They made the experience tailored and special. The captain was kind and made an effort to know all of our names. Highly recommend.

We had the best time on our private boat 2-hour tour. We had the best captain/guide, Mike, who was a knowledgeable, fun, authentic local with vast knowledge of the area, its wildlife and history. We had lots of dolphin sightings and were able to snorkel and check out the beautiful Shell Island. Lived every minute of it! Highly recommend this business, and if you do a private tour, ask for Mike! He is amazing! read more

Blue Dolphin Tours - Saint Andrews Bay - Boating Near Me - Panama City, Florida

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Captain Mike was amazing! He took us to all the rights spots! We got to swim with wild dolphins, hung out on a totally deserted beach with tons of shells, snorkeled where we found sea urchins, leopard starfish, sand dollars, and blue crabs. Can't recommend Blue Dolphin Tours enough! read more

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Captain Mike was amazing! I highly recommend this company. The weather was against us but what can you do about that, we couldn't get out and swim with dolphins because the water was just too choppy/aggressive and the dolphins didn't want to hang around long. The storm rolling in did create an exciting boat trip though! Our captain was knowledgeable and personable and we got so close to a couple dolphins even with the waters being a little rough. Shell island and snorkeling and the beach were incredible! The water was so clear and I found a ton of creatures to share with my kids. On the way back we found some sea turtles too! This was my favorite part of our vacation. read more

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Couldnt have ask for a better dolphine tour. We seen plenty of dolphins and he also took us to see some of the near bye. The captian was super nice and very informative. You could tell he loved his job and that always makes for a better time for all read more

BEST FREAKING TIME EVER!!! We reserved the private 3 hour boat tour (dolphin, shell island, snorkeling). Benji was our Captain and he was absolutely phenomenal!! I wouldn't have wanted anyone else!! He was so much fun and interacted with everyone in our group (a Memaw, 3 adults and 2 kids). Shell island was awesome!! Seen crabs, sting rays, fish and found some awesome shells. The water is stunning. Didn't see many dolphin, but we know and common sense tells us, that no one can control that. Kids enjoyed snorkeling (they really just wore the goggles LOL) It really was an awesome time and worth every penny!! Will absolutely do this again when we visit!! read more

Blue Dolphin Tours - Boating Near Me - Panama City, Florida

This was my first experience going on a boat tour and the only way it would've been better was if the dolphins let us actually swim with them. Our tour guide, Jason, was very friendly and made the trip so much fun. Very good driver and was able to find a Manatee and a Dolphin on our excursion!! He tried to get ahead of the dolphin enough so we could jump in and swim with it, but the dolphin just wasn't having it. He said a lot of times the first tour of the day it was more challenging to find the dolphins, so would probably choose a later tour time if I go again. Overall a great experience and I'd definitely ask to have Jason as our guide again!! read more

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We looked at other places for a dolphin tour with our family of 5, but most were incredibly expensive. We originally chose Blue Dolphin because of the more reasonable price. We had SO MUCH fun! Captain Guy was amazing. He shared information with us, took care of our twin 6 year olds, told us about the area and was so caring. Shell Island and the dolphins were beautiful! We would absolutely do this tour again and would request Guy again! Thanks so very much! 2 hours went really quickly! read more

Amazing time! Turtle was an amazing captain and was so good at pointing dolphins out and guiding us to best interact with them in the water. He was so kind to take extra time to take photos and allow us to see other animals such as the jelly fish. It was an amazing time! Thanks read more

We booked a private dolphin tour for our family of 6 last minute after a friend recommended this company. We called on a Wednesday and we were able to get in the next day. Our family HAD A BLAST!! We got to swim with dolphins, saw a baby dolphin, a sea turtle, got to dive for shells and look at a shipwreck, as well as being shells home for souvenirs. Ask for Captain Guy! He is hilarious and was a hit with the kids. He made sure we all had fun and was eager to please our family. Will be back for sure!! If you're on the fence about this one, don't wait. We're usually very frugal and don't spend much on excursions, but this was reasonable and well worth the price! read more

Blue Dolphin Tours - High-fiving captain Guy! - Boating Near Me - Panama City, Florida

We had an outstanding time with this really well done outfit. Captain Mike was a great guide. Our family of 6 had the whole boat to ourselves, and we were fortunate enough that not only did the dolphins and the weather cooperate, we also got to swim along side of a school of enormous tarpon. Thanks again, Capt. Mike! read more

My friends and I are visiting from Texas and we obviously had to go dolphin watching and we were not disappointed!! We had Mike as our tour guide and he is such a sweet man, he explained everything to us and made sure our tour was a great experience. We were so lucky, we saw soooo many dolphins- not even exaggerating we saw about 20 and the weather was perfect. Obviously it won't be guaranteed that you see dolphins BUT the boat ride, the island & the tour guide made for a great experience on its own. I recommend 10/10. Everyone was kind and the booking was smooth and easy as well. read more

