Manatee Discovery Tour: Kayaking Adventure

Join our 1.5-hour guided kayak tour in Anna Maria Island to encounter manatees, dolphins, and ospreys. Discover wildlife with expert naturalists. Book your adventure today.

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Coquina Beach South Boat Ramp - If you’ve ever wanted to see a manatee in its natural environment, you’re in luck! The Manatee Discovery Tour provides a unique kayaking adventure where you can observe these magnificent animals up close. Guided by our knowledgeable naturalists, these small group eco-tours last for 2 hours and are held in the…
What's Included
  • Dry bags
  • Paddles
  • Life jackets
  • Kayaks
Additional Information

If you’ve ever wanted to witness the wonder of manatees in their natural habitat, our Manatee Discovery Tour is the perfect choice for you. What sets our activity apart is the opportunity to embark on a kayaking journey specifically designed to encounter these magnificent creatures. Led by our experienced naturalists, our small group guided tours last…

Location
1465 Gulf Dr S
Gulf Drive South
Go to the Coquina Beach South boat ramp on Sarasota Bay at Coquina Beach. This is just south of Leffis Key Preserve and just north of the bridge that connects the southern point of Anna Maria Island to Longboat Key. We will be launching and landing our kayaks here. Please call with any questions.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(70 Ratings)
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Nicola
Nov 11, 2024
Fun and informative, great family experience - We booked the night before and Tommy sent us a well timed message giving us accurate location details of where to meet which was easy to find. Google search - Coquina Beach South Boat Ramp. We had 2 adults and a 12 year old and were given a double and single kayak, life jackets and dry bags for our stuff and a safety talk and signed a waiver. As we had kayaked before we didn’t need a tutorial but it was offered. It’s easy to pick up. We were helped into our kayaks by Kinsey and Tommy and lead out into the water and paddled to Jewfish Key and surrounding areas within the bay. The water is pretty easy to paddle in and sometimes there’s an opportunity to get into the water but there were a few ‘sea nettles’ (jellyfish) around so we stayed in our kayaks. Unfortunately we didn’t see manatees on our trip, and we were told there may be a small chance we wouldn’t as they’re wild animals but we saw raccoons, various birds, mullet fish which threw themselves out of the water which was great to watch and our guide, Kinsey, was really informative and interesting, telling us about the wildlife and surrounding area and made us feel very comfortable. We stopped on ‘beer can island’ and did some shell hunting then paddled back to the boat ramp. We were out for just over an hour and a half and really enjoyed our time. At the very end, our double kayak paddlers got tired and we got a tow back to the ramp for the last 10 minutes by our guide which was super appreciated! Even though we didn’t see any manatees Kinsey really tried hard to find them for us, we just weren’t lucky this time, possibly because hurricane Milton had caused such disturbance a few weeks before. We would really recommend doing this kayaking trip, it was fun, safe and it’s something we will definitely do again next time we come to Florida!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Diane_g
Nov 9, 2024
Fun times - This was so much fun, the tour guide was great!! He knew his stuff, gave us time to shell and just take in the sites. I would recommend this to anyone that is looking for a fun and educational opportunity.
Review provided by Viator
Scott_w
Nov 1, 2024
Amazing tour and great guide - We had an amazing time. Our guide, Kinsey (sp? Sorry if I got it wrong brother), was an extremely knowledgeable about local wildlife and shared a ton of information. It was a very small group, just my family, and we were eating up all his shared knowledge. Seriously, the kids could probably do a decent report on Florida coastline, manatees, local birds and so much more. Due to the recent hurricanes we had to adjust launch areas, but, the company was very communicative and made everything easy. I grew up on south Florida, but now live elsewhere, and while I thought I knew a lot about Florida ecology and manatees, he taught me a ton. I would highly recommend this tour and if you’re lucky enough to get Kinsey, you’ll have an outstanding time. Super mellow, old school traditional Florida vibes (I grew up on the east coast and miss that laid back Florida native personality). Highly recommend and I’d do it again any day. Thanks!
Review provided by Viator
Gregory_m
Oct 28, 2024
Great trip with knowledgeable guide - They made sure we went to a small park to see Manatees after the kayak float through the preserve. Saw lots of wildlife except the manatees, but as stated above-after the float we were shown a small park with manatees so still got to see them in the wild.
Review provided by Viator
Emily_s
Sep 28, 2024
manatees, dolphins, and sharks…OH MY! - We had the BEST time with Kinsey as our guide! He was funny, light-hearted, knowledgeable, patient, and his passion and love for people, his job, nature, and the Florida wildlife radiated from beginning to end! We saw beautiful scenery, the bluest of water, manatees, dolphins, jellyfish, a spider crab, and even a bonnet head shark! Such a fun, unique, and hands-on way to experience the island. We are so glad we booked this tour. P.S. Kinsey gets EXTRA stars for going above and beyond when it comes to caring for the people on his tours! We did this tour a couple days before the devastation of Hurricane Helene 🌀 hit Anna Maria Island. Kinsey knows we’re were staying in the island, and he called us later in the day to make sure we were safe and had evacuated. 🩵
Review provided by Viator
Jasmine_q
Sep 25, 2024
So so worth it! - The experience was so much fun, Kinsey had the best personality and made sure we got the most out of our tour! We got to see manatees, dolphins, and quite a few other types of wildlife. I would 100% do this again!
Review provided by Viator
Alex_b
Sep 23, 2024
F A N T A S T I C !!!! - Tommy was fantastic! He showed us around the wild life was amazing! Tommy was very patience with all of us and we are a handful for sure! You definitely need to try this guys out, it’s well worth your money. We loved it and we will do it again on our next trip this way. 💕
Review provided by Viator
Mackenzie_p
Sep 21, 2024
Family adventure with Tommy - Our Guide to was Tommy. He was filled with knowledge, will answer all questions. Going on the adventure plan to be quiet and calm. It may take time to find them but worth it, Tommy went the extra mile to make sure we got a great experience. Only strenuous paddling you have to do is across the current where the Gulf and Bay meet.
Review provided by Viator
Yvette_w
Sep 18, 2024
Beautiful Morning in Nature - My friend and I had a Wonderful morning kayaking with Tommy last week. He was enthusiastic and fun as he shared Beer Can Island and the tradition of the shells with us, and then ran down the beach pointing out and videoing two herds of manatees. He clearly loves what he is doing and sharing it with others. I highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Devinc317
Sep 16, 2024
Awesome Trip - Kenzie was excellent and very knowledgeable. We were traveling for our anniversary. He made the experience one to remember. We saw 6 manatee, dolphin, sting ray, star fish, crab, osprey, lots of other birds and went for a little swim at beer can island. I would highly recommend this company. Excellent customer service.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Select Date and Tickets
up to 15 guests
1 Adult
December 2024
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