Small Group 2 Hour Dolphin Cruise with Snorkeling to Shell Key
Recommended by 97% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
St Petersburg, USA
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Look for dolphins around Boca Ciega Bay in St. Pete Beach on a cruise in the Tampa Bay Area. Continue into the Gulf of Mexico to visit Shell Key island, a wildlife preserve where you can snorkel, swim, or collect shells on the beach. Depending on the season, you might spot dolphins, manatees, rays, and a variety of seabirds. This family-friendly tour offers both a late morning and afternoon departure, making it easy to suit your schedule.
- Head out on a dolphin watching cruise from St. Pete Beach
- See local wildlife like rays, seabirds, and manatees
- Choose from multiple departure times to fit your schedule
- Snorkeling equipment and bottled water are included
What's Included
- Bottled water
- Use of Snorkeling equipmentUse of Snorkelling equipment
- Parking at the marina
- Cooler with ice on board
- FREE parking at the Tierra Verde Marina Resort
- BYOB welcome
- Food, unless specified
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Tierra Verde Marina Resort200 Madonna Blvd, St. Petersburg, FL 33715, USA
We depart from the Tierra Verde Marina Resort, located at 198 Madonna Blvd next to the Island Grille Restaurant, and the Residence Inn Marriot. Please report to the Check-In area at the Island Ferry sign.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
Make your own way to the marina at St. Pete Beach to meet the crew and board your boat.
Set out for Boca Ciega Bay where you are likely to see dolphins and, occasionally, manatees feeding near shallow sandbars. Observe the remarkable animals in their natural habitat for a memorable experience of Florida’s wildlife.
Continue to the waters of the Gulf of Mexico to visit Shell Key Island Wildlife Preserve, which includes a picturesque white sand beach with many seashells. Spend time at Shell Key Island and snorkel from the beach in shallow water. During the warmer seasons, you might spot rays and manatees there.
Your tour ends with return to the marina.
Set out for Boca Ciega Bay where you are likely to see dolphins and, occasionally, manatees feeding near shallow sandbars. Observe the remarkable animals in their natural habitat for a memorable experience of Florida’s wildlife.
Continue to the waters of the Gulf of Mexico to visit Shell Key Island Wildlife Preserve, which includes a picturesque white sand beach with many seashells. Spend time at Shell Key Island and snorkel from the beach in shallow water. During the warmer seasons, you might spot rays and manatees there.
Your tour ends with return to the marina.
1
Island Ferry St. Pete Beach
2
St. Pete Beach
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- You must check in 30 minutes prior to your departure time. All trips leave promptly at their departure time
- Not wheelchair accessible
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 6 travelers
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Frequently Asked Questions (7)
Q:Can I bring an infant on the boat during the Shared 2 Hours Dolphin Watch Cruise with Snorkeling to Shell Key?
A:Yes! Children of all ages are welcome on board! Due to capacity on the boat, all guests pay the same rate, regardless of age.
Mar 2021
The answers provided are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Liliana_M
Super fun and the tour guide Dave was awesome! We got to see dolphins swimming by the boat and then found a bunch of shells on the beach when we stopped. The scenery was beautiful and we were taught a lot of things. It was overall a great experience and I 10/10 recommend!
Reviews
4.9
based on 1,561 reviews
Jen_G, Apr 2026
Captain Noel was amazing. He took the time to help kids find sand dollars, hermet crabs on sand bar and then took them to shell island. He was full of information on the trip there and back. We have done other shelling trips in the past this was by far the best.
Hali_I, Apr 2026
Great experience. Our guide was great, I unfortunately forgot his name, but he was an older gentleman who was very kind and knowledgeable, especially regarding the dolphins. :)
TRACY_M, Apr 2026
Troy was a fantastic captain! He is knowledgeable about local wildlife and we learned a lot and shell beach really lived up to its name it was basically made of shells. I didn’t get sea sick at all and are group had only 5 people on each of the three boats. We also saw d dolphins they they were so close to the boat that you could almost touch them!
Michelle_R, Mar 2026
Skipper Dave did great and we had a good day, spotting many dolphins!
I think the small group was perfect for my daughter and I.
Amy_N, Mar 2026
We had the best trip with Captain Troy- we saw so many dolphins and a sting ray. The boat was clean and comfortable. My kids loved seeing fish while snorkeling and swimming. Perfect day out. Troy was friendly and knowledgeable. Don’t miss out on this!! Such a memorable experience.
Fred_B, Mar 2026
Troy did a great job . Kids loved seeing the dolphins and catching hermit crabs. A nice afternoon trip on the water
John_M, Mar 2026
The tour was terrific. Our captain, Troy, was a terrific guide. Awesome for families, would highly recommend
Rebecca_T, Mar 2026
This was an amazing experience! We only had 5 people in our group and Troy, our captain was very knowledgeable and fun. We had an amazing time!!! So grateful for this ocean experience.
Jaime_L, Mar 2026
Troy was great! We had a really nice time and what a nice treat to have a personalized experience with a captain instead of renting our own boat! We felt safe, and it was really enjoyable!