Best Sunset Cruise Ever! First time we have ever taken a sunset cruise and it will now be a must every year! I cannot speak highly enough of Captain Bryce. He went out of his way to make sure we had the best time possible! We got to swim with dolphins, snorkel, look for sand dollars and see the most beautiful sunset. When we thought we were finished, he surprised us by showing us deer on the beach! He was friendly and very knowledgeable. This was definitely the highlight of our vacation! read more

Blue Dolphin Tours - Sunset - Boating Near Me - Panama City, Florida

Captain Mike was super welcoming and easy to get along with. He stopped for all the dolphins, showed us where turtles would be, stopped at the ship wreck, and let us walk around and snorkel at shell island. He's a great captain and we were glad to have him for a second time. read more

Four hour boat tour with Captain Dave. Captain Dave is knowledgeable, caring and generally a pretty good guy. It's early spring, not real warm. Captain Dave was able to locate many dolphins as part of this venture. Took us to shell island and a couple of snorkel spots. Panama Beach is not a snorkelers paradise. There is fish but not much color. The boat trip was good, the captain was great, the weather sucked. read more

Keaton (Turtle) was AWESOME! Best experience of our whole week here in Panama City Beach!!! We got to swim with 5 dolphins! And since they are wild animals and not in an enclosure (like some hillbilly places that put making a dollar over preserving a quality of life for beautiful creatures with higher IQs than most people I've met in 40 years), there is no guarantee that you will even see any... So keep that in mind. But our captain found, followed, and put us in the water with more of these remarkable creatures than we could imagine.... The private tour is the same price as going on a packed boat with over 100 people who scare the dolphins off and you're lucky to see one surface over the course of a day! Definitely check out the Blue Dolphin Private Tour if you're in Panama City Beach! And ask for TURTLE! read more

My family booked a private sunset dolphin tour and had "Turtle" as our captain! (Seriously, ask him about the story for his nickname) He took us to a couple really neat places! (A shipwreck and a tower with an Osprey nest at the top) We saw some moon jellies and a lot of seagulls on top of the dolphins! They came really close to our boat so it was cool seeing wild dolphins that close! We saw a pod of about 4-5 dolphins swimming formation! read more

Blue Dolphin Tours - This dolphin was right next to our ship, was really cool being this close to a wild untrained dolphin! - Boating Near Me - Panama City, Florida

This company was tied with shell island tours. We rented the 6 person two hour pontoon boat with private captain, Mike. He was great getting us to the dolphins and telling us when to get in the water so they would come close to us. Took us to shell island where we bailed off to go on the beach and collect shells and sand dollars. Also saw group of stingrays swimming in water. Fabulous time loved it!!! Would definitely go again. read more

If you are looking for a dolphin tour this is the one...We had 6 people so the boat was all ours and we found dolphins right away! Capt. Roger was amazing!!! We only wanted to see the Dolphins and swim with them and that's what we got to do! The boat ride out was fun and exciting! 2 hours was plenty of time to spend with them:) The price was great and to have our on boat with no others was the way to go! Definitely worth doing!!! You won't be disappointed! read more

Blue Dolphin Tours - Swimming with dolphins!!! - Boating Near Me - Panama City, Florida

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We rented a boat for 2-hours and had a great time with our 3 little girls (ages 4, 8, 10). It's simple to book, easy to plan, pretty affordable, convenient for small groups, and entertaining. $285 total after taxes and fees, which is roughly what you'd pay on a bigger group charter. We saw a pod of dolphins 15 minutes out, and were able to get within 10 feet at one point. The snorkeling isn't anything special, the water is pretty murky at Shell Island, but it's perfect for little kids since you're in 3 feet of water. Our captain was a nice guy, we talked about all kinds of stuff on the ride, and he got out in the water with us to find interesting creatures to show the kids. If you have a small group and are looking for a simple day activity/adventure this is a great option. Quick tips. Go to their website to book and pay, as they will redirect you there if you call in. It's expected to tip your captain afterwards if you had a good time. There are no restrooms at the location, so come dressed. If you have to "go" you'll have to go to a neighboring fish market where you'll have to buy something to use their restroom ($10 purchase or more to use a card there too). Bring sunscreen or you'll be toast out there! read more

