This was by far the best sunset cruise we have done! Captain Kieran was so friendly and…read moreknowledgeable we had the best time!!

We were originally on the fence about booking this tour, but I am so glad we did!! Kieran was our…read moretour guide and was super accommodating with us. If you have kids, they provide them with life vests and such! We saw a lot of dolphins, pelicans, osprey's, manatees and even saw an Eagle Ray pop out of the water! Kieran had a lot of information about the life around us and even had some Dolphins ride the wave behind our boat! It was awesome. Thank you Kieran, this was a great family experience.

We took two tours with Sand Dollar Shelling. We went to the 10,000 on the first day and did a…read moreprivate tour that left out of Naples the next day. The tour guides were absolutely wonderful. They were very professional and knowledgeable. Everything was smooth from booking to checking in. Top notch. My husband even found the "holy grail" of shells...that's right a Junonia!!!!!!

I chose this particular boat tour due to the rave reviews…read more First of all there was no stand or building where they are located, so we walked around the parking lot and shopping center until we could get in touch with the driver. Turns out you just have to look for their truck in the parking lot. That wasn't made clear at the time of booking. It was a fine boat ride, but felt more like a water taxi than a tour. We saw dolphins on the way to go shelling which was neat... but so did every other boat in the vicinity. We only had about 1.5 hours to go shelling which wasn't nearly enough time. Keewaydin Island was beautiful but we didn't have time to enjoy it. After our boat taxi ride was over we tipped the driver $30. Mind you this ride didn't include food, drinks (other than water) or snacks. A day later we got an automated email asking us for a tip (if we hadn't already). Mind you we did NOT take a private tour- it was two groups of 3 people. The email said: "If you have not tipped * Boat captains often rely on tips as a significant part of their income, particularly in the tourism industry where tipping is customary. A 20% gratuity or Minimum of $100 per Captain on Private tours is customary for this type of tour. If the captain was amazing feel free to tip more." Excuse me? We paid $370 for 2 adults and 1 child for a less than 3 hour excursion to Keewaydin Island. They were expecting an additional $50-$75 in tips? This was by far the most expensive boat "tour" we've been on, and we've done many- Italy, Mexico, Zimbabwe, Hawaii, California, Maine, and three others in Florida. I wrote the company an email bc they send out 2-3 emails afterwards asking you to leave a review... and if it's not 5 stars to email them directly. They never responded. Two sets of my in-laws were wanting to go on a tour in the coming weeks and we told them both not to waste their money on Sand Dollar Shelling. So now I'm telling you too.

We didn't know what to expect when we booked this excursion, other than that we were going to go…read moreshelling. At about $600 for our group of 6, we thought it was expensive, but you only live once, right? Well, now that our vacation is over and done with, I can say that that was the best $600 ever spent! First off, we had a private tour. After doing research, other excusion companies were charging the same or more, and you were on a boat with a bunch of other people you didn't know. It was just our little group of 6 and our captain on this boat. Second, we saw dolphins. Dolphins doing it. I didn't know that was on my bingo card, but here we are! It's pink. That's all I'm sayin'. Third, and the most exciting, we saw a manatee! Sure it was only one, but after Captain Jeff explained that we might not see any, and also why that might be, we were ecstatic and thankful. Lastly, the shelling. We didn't find anything spectacular, like a sand dollar, but we all found nice, intact, beautiful shells of different kinds that will forever remind us of this awesome trip. Captain Jeff was not only friendly, he was extremely knowledgeable about the area and the animals. We learned a lot and had fun at the same time. Highly recommend!!!! 124/2025

What a fabulous day! We did a private dolphin and shelling excursion with Captain Matt. We…read moreabsolutely LOVED everything about this experience. The little island that we visited was completely made out of seashells - so beautiful! Then, we were able to search for dolphins and definitely saw several. It was such a good day! Perfect way to celebrate my daughter's 18th birthday!! Thanks Captain Matt!!

