hidden gem. don't tell anyone…read more great for sunrise faces East free fishing trailer park on da water

I was in need of some serious Vitamin Sea to survive the Yule tide whatever, so I escaped to…read moreFlorida for Christmas. On Christmas Day, I headed to Bradenton Beach Pier, basking in the sunshine and breathing in that salty air. The best part was there was hardly any crowds. So parking was easy, stress was nonexistent, and peace and tranquillity were the vibes. The real locals were out in full force, the egrets, and other local birds were checking out the people strolling the pier or fishing. Not much was open because it was Christmas, I'm not added to the charm. It felt peaceful, unhurried, and exactly how I wanted my holiday to be. Spending Christmas here during the off-season was a five star reminder that sometimes quiet is the best gift.

We booked an excursion for our 17 & 15 year olds. They had a wonderful time out on the boat and…read moresaid the team was informative about the safety measures and took time to answer their questions. We also purchased the photo package and received those later in the day.

This experience was one of the best on our vacation. We got to see the beautiful city scape and…read morefish in the water. I really enjoyed being able to relax far away from everything. As we were being pulled back in they dipped us in the water several times and it was great. (Even though my cousin isn't a fan of heights and dint like it) I had a great time and would suggest to anyone who likes a little excitement (Dispite the price tag)

My wife and I are visiting from Maine and wanted to explore offshore so we researched boat rentals…read morein our area, chose Cortez Watersports and are SO happy that we did. Booking was super easy and the rental process was thoroughly explained. We invited two other couples to join us and found the pontoon boat that we chose to be spacious and comfortable for the six of us and one dog. We arrived around 8:45am to check in and carry our belongings down to the dock where everything was loaded into the boat for us which was nice. We were then given an explanation of the area map and a tour of the boat. We had an amazing day on the water where we saw several dolphins, found dozens of sand dollars, parked at some sandbars and caught a few fish. We arrived back at the dock at 5:00pm and unloaded our stuff onto the dock where it was loaded into a cart and wheeled to our vehicles for us which we really appreciated. The fine folks at Cortez Watersports were friendly and catered to us beyond our expectations. We would definitely visit them again and highly recommend that you consider them for your next on the water outing.

Had a great time on the water, highly recommend the guided tour on jet skis, we went to the best…read moreplaces and had a great experience

We had the best time with Kathe and Sailor; Sailor made the trip extra special for us. We had a…read morespecial needs boy in our group and she made really sincere accommodations for him (avoiding noisy areas). Sailor sniffed out the dolphins and alerted us when he saw them. The dolphins played in our speed waves, it was unbelievable. Kathe is local, lived here her whole life, daughter and wife of a fisherman...so she cares about the area, shows things like bird sanctuaries and is very careful with the gulf life. She has history of the area and a lot of knowledge to share. She has a funny personality and her snd Sailor make a perfect team. Thanks for the memories, Kathe!

Had a great time with Capt Kathe and her first mate Sailor. It was a very cold night, but still…read moreable to watch dolphins play in our wake, witness a beautiful sunset and here a little local history. Will def go back when it's warmer ! Thanks Capt

Captain Pappy is awesome. He was very personable and was great with the kids.... Even letting them…read moredrive. We found dozens of sand dollars. When he told me we had a 100% chance of finding sand dollars he wasn't kidding! Going on a tour with him was the highlight of our vacation and we can't wait to see him again next year!

Our 2nd tour with Captain Fin was as exciting and enjoyable as the 1st!…read more Professional. Friendly. Knowledgable. He remembered details of our 1st tour from a year ago. This captain knows where the dolphins love to play. Grandkids loved exploring the sandbar. Fun, fun, