Grand Lagoon · St. Andrews Bay · Shell Island
Panama City Beach Dolphin Tour
Three hours on the Island Time sailing catamaran from Grand Lagoon: about an hour at Shell Island to snorkel, swim and look for shells, then St. Andrews Bay and the Gulf for bottlenose dolphins.
- 4.9 / 5 5074+ Reviews
- 3 hours Duration
- 50 yards NOAA viewing distance
- 3 hours Dolphins plus Shell Island
- Free Cancellation
The Experience
What the Shell Island Dolphin Cruise Covers
Island Time's sailing catamaran from The Dock on North Lagoon Drive, with restrooms, shade and a bar on board.
Highlights
- About an hour at Shell Island with snorkel gear and paddle boards on board
- Dolphin watching in St. Andrews Bay and off the pass into the Gulf
- A large sailing catamaran with restrooms, shade and a bar selling drinks and snacks
- Morning and early-afternoon departures; check in 30 minutes early
What's Included
- Snorkel gear and life jackets
- Use of paddle boards
- Captain and deckhands
- Taxes and fees
Not Included: Gratuities (18% added for parties of 15 or more), Drinks and snacks (sold on board), Outside food and drink, except bottled water
How a Panama City Beach Dolphin Tour Works
Four choices to make before you book: the trip, the boat size, the time of day and the check-in.
Decide on Shell Island First
A 90-minute cruise watches for dolphins and passes Shell Island; a three-hour trip anchors there so you can snorkel, swim and walk the beach. Pick the three-hour trip if anyone in the group wants to get in the water.
Choose the Boat Size
A big sailing catamaran has restrooms, shade and a bar. A pontoon takes 18 or fewer and usually has no restroom. A private boat for up to six puts your group alone with the captain.
Pick the Time of Day
Morning and midday trips suit snorkeling at the island. The sunset trips move with the season, from late afternoon in winter to after 6 p.m. in summer.
Check In Early on Grand Lagoon
Most boats leave from the marinas on North Lagoon Drive and ask you to arrive 30 to 45 minutes early. Wear swimwear under your clothes and bring towels and sunscreen.
Photo Gallery
Shell Island and St. Andrews Bay
Photos from the Island Time listing: the catamaran, the island and the bay.
Book Your Experience
Check Dates and Prices
Dates, times and the live price open on the tour's Viator page.
Island Time Sailing
Shell Island Snorkel and Dolphin Cruise on the Island Time Catamaran
- 4.9/5 from 5,074 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor
- 3 hours
- From $52.43 per person (checked October 2026)
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
- The Dock on North Lagoon Drive, past Captain Anderson's and the Lighthouse Marina, Grand Lagoon; check in 30 minutes early
Trips
Pick the Trip, Then the Boat
Every trip here watches for the same resident dolphins in St. Andrews Bay. What changes is the stop at Shell Island, the time of day and who else is on board.
Prices are each page's featured tour: Viator checked October 2026.
Four Panama City Beach Dolphin Tours Compared
All watch for the bottlenose dolphins of St. Andrews Bay. Prices from the listings, with the month they were checked.
| Feature | THIS PAGE Island Time Catamaran | Small-Boat Snorkel | Six Guests at Most | Sunset Cruise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What You Pay | From $52.43 per person (checked October 2026) | From $55 per person (checked October 2026) | From $49 per person (checked October 2026) | From $41.73 per person (checked October 2026) |
| Time | 3 hours | 3 hours | 2 hours | 2 hours |
| The Boat | Sailing catamaran, restrooms on board | 32-foot pontoon, at most 18, no restroom | Pontoon, at most 6 | The same sailing catamaran |
| Shell Island | About an hour to snorkel and swim | Anchored to snorkel and swim | A stop to snorkel, weather permitting | Sails past at sunset |
| Best For | Families and first-timers | Snorkelers who want a smaller boat | Couples and small families | An evening on the water |
| Check dates | See the pontoon | See the small group | See the sunset trip |
Other Boats, Other Trips
More Panama City Beach Dolphin Tours
Small pontoons for 18 or 6, a water-park catamaran, a 90-minute catamaran with a restroom and a private boat for your own group.
