captain Ashley was great!...

James_W, Mar 2025
Captain Ashley was great! This spring break was a little chilly but she was fantastic at tracking down a huge pod of dolphins and sea turtles. Shell island was beautiful, crystal clear water.

Great family experience

Kristi_V, Mar 2025
Great time. Appreciated Jaime’s expertise and knowledge of the area. The water was rough but she did a great job making sure we were comfortable and safe. She did not disappoint on delivering the dolphin experience. Thank you again!

A must do!

Katie_M, Aug 2024
Caption John was great! We saw rays, dolphins, and even a sea turtle from a distance! Very accommodating and the kids had a great time!

Amazing must have this experience!

Kady_B, Aug 2024
We had Captian John, he was amazing! We saw so many dolphins and other wildlife!. He was very friendly and professional with great knowledge and respect of the wildlife around us.

Awesome Trip!

Angie_C, Jul 2024
We had an awesome experience! Captain Ashley was very knowledgeable and friendly! We saw an eagle ray, lots of dolphins, sea turtles and a jelly fish! While snorkeling, we saw a huge sand dollar, lots of fish, a sea urchin and a scallop. I would highly recommend this!

So worth the $$$ can’t wait to do it again

Iva_R, Jul 2024
We saw lots of dolphins and even a sea turtle my daughter found some scallops while we were snorkeling the water was amazing and Captain Ashley was awesome

Excellent value

Chad_B, Jun 2024
Ashley was great, made sure everyone was safe and had a great time. Very enjoyable experience!! Highly recommend!

Absolutely amazing

Brandie_C, Jun 2024
The captain was amazing! The entire time was great and we will definitely go again! Worth the money every cent!

From $400.00

per group (up to 6)

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

Book ahead!
On average, this is booked 16 days in advance.

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