Captain Mike showed us a wonderful time! The weather was perfect today and the water was clear. It was fun to fly across the water on the fast little Blue Dolphin boat. I chose this tour company because of nostalgia brought by the name. I always loved the book "Island of the Blue Dolphins" as a child, and where could I go wrong with my favorite color and my favorite animal together. Blue Dolphin Tours did not disappoint from the high expectations. The dolphins were the key to our joy. After searching for some dolphins for a little while we found a pod fishing. Fortunately the other boats who tended to crowd around had strayed away leaving the dolphins with us. My 11 year old son and I jumped in with our masks and one noodle. The dolphins swam around and under us. They interacted most with my son and I saw them doing several corkscrews and looking at me. I don't know why it i so healing to swim with dolphins. I felt invigorated and renewed by the adventure and my son was thrilled. This was my 3rd experience swimming with the dolphins. My prior two trips with Water Planet were also wonderful. I decided to try a new company to save money. Blue Dolphin was a somewhat stripped down experience in comparison. The undersea world is still the same and that is the most important part. Captain Mike has a sweet personality and made us feel comfortable and secure in those deep waters. Only things to improve: 1. There were none of those underwater disposable cameras for sale at the dock so I wasn't able to get those pics. 2. I would have enjoyed a little more educational talk similar to what Water Planet does. 3. I would have enjoyed a more reverent approach to the healing abilities of a swim with the dolphins. read more

By far the best thing we did while in Panama City Beach. On my daughters 13th birthday she wanted to swim with dolphins, so my husband booked with Blue Dolphin and it was simply amazing experience. Our captain was Tom and he was very professional and personable. We saw several dolphins and we even got in the water and swam with them. Tom took us to the jetties for some snorkeling. We saw lots of fish, crabs and sea urchins. He also took us to the sandbar and we found so many sand dollars, sea urchins and a beautiful starfish! We enjoyed our time with Tom but wished we could have stayed longer. The boat was nice and clean and they provide all the snorkeling gear. You can take on a small cooler for snacks and drinks. My family and I enjoyed this trip very much and would recommend it. read more

I'm a bit torn on how to review this place. On one hand, my wife and I had a great time, but on the other there were some bits about the tour that stuck out funny. But since we ultimately enjoyed ourselves, I'm going to rate this positively and leave all the details below for everyone else to make their own judgement on if they'd like to read through it all. We took the $50 per person 2 hour trip to snorkel with the dolphins and visit Shell Island. Our captain arrived to the dock about 15 minutes late, but wasted no time shoving off once he arrived. To our amazement, even though we were the only two people who signed up for the trip, they still went out. So we basically had the boat to ourselves! On the way out, the captain did not really point out any landmarks or any points of interest to us, and basically just sped to the primary destination near Shell Island. It could just be that we are used to the more laid back dolphin tours of St. Pete. It just seemed odd to me that he wasn't pointing out anything even though there were a lot of interesting structures, sunken ships, and houses we went by. Otherwise the captain seemed more than happy to answer any questions. I also think he might have been trying to minimize how much he bothered us since we were alone- possibly to make things more romantic. Once we arrived at the first stop, we spent a bit of time looking for dolphins. The dolphins here seem to hang around more because of people giving handouts rather than it being a natural habitat for them. So consequently, they'll approach you, but leave quickly when they realize you don't have food. This of course is not an encouragement for you to feed the dolphins as it's against the law and encourages really harmful behavior. Anyway, we spotted an interested male and got him to hang around for a bit while my wife got pictures. The captain encouraged us to pretend like we had food and reach into our pockets to get him to hang around. However, it really didn't seem like a good idea to me to tease a male dolphin like that so I just observed the dolphin until he got bored and swam off. Definitely the closest I've ever been to a wild dolphin! We also passed over a very old shipwreck, which the captain didn't even make mention of until we asked about the dark shapes below. Once he told us what it was, he suggested we snorkel a bit around the area and we did. There was quite a reef system going so there was plenty to see, from sting rays to juvenile groupers! He also took us near some breakers where another artificial reef had formed that was even more abundant with life. This was my favorite part of the trip as I haven't seen so many fish in one place since we had the good fortune of visiting the Florida Keys a few years ago. We didn't end up going to Shell Island at all, but that was also because we were enjoying snorkeling so much. So on one hand the captain was very flexible which I commend, but on the other he didn't seem to provide the kind of guidance I've received on other similar cruises. So take all of this as you will. As I said, my wife and I enjoyed ourselves, but I wanted to point out a few things that may irk some people. read more

Just took our family out with Captain Tim and had a great time. Price was great for private tour with our family. 2 hours was just the right amount of time for a 5 year old and a 3 year old. Super flexible on what we wanted to do. Kids loved swimming at shell island. Would definitely recommend!! read more

Blue Dolphin Tours - Kids enjoying the boat! - Boating Near Me - Panama City, Florida

We had a great tour with Captain Mike today! We were late getting there, but he still took us out & kept us out longer than our scheduled reservation. It was a very wavy & windy day, but that didn't stop him from taking us out on the Gulf to find many, many pods of dolphins- we even saw a baby. Our kids were having so much fun in the rocky water, that he stayed out & battled the waves to our kids delight! He was a great tour guide, pointing out many of the land marks & points of interest along the way. The kids got a real kick out of shell island too- Mike made sure to have bags for their shells & helped them find sand dollars too! If we ever decide to return to PCB, we would definitely come back to Shell Island Blue Dolphin Tours & Captain Mike! read more

