dolphin watching boat rides

The highlight of the day trip was watching the dolphins at only a "stone's throw" from the boat, surfacing and playing in our bow waves. I have some snapshots and I took nearly 10 minutes of close-up video!

Quick Tips:

Try going after a gulf storm - this tends to wash shells up on the reef. Also, you want the gulf water to be fairly warm, as this is more favorable to the dolphins. In 1993, we spent about for two adults and a barbecued chicken lunch.

Best Way To Get Around:

Get out to the coast (near DeSoto National Monument/Park - also a neat sight to see) and follow it north several miles to John's Pass. There are several gambling boats leaving from the south side of the channel, but the sight seeing boats are on the north side.

The town is made up to look like an old fishing town, complete with rusty-looking rooftops, large piers, and weathered boardwalks. Prices of the souvenirs are a bit high in the shops, but what isn't in Florida?!? the boat we were on was a 28 foot pontoon boat (complete with twin 150hp outboards - no slow whale) fitted with bench-type seats and a bathroom (with a flush toilet - not a porta-potty). The ride takes about 1 hour along the calm intercostal waterway, allowing you to view the fantastic estates (ask around in town - some captains are knowledgeable in history, some in biology, some in both) and the sea life.

Out on the reef, we collected some 40 sand dollars that had washed up on shore (get out early for the best picks) and many shells. We even (sadly) saw a dead manta ray in one of the lagoons. The reef isn't quite like survivor or Gillian's island, but it is fairly secluded - my best estimate is that it's about a mile from the nearest shore. There is some open water to cross, but most of it is quite calm, and life jackets were plentiful. To the north there are some resort homes, to the west is the Gulf of Mexico. Heading to the south or east faces you toward Tampa Bay, where in the distance you can catch a glimpse of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, along with it's prdecessor, now used as fishing piers.