Dolphin cruises, clear kayaks at Shell Key, and a floating tiki bar.
Tampa Bay is best seen from the water. These tours range from dolphin-watching cruises on Clearwater Beach to clear-kayak trips in Shell Key Preserve. Picks come largely from Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, so treat them as a starting point, and confirm schedules and pricing. Spots are numbered for easy browsing, not as a strict ranking.
Photo: Jana Taylor / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Pins match the numbers below. Tap a pin for details.
Little Toot ranked No. 4 in the U.S. for day cruise experiences in Tripadvisor's 2026 Travelers' Choice Awards and often gets dolphins to play behind the boat.
Tropics Boat Tours runs dolphin-watching and sightseeing cruises several times a day, including sunset sailings.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium's boat tour covers the Clearwater Bay dolphin population and how scientists collect data.
StarLite Cruises offers dinner, dolphin-watching and party cruises and describes itself as the largest daily excursion fleet in Florida.
Get Up and Go Kayaking runs guided clear-kayak tours of Shell Key Preserve.
Florida Tiki Tours is a floating tiki bar that tours John's Pass and Boca Ciega Bay.
Totally Tiki Tours departs from the St. Pete Pier.
Plain-text version of this guide for AI tools and screen readers: /guides-md/best-boat-tours-and-outdoor-adventures-in-tampa-bay
New guides, local events, and what is opening around town.