Blue Dolphin Tours - One of many pods of dolphins that we saw in the rocky waters today! - Boating Near Me - Panama City, Florida

The tour was great! Mike the captain was a delight. He took us around and immediately got us with the Dolphins! We swam then went to shell island to gather shells and enjoy the solitude of the beach. Mike ensured our safety and we felt very comfortable with him. The tour was something we will never forget. Highly recommend. read more

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Great family fun with our adult children! Our captain turtle got us up close with the dolphins and was encouraging when encountering the dolphins in the water. Spent an hour with the dolphins and an hour snorkeling. Captain Turtle took time and got in the water with us, explaining the special marine life that surrounded us. Even with slight rainy conditions, it was very enjoyable. Would definitely go back! read more

This was by far the best experience my family and I have had in Panama City Beach yet. It was unbelievably reasonable, price wise, and it was unforgettable. Amazing seeing the dolphins in their natural habitat and the guide was phenomenal. I recommend anyone to go do this while visiting PCB. read more

Blue Dolphin Tours - Boating Near Me - Panama City, Florida

We booked a private tour and was not disappointed. We had a great guide. We saw lots of dolphins and got to swim with them. My mom got sick on the boat and the guide was so nice to her. I would do this again. Pay the extra money and get a private tour it was so worth it. read more

Was great tour. Found Dolphins multiple times. Guide helped fund shells. Found some average one and a larger than average. We had 4 kids with us. Everyone really enjoyed. From the ride to the Dolphins to the shells. Would recommend to anyone. read more

Turtle was a really nice guy and he gave us a very good tour and helped me not be scared to swim with dolphins was really fun would recommend!! read more

Great guided tour from Captains Mike & Brent, our family had a wonderful time snorkeling and watching dolphins.

Captain Brent was awesome! We went out and saw lots of dolphins and even got to jump in with them. He also took us to a spot to go snorkeling. It was our first time and it was incredible seeing so many fish. Brent even grabbed a sea urchin and crab for us to see. He was very knowledgeable. I definitely recommend! read more

We scheduled our trip in advance, so the weather wasn't great when we went. It was too cold for us to really 'swim' with the dolphins since we weren't getting in the water, but it was still AMAZING! Our captain was very good at pointing out different things along the way. He spotted dolphins long before any of us did, and even though we didn't get in the water, the dolphins came right up to the boat. It was so much fun we will definitely take another tour when we come back! A fantastic adventure at a great price, what more could you ask for! read more

This was amazing. The tour guide was fantastic took us exactly where the dolphins are and even took us to the shore to find sand dollar shells. Swimming with dolphins was amazing coming right beneath you. Our captain was amazing. Overall it was totally worth it and will be glad to do it again. read more

Awesome tour. Saw a lot of dolphins, and even a baby. Our daughter was ecstatic. Our tour guide James was awesome. He even got out in the water and snorkled with us. He helped our daughter get sand dollars and showed us a star fish. Would do it again. read more

Blue dolphin tours know how to make a rough day at sea absolutely magical! Dolphins were scarce at first, but Mike and Brent got on the phone and found where they were to take us right to them! Dolphins flipping in the air! 3 dolphins swimming in unison! Sooo many dolphins! Then a squall came and we had to go back. But the ride back in the rain with the boat getting soaked was sooo much fun. Kids said it was the best day ever. Got back inside the jetty and went to a shallow area to snorkel. They provided plenty of masks and snorkels for us to explore and we found the largest starfish I have ever seen. Plus plenty of blue crab, sand dollars, more starfish, tons of fish, sea urchins, etc. The perfect day. Thank you! read more

Always a great time. We go every year and came down for a Christmas vacation this year. We were the only ones on the boat and we saw a ton of dolphins, sea turtle, starfish,sea urchin, and found some sand dollars on shell island! Fun time even on a chilly December morning! read more

Blue Dolphin Tours - Boating Near Me - Panama City, Florida

Captain Mike was a great guide. He successfully navigated us to a lot of opportunities to swim with dolphins for an unforgettable experience. On top of that, Captain Mike was very friendly and approachable. Highly recommend. read more

This is the perfect tour company if you are traveling with kids and/or want a more relaxed experience compared to other charters. We were looking for a more intimate opportunity to get out in the water and thanks to other reviews we selected this group. Captain Neill was fantastic, laid back and a great guide. The waters were rough so we were limited on where we could go but that did not impact the great experience we had. Our 8 yr old had a wonderful experience, as did we, getting in the water at several spots, watching dolphins, a sea turtle, and other marine life. Would highly recommend it and wish we had the time to take it back out now that the waters have settled. read more