Clear Kayak Tour: Explore Shell Key Wildlife

Embark on a thrilling clear kayak tour in St Pete, exploring the abundant wildlife of Shell Key preserve and Fort Desoto park. Discover dolphins, manatees, rays, and a variety of shore birds on this 2-2.5 hour adventure.

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • 2830 Pinellas Bayway S - Open water kayaking through the 1800 acre nature preserve of Shell Key, and Fort DeSoto park. See all the wildlife through our clear transparent kayaks.
What's Included
  • Kayak and lifejacket
  • Free parking
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Drinks
Additional Information

Embark on an intriguing kayak journey in St Pete, utilizing our Crystal Clear kayaks. The tour provides an engaging view of marine life within the Shell Key preserve and Fort Desoto park. Our trained guides deliver a captivating description of the surrounding wildlife and ecosystem. Group sizes for these tours could be from 2 to 16 individuals and run for about 2 to 2-1/2 hours. Tours are mainly conducted in the sheltered waters and mangrove passages of the Shell Key Wildlife Preserve in Pinellas County. This 1,800-acre preserve is a familiar route for Dolphins, Manatees, Rays and numerous different shorebirds such as pelicans, egrets, herons, cormorants, ospreys, and occasionally roseate spoonbills.

Please be advised: This physical activity is NOT recommended for the Senior Citizens or Overweight individuals, or those suffering from back related ailments/issues, or people with other physical conditions. It is essential to be physically fit to partake in this venture.

  • Minimum age is 6 years
  • For the tandem kayak option (2 per kayak) please note you only need to book 1 ticket (1 adult) as you are booking one kayak for two.
  • Not suitable for the obese.
  • Not suitable for the elderly.
Location
2830 Pinellas Bayway S
Pinellas Bayway South
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.7
(163 Ratings)
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1 star
S6531rvbethw
Jul 4, 2024
Island Ferry Tours - This tour was amazing! It well exceeded our expectations. We saw dolphins, cormorants and mating horseshoe crabs. The mangrove tunnels were picturesque and super cool. Our guide Kristy was very informative and a lot of fun. We would highly recommend this tour to anyone!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Renecu5401tj
Jun 29, 2024
Fun kayaking trip! - The kayak trip to Shell Key was so much fun! The mangroves were cool to see, and the beach at Shell Key was beautiful. We were able to see dolphins, the largest conch snail I had ever seen, crabs, and starfish (spotted everywhere all along the top of the seagrass). Raina, our guide, was very so informative and made sure we didn't miss anything!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Z8847apmikew
Jun 23, 2024
Excellent tour! - My family really enjoyed this tour. We would definitely do it again. The beach was beautiful as well as going through the mangrove tunnels.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Adventurersskk
Jun 17, 2024
Would do this tour every day if I could!! - This tour was fantastic! The weather was perfect and the mangroves were beautiful. Kristi was a terrific guide-she was very knowledgeable, so sociable and lots of fun. We got to kayak with dolphins and saw a wide variety of wild life. Our time on the gulf was relaxing and refreshing on a hot day. Found great sand dollars and shells and had a great swim. I would take this tour every day if I could-so relaxing and so much fun. A must do if you are in the area!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Heathergc296dz
May 21, 2024
Beautiful views - My husband and I had an amazing time on the guided kayaking tour in Shell Key Preserve! The breathtaking scenery made for an unforgettable adventure, and our knowledgeable and friendly guides, Tracey and Kristy, enriched the experience with educational facts. While the clear kayaks were harder to maneuver and keep on course in windy conditions, the overall adventure was still thoroughly enjoyable. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tracybd5232gb
May 18, 2024
A great experience - We did the clear kayak tour with Raina. We had so much fun and Raina was awesome. Going through the mangrove trees was my favorite part.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
M3301lmsabrinap
Apr 28, 2024
Shell island preserve tour - Tracy took us out for the kayak tour through the mangroves and then onto shell island preserve. She was very informative and super friendly. We had such a great time and will definitely be recommending this trip to everyone!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tessab723
Jul 26, 2024
Dolphin infested tour - We had a great time, Tracy was a wonderful guide and made the experience so fun. We were able to see a ton of dolphins and even had one swim right up to our kayak. We were a little bummed because the tides were too low for the clear kayaks but that was out of the companies control.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alicia_s
May 18, 2024
Very pleasant and certainly eventful - We liked the mangrove tunnels they were beautiful but there was some trouble with the weather not their fault though. And the staff were very nice and helpful to a beginner!
Review provided by Viator
Haleyr273
Jun 29, 2024
Overpriced - Captain Dave was great, but the experience felt over priced. We didn’t see any dolphins or any marine life, besides birds. Also, aside from gathering cool shells, there was not much else going on with this tour. I have experienced better tours for half the price.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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September 2024
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