The 10 Best Dolphin & Whale Watching in Panama City Beach, Florida (FL)

December 5, 2021 Deane Carmody

Panama City Beach, with its trademark white sand and warm Gulf waters, attracts everyone from spring breakers to retirees, singles to families. As a result, the city offers a range of activities for all ages and interests. Families won't want to miss the huge Shipwreck Island water park or the hundreds of animals and plants at Zoo World. Golfers will find plenty of top-rated courses and outdoor types can canoe, fish and nature walk at St. Andrew's State Nature Park. And there's always the 27 miles of beautiful oceanfront the city is famous for.
Restaurants in Panama City Beach

1. Water Planet

Excellent
92%
Good
4%
Satisfactory
1%
Poor
1%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 694 reviews

Water Planet

Water Planet offers a variety of fun and educational swim-with-the-dolphin tours for the whole family in Panama City Beach, Florida, including the opportunity to explore Shell Island, snorkel on ship wrecks and collect shells. We also offer dolphin therapy programs for children with special needs. Specialized help for small children by request during your tour.

2. Sea Dragon Pirate Cruise

Excellent
93%
Good
5%
Satisfactory
1%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 622 reviews

Sea Dragon Pirate Cruise

Enjoy an exciting and scenic 2-hour family Pirate activity cruise that includes dolphin sightings, great music, and non-stop pirate activities for the kids. Cold beer, soda, snacks, t-shirts & pirate souvenirs are available on board as well as clean restrooms. Located on Grand Lagoon in the Lighthouse Marina next to the Grand Marlin Resturant. Open March through October!

3. Island Time Sailing

Excellent
85%
Good
9%
Satisfactory
3%
Poor
1%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 1,460 reviews

Island Time Sailing

Island Time Sailing | Panama City Beach, FL islandtimesailing.com Let's set sail on The Island Time Sailing Catamaran on Panama City Beach. Create your own adventure in paradise on a variety of cruises including: -Shell Island Snorkel & Sail -Dolphin Sunset Cruise -Dolphin Day Sail -Private Charters for Events Enjoy a relaxing and fun sailing cruise on St. Andrews Bay as a family or couple. You'll have a great time with our friendly and fun crew. The Sunsets are Spectacular and the Dolphins are Friendly. The boat is equipped with two restrooms and a snack bar filled with lots of cold refreshments and tasty snacks. Call or Go to Our Website to Book Your Tour Today.

4. Sea Screamer

Excellent
96%
Good
3%
Satisfactory
1%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 1,458 reviews

Sea Screamer

Our Crew will Exceed YOUR Expectations! An exciting way to experience the beauty of Panama City Beach. This spacious yet comfortable twin turbo powered 73' passenger sightseeing boat offers a smooth yet thrilling ride unlike any other! Journey past Shell Island and cruise along the coast line to see all the sights and view dolphin surfing in the magnificent wake of the Sea Screamer. This is a very affordable two hour attraction and the fun & professional crew will ensure a ride to remember. We have been Cruizin' the World's Most Beautiful Beaches for the past 26 years, and enjoy having all of the fun return passengers back on board each time. The coastline cruise/original dolphin cruise departs four times in summer season & two times in autumn/spring. Check out this and all on our WEBSITE seascreamer.net. Reservations are Required. Trip Schedule is seasonal..open Feb-Dec, weather permitting.

5. Shell Island Blue Dolphin Tours

Excellent
89%
Good
6%
Satisfactory
1%
Poor
2%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 391 reviews

Shell Island Blue Dolphin Tours

3601 Thomas drive. Our hut is in the palm tree lined parking lot behind the Seafood market on the water.

6. Flippers Dolphin Tours

Excellent
92%
Good
4%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 537 reviews

Flippers Dolphin Tours

We Offer Personal Dolphin Tours, Boat Rentals, Double Decker Pontoon Boats with 2 water slides, Jet Ski Tours, Waverunner Rentals, Swim with Dolphin Tours & Snorkeling trips. We are located just East Of Capt. Anderson's Restaurant. Panama City Beach, Florida.

7. Osprey Charters

Excellent
100%
Good
0%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 139 reviews

Osprey Charters

Create your own private adventure aboard the "Osprey II" for 2 to 3 hours. Up to 12 passengers can ride comfortably aboard our customized skiff. You can go dolphin watching, snorkeling, sightseeing, or go exploring on Shell Island. You can even have a custom sunset tour. So, come enjoy a first class, stress free day with Osprey Charters.

8. Airboat Adventure

Excellent
83%
Good
13%
Satisfactory
3%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 1,200 reviews

Airboat Adventure

You will be amazed as you glide through just inches of water in the creeks and marsh area's off of the Intracoastal Waterway just 5 minutes from the beach. Look for wild Alligators, dolphins, birds of all kinds and more...DO NOT go to the hair dresser before you go on this tour! Live gator shows Wed-Sat 7ft gator..."BUBBA", fully voice and hand command trained, you WILL NOT see this anywhere else!!! Get your picture taken with a live alligator too! Our captains and crew are the best in the business! We've set the standard that others have to follow! North Florida's ORIGINAL Airboat and Alligator adventure!

9. Paradise Adventures Catamaran

Excellent
90%
Good
6%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 2,051 reviews

Paradise Adventures Catamaran

Family owned and operated, our number one priority is to offer each guest a fun, unique, fun filled adventure that will create lasting family memories! Paradise Adventures is your perfect destination that is fun for all ages. Our Adventure Tours have so many fun items for guests of all ages to enjoy! We offer a complimentary beverage on each trip and a full service cash/credit card bar on board with snacks, non-alcoholic beverages, beer, wine, frozen drinks and various cocktails available for purchase. We have two Catamarans to choose from.Both offer large and spacious decks with plenty of seating, sunning nets, wind and rain coverage, shaded cockpit, full service bar and two on board restrooms. We offer a variety of sails that include: 3 hr Adventure Tours out to Shell Island, Evening Sunset Sails, private charters, specialty cruises, birthday parties, singles cruises, weddings, bachelor/bachelorette sails, corporate sails and so much more!

10. Dolphin and Snorkel Tours Inc.

Excellent
98%
Good
2%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 1,321 reviews

Dolphin and Snorkel Tours Inc.

Dolphin And Snorkel Tours is a educational tour company for people who do not want to be in big groups of people and love and respect wildlife. Our boat never exceeds 6 guests per tour. Although the Bottlenose Dolphins are the main attraction, we also show you all kinds of local wildlife. Of course all the animals we see are wild, so we never quite know what we will get to see for sure. Aside from the dolphins, we see many different species of birds like Osprey, Pelicans, Eagles, Wading birds, and many more. We see an occasional Manatee passing through, Sharks, Rays, Turtles, colorful fish, and even Deer. On the snorkeling part of the tour, we go to one of our many places, there are tons of great snorkeling sites in the area. This area is considered to be one of the best places to snorkel in Florida. Some of the places we snorkel are shipwrecks, artificial reefs, sandbars, and sea grass flats. Captain Lorraine, who is the owner and operator, will get in the water with you and teach you how to snorkel correctly and she will pull up sea life like urchins, crabs, mollusks, starfish, sand dollars, and even fish. Of course we make sure to release these delicate creatures unharmed. We encourage guest to only take dead souvenirs home with them. We also stop on Shell Island, which is an uninhabited barrier island, full of shells, wildlife, and world class beaches. You thought the Panama City Beach's were beautiful? Then you are in for a treat, Shell Island Beaches are even more beautiful. Guests commonly say that they feel like they are in the Caribbean when visiting the island. This island can only be accessed by boat. We even do extended tours, where we drive down to the far end of the island or the next island, called Crooked Island, where most people don't get to go. These tours are so far off the beaten path that we can sometimes not see a single other soul for as far as the eye can see. The only thing you need to bring is a towel. We have everything you need from full gear, wetsuits, refreshments, floats, life jackets, sunscreen, a glass bottom viewer, a underwater microphone, and even some extra jackets just in case! Many people like to bring their own snacks and drinks on longer tours. Guests are allowed to bring beer and wine. We also provide an iced cooler and a picnic blanket for you. We are located in Bay Point Marina, which is the closest marina to Shell Island, the area's best snorkeling spots, wildlife rich area's and to the Dolphins. We are not a tour that spends most of our time in route. We start seeing wildlife almost immediately. Our location also allows us to go further off the beaten path down the coastline then many other tours. Here at Dolphin and Snorkel Tours, we have two goals. Our first goal is to be the best tour you will ever be on. We want to make you feel special. We treat you like family when you're with us. We customize our tours to fit your needs and wants. We even do special customized cruises, like concert cruises, moonlight cruises, night snorkeling, engagement cruises and just about anything you can think of. Our second goal is to provide fun, educational experiences, that allow for a greater understanding and respect for wildlife. We pride ourselves in not participating in any harassment of dolphins. We do not chase, feed, or force wild dolphins to swim with us. If they could, the dolphins would thank you for choosing a tour outfitter that cares.

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