Liliana_M, Mar 2026
Super fun and the tour guide Dave was awesome! We got to see dolphins swimming by the boat and then found a bunch of shells on the beach when we stopped. The scenery was beautiful and we were taught a lot of things. It was overall a great experience and I 10/10 recommend!
Erika_C, Mar 2026
We had a great time and spotted several dolphins! I found lots of unique shells while snorkeling too. Our guide Dave was very knowledgeable about dolphins and on the area. We highly recommend!
Kaydance_M, Mar 2026
It was so so amazing a group of 5 and I went and we loved it we found sand dollars shells and got to see dolphins ! Definitely come do this if your down here the best experience ever.. ps get Tony I think was his name I think is his name he’s the best!
Amarie_G, Mar 2026
We saw about four pods of dolphins and that was amazing. Then I was able to find some hermit crabs by the beach except I wasn’t allowed to keep them. They were so cute! All around great experience.
Holly_W, Mar 2026
Great host/captain. Relaxing and beautiful views. Troy was very informative and entertaining. Would highly recommend.
Cynthia_P, Mar 2026
This 2-hour tour was a highlight of our trip. Our guide, Captain Troy was a friendly and thoughtful tour guide, making sure that we enjoyed every moment of the ride. I would recall this tour to people of any age. It was fabulous!
Donald_W, Mar 2026
Our guides were cool. We didn’t snorkel, but instead got in the water at a sand bar. Found dolphins along the way.
Heather_P, Mar 2026
We had so much fun. Noel was so knowledgeable and there was just us so the trip was very customized. Instructions and directions were very clear. The boat was comfy. We can say enough good things!!
Emily_F, Oct 2025
Great experience on a nice intimate boat. Like that they keep the group small. Guide was knowledgable and friendly!
Robin_D, Sep 2025
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
Danirl_C, Aug 2025
Being on the small boat and a small group was much more personal and received a lot of local information from the captain Dave. Seeing the lodge, dolphin boats, confirmed we made the right decision..
Cecilia_B, Aug 2025
Beautiful boat ride. Meghan our captain & guide was great. Snorkeling was a dud.
I was expecting to jump in off the boat to snorkel but you had to walk in off Shell key- nothing to see.
We did see a glimpse of a manatee and some dolphins while heading out and back.
Again being out on the water in a comfortable boat was great.
Ena_G, Aug 2025
We really enjoyed our 2 hour dolphin /snorkeling excursion. The boat was very spacious and even nicer than I had anticipated. There were 4 of us and had the boat to ourselves. Our boat captain Noel was very friendly and knowledgeable. We would definitely recommend this and plan on doing this again for an even longer excursion.
Ellyse_E, Aug 2025
I’m not normally someone who leaves reviews, however as I booked this based on others reviews, I wanted to leave one. The experience was incredible from start to finish, it felt very personal as a family of 5, we were the only ones on our boat. Megan was very knowledgeable about the wildlife in the area and was able to answer lots of questions that my children had. We saw a manatee before stopping at Shell Key island, where we enjoyed looking for different shells and snorkelling. Whilst there we saw a dolphin swim by so I was hopeful we would see some on our return journey and the trip did not disappoint. We were lucky enough to see 3 dolphins, one of which was a baby with its mother. They swam around the area of the boat, coming closer than I had imagined they would. It was truly an amazing experience.
Renee_E, Jul 2025
This was a beautiful experience! It was my girlfriend’s birthday and we went riding around looking for dolphin and to the beach on Shell Key! We found a bunch of dolphin and the beach was amazing! Captain Noel was awesome, very knowledgeable and I felt safe! We also met a nice couple celebrating their anniversary! It was perfect 🥰🥰
Victoria_S, Jul 2025
Great captain! Lots of dolphins and a manatee. Neat little Key with thousands of shells. Didn't find any big ones, but got enough small ones to fill a mason jar. Great day on the water. Noel.took excellent care of us.
tammy_s, Jul 2025
Wonderful Captain and very knowledgeable on her wildlife as she is a Marine biologist. She was able to show us five manities plus dolphins in our trip to Shell Island was amazing snorkeling.
Carrie_H, Jul 2025
Our guide, Noel was very knowledgeable about the area and provided a fun, laid back experience. Highly recommend!
Amber_E, Jul 2025
We started out with potential for inclement weather, Noel kept us out of the storm and ended up extending an hour and taking us for the best shelling we’ve ever done.
Liz_H, Jul 2025
Great experience! Nole was very knowledgeable and not corny like some captains can be 😂 he got in the water with us to show us some cool sea creatures and let us decide where we wanted to go for the day. He was super professional and I would 10/10 recommend!
Michael_B, Jul 2025
Wow what an experience. First of all our captain Meg was awesome. She was extremely knowledgeable about all of the wildlife we saw and was able to answer all of our questions. Having her background in Marine biology was a plus. We saw 3 dolphins on the way out to shell key which we followed for 10 minutes or so and while snorkeling we lucked out and saw a ton of fish. After collecting shells and heading back to the marina we lucked out again when she spotted 2 manatees. Overall what a great experience. A+
From $75.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Small Group 2 Hour Dolphin Cruise with Snorkeling to Shell Key
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