Boat was a blast. Tour was very interesting. Guide was great. Saw Dolphins, eagles, osprey. Shells.read more

This is easily the best way to get a first and true experience of what the Marco Island area was…read morelike prior to development. We loved driving the Craig Cats, seeing dolphins playing from 1 foot above the waterline, learning about the ecosystem here and the Calusa Indians who once lived here. Tony is a super guide and a heck of a terrific person. Bring some cool drinks for the cooler provided on board and have one of the most unique adventures ive ever had on a vacation!

We had an amazing experience with Captain Nate. We booked a private tour, and in our booking we…read moreindicated that our priority was to see manatees and then dolphins. When we arrived Captain Nate told us he would try, but that January is not the best time to see manatees around Marco Island. About 5 minutes later, he found one. The manatee was friendly and curious, so we got to spend a long time watching him as he swam near the boat. We were all ecstatic. We then went out and eventually found a pod of dolphins, including a baby, who had fun swimming in the wake of the boat. Captain Nate was incredibly nice, helpful, and knowledgeable. We had a really great experience that we will remember for the rest of our lives. I highly recommend this company and tour!

Booked our second trip with Captain John - great tour of Marco and shelling on the outer island…read more Thanks!!!

We found Captain Marc thru the Marriott. Contacted him by phone and arranged for a private boat…read moretour for my granddaughters and 4 adults. It was the best decision we could have made. Marc was a great guy who educated us on the wildlife and took us to 2 shelling islands and the Dome Houses. The highlight for the girls was Marc was able to get Dolphins to ride the wake of his boat for 30 minutes. The granddaughters were so excited. On the shelling island he took time to show us the rare shells and even helped us to collect a lot of rare sand dollars. We highly recommend Captain Marc's tour.

From the owner: Relax and enjoy this 3-hour tour with Saltwater Magic Boat Tours on our brand new 2020 Robalo 25…read moreft. vessel, cruising through The Ten Thousand Islands with comfortable seating and T-Top for shade. Tours have a 6 passenger maximum. Let our Captain show you the beauty of the Gulf of Mexico. Enjoy dolphins, shelling, wildlife, nature, barrier islands, Kice Island, beaches, Dome Houses at Cape Romano...

This was an absolute incredible experience. The lead that navigated us through all the turns and…read morekeys was Devon. He was totally professional, his instruction was easy to understand, he educated in many areas (boat operations, on Bismal Key, on White Horse Island, about dolphins, etc.). My wife and I had one of the most memorable vacation experiences ever, thanks to Devon with Backwater Adventure. I am now so excited to share my experience with others!!!!

This was a BLAST! We went out today and the weather was iffy (stormy). Their priority was our…read moresafety, so they had us wait a bit until things looked better. We went out a bit late but the guides (Andrew, aka Big Mamma) and Devon were amazing. So experienced and kind and fun and helpful. We went out and got in about an hour and a half before the weather turned stormy/lightning again, and we had to head back early. It was still a total blast and we were stunned when we learned they were offered a refund. Seriously, they have no control of the weather. So I didn't expect it. But their priority was 1) our safety, and 2) our fun. We will DEFINITELY come back. This was worth it. Thanks guys!

What an EXCELLENT charter fishing and ecotour we had with Captain Brig and Captain Christina of…read moreEverglades Discovery Tours. These guys know their stuff. Fish caught on every cast, then a little shelling and going through the mangrove tunnels of the 10,000 Islands. This was the best fishing and boat tour we've ever had. Best pricing too, by the way. These guys are great big fun (and really knowledgeable). We will be doing this again real soon! Thanks Brig and Christina!

All that it was advertised to be Lots of fun dolphin time we saw a bald eagle osprey blue heron…read more The shelling beach was perfect The captains were informative and friendly and great with kids

Great boat tour with tons of dolphins, some birding, mangrove investigating, and sunset finish…read more Captain Clay rocks!!, great banter, good piloting of the boat for comfort, knowledge of the area, and perfect wakes to attract dolphins chasing us. Thank you CLAY!!