SMALL BOAT, SHELL ISLANDSmall-Boat Shell Island Snorkel and Dolphin Tour
Three hours on a 32-foot pontoon from the Lighthouse Marina, at most 18 guests: a dolphin-watching run around the bay, then anchored at Shell Island to snorkel, swim and look for shells.
SIX GUESTS AT MOSTSmall-Group Dolphin and Snorkel Pontoon (Max 6)
Two hours on a pontoon from The Dock on Grand Lagoon, never more than six guests: dolphin watching in St. Andrews Bay and a Shell Island stop to snorkel, weather permitting.
INFLATABLE WATER PARKShell Island Water Park and Dolphin Cruise
Three hours on Paradise Adventures' catamaran from the Bayside Resort: a moored play area off Shell Island with an inflatable water park, kayaks, paddle boards and snorkeling, then a run out to look for dolphins.
90 MINUTES, RESTROOM90-Minute Dolphin Cruise from Grand Lagoon
Ninety minutes on a catamaran with a restroom from the Lighthouse Marina on Grand Lagoon, looking for dolphins around St. Andrews State Park and Shell Island.
PRIVATE, ST. ANDREWS2-Hour Private Dolphin Boat for up to 6
A private boat for your group of up to six, for two hours from C.S.S. Yacht Basin on Beck Avenue in St. Andrews: dolphin watching, a Shell Island stop and snorkeling if you want it, on a route you choose with the captain.
SNORKEL SAIL, ONE DRINKShell Island Snorkel and Dolphin Sail on the Footloose Catamaran
Three hours on Paradise Adventures' Footloose catamaran: snorkeling and a beach walk at Shell Island, then a sail into the Gulf to look for dolphins, with one drink included.
The Guide
Panama City Beach Dolphin Tours: Which Boat, Which Trip
One bay, one island and a few dozen boats. Here is how they differ and how to choose.
Almost every dolphin tour in Panama City Beach follows the same water. The boats leave the marinas on Grand Lagoon, run out into St. Andrews Bay, and look for bottlenose dolphins along Shell Island, the undeveloped barrier island almost seven miles long that shelters the bay from the Gulf, and off St. Andrews Pass, the channel between the jetties where the bay meets the Gulf. What you choose between is how long you stay out, whether the boat stops at Shell Island so you can get in the water, how many other people are on board, and the time of day.
The short answer
For a first dolphin tour, book Island Time’s Shell Island snorkel and dolphin cruise, in the booking box on this page. It is three hours on a large sailing catamaran from The Dock on North Lagoon Drive: about an hour anchored at Shell Island to snorkel, swim and look for shells, with snorkel gear and paddle boards on board, and two hours watching for dolphins in the bay and out past the pass. There are restrooms, shade and a bar selling drinks and snacks. It costs from $52.43 for adults and $41.73 for children aged 3 to 12, rated 4.9 from 5,074 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor (checked October 2026).
Check dates for the Island Time cruise
It is a big boat with a lively, family atmosphere and music on board, and check-in is 30 minutes before departure. No outside drinks are allowed except bottled water, and gratuities are extra. If you would rather be one of a handful of guests, or have the boat to yourselves, the cards below cover the other ways to go.
Pick by the trip
Shell Island Snorkel and Dolphin Cruise on the Island Time Catamaran
Three hours on a large sailing catamaran: about an hour at Shell Island to snorkel and swim, two hours of dolphin watching. Restrooms on board.
Check dates →Small-Boat Shell Island Snorkel and Dolphin Tour
The same plan on a 32-foot pontoon for at most 18 guests: dolphins in the bay, then anchored at Shell Island to snorkel. No restroom on board.
See the pontoon →Dolphin Sunset Cruise on the Island Time Catamaran
Two hours on the Island Time catamaran at the end of the day: dolphins near Shell Island, then the sun going down over the Gulf.
See the sunset trip →2-Hour Private Dolphin Boat for up to 6
A private boat for up to six from the St. Andrews marina, two hours on a route you choose: dolphins, a Shell Island stop, snorkeling.
See the private boat →Prices, ratings and review counts from the Viator listings (checked October 2026). Operators price by season and time of day, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
Where the boats leave from
| Departure | What leaves from there | More |
|---|---|---|
| The Dock, North Lagoon Drive (Grand Lagoon) | Island Time’s sailing catamaran, Lagoon Pontoons’ small boats | Shell Island dolphin tours |
| Lighthouse Marina, North Lagoon Drive | Good Jibez Only pontoons, Dolphin Cruise Co.'s 45-foot catamaran | Sunset dolphin cruises |
| Behind The Bayside Resort (Grand Lagoon) | Paradise Adventures’ catamarans, self-drive pontoons | Shell Island dolphin tours |
| C.S.S. Yacht Basin, Beck Avenue, St. Andrews | Private boats for up to six | Private dolphin boats |
| St. Andrews State Park | The ferry to Shell Island and a sunset cruise from the park dock | Shell Island shuttle and ferry |
Grand Lagoon is the short way out: its marinas sit just inside the pass. The St. Andrews marina is on the far side of the bay in Panama City, across the Hathaway Bridge from the beach hotels, which suits a private trip with time to cross the bay.
The dolphins you will see
The dolphins in St. Andrews Bay are common bottlenose dolphins of a resident group that NOAA Fisheries calls the St. Andrew Bay stock. Photo-identification surveys in 2015 and 2016 counted between 199 animals, in April 2016, and 315, in October 2016 (Balmer and others, 2019), so they are in the bay in every season, not passing through. Crews look for them along Shell Island, in the pass and off the jetties, and dolphins often swim alongside the boats.
NOAA also names Panama City as a long-standing hot spot for people feeding dolphins, including feeding close to shore to bring them nearer for tours, and feeding wild dolphins is illegal. Choose a crew that lets the dolphins come to the boat and keeps its distance. The wild-dolphin rules page sets out what the law says, why swimming with them is off the table, and how to report a boat that feeds them.
Shell Island: stop, or sail past?
The three-hour trips anchor in shallow water off Shell Island for about an hour, which is the only practical way to snorkel there unless you take the ferry. The 90-minute dolphin cruises pass along the island without stopping: Flipper’s Adventures’ catamaran, with a restroom, costs $32 a person on its 90-minute cruise, and Good Jibez Only’s small-boat dolphin tour is $35 (checked October 2026). The Shell Island dolphin tour page compares every boat that lands.
If you only want a beach day on the island, a tour is not the way to do it. The ferry from St. Andrews State Park and the Shell Island Shuttle from Grand Lagoon take you across and bring you back later; the Shell Island shuttle guide explains how they work.
What a dolphin tour costs
- 90 minutes, dolphins only: from $32 on Flipper’s Adventures’ catamaran, or $35 on a Good Jibez pontoon.
- Three hours with Shell Island: $52.43 on Island Time, $55 on the Good Jibez snorkel trip, or from $49 a person on Paradise Adventures’ Footloose catamaran, one drink included.
- Water park off Shell Island: $70.55 on the Paradise Adventures catamaran, with an inflatable park, kayaks and paddle boards; on GetYourGuide it is the Privateer water-park cruise, $71.
- Never more than six guests: $49 a person on Lagoon Pontoons' small-group trip.
- A private boat: $347 for the whole boat, up to six, on Capt. Zach's two-hour tour.
Viator prices checked October 2026; GetYourGuide checked October 2026. Gratuities are extra on most boats.
Before you book
- Sunset or daytime? The sunset trips move with the season; see the sunset dolphin cruise page.
- A private boat or a six-guest pontoon? Boats carrying more than six paying passengers must hold a Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection, which is why the private boats stop at six; the private dolphin boats page covers them.
- Which month? Summer is the main season, with spring break in March; the best time of year guide covers winter timetables, sunsets and hurricane season.
- Check-in is 30 to 45 minutes before departure on most boats, and late arrivals usually lose the trip.
Dolphins and an Hour on Shell Island
Island Time's sailing catamaran from Grand Lagoon: snorkel gear and paddle boards on board, about an hour at Shell Island and two hours watching for dolphins. Starting from $52.43 per person.
Check dates on ViatorMore Boats with Open Dates
Other Panama City Beach Boat Trips with Open Dates
Dolphin, snorkel and sunset trips around Panama City Beach with live availability. Times and cancellation terms are on each listing.
Panama City Beach Dolphin Tours: Questions
Prices, departure points, Shell Island and the rules on wild dolphins.
From $32 a person for a 90-minute cruise to $70.55 for a three-hour trip with an inflatable water park off Shell Island. Island Time's three-hour Shell Island snorkel and dolphin cruise is $52.43 for adults and $41.73 for children aged 3 to 12; a private boat for up to six is $347 for the whole boat (checked October 2026). Gratuities are extra on most boats.
Mostly from the marinas on North Lagoon Drive, on Grand Lagoon, close to St. Andrews Pass and Shell Island. Island Time and Lagoon Pontoons share The Dock; Good Jibez Only and Dolphin Cruise Co. use the Lighthouse Marina; Paradise Adventures leaves from behind The Bayside Resort. Some private boats start across the bay at the St. Andrews marina on Beck Avenue in Panama City, and the Shell Island ferry leaves from inside St. Andrews State Park.
The three-hour trips do; the 90-minute cruises only pass it. Island Time anchors at Shell Island for about an hour of snorkeling, swimming and shell hunting. The 90-minute dolphin cruises and most sunset trips watch for dolphins along the island without stopping. See the Shell Island dolphin tour page for every boat that lands.
No one can promise a wild animal, but bottlenose dolphins live in St. Andrews Bay all year. Island Time describes wildlife sightings as common but not guaranteed, and Paradise Adventures says it cannot guarantee a sighting. Dolphin Cruise Co. offers a free rain-check cruise if you see none.
No. Feeding or harassing wild dolphins is illegal under federal law, and NOAA Fisheries asks people not to swim with, touch or pet them. The guidance is to stay at least 50 yards away. The wild-dolphin rules page explains what that means on a boat, and why NOAA singles out Panama City.
On the big catamarans, yes. Island Time's sailing catamaran, Dolphin Cruise Co.'s 45-foot catamaran and Paradise Adventures' water-park catamaran all have restrooms. The small pontoons for 18 or 6 guests usually have none, and Shell Island is undeveloped: bring what you need and carry it back out.
Yes, on the catamarans at any age. On Island Time infants ride on an adult's lap and children 3 to 12 pay $41.73 (checked October 2026). On the jet-ski tours riders must be at least 6 and able to swim, and drivers 18.
Some do, on a shorter timetable. When we checked, Island Time's Viator calendar ran to November 28, 2026, with one midday departure a day in November, and its spring 2027 dates were not posted yet (checked October 2026). The dolphins stay in the bay all year; see the best time of year guide.
Morning or midday for snorkeling at Shell Island, late afternoon for the sunset cruises. Sunset in Panama City Beach comes at about 4:45 p.m. in December and about 7:48 p.m. in late June, so the sunset boats leave at different times through the year. The sunset dolphin cruise page compares them.
Swimwear under your clothes, a towel, a hat and sunscreen; gratuities for the crew are not included on most boats. Island Time asks for no aerosol sunscreen and allows no outside drinks except bottled water; Salty Fins lets you bring your own drinks and snacks. Island Time also suggests water shoes.
Still have questions? Email us at info@panama-city-beach-dolphin-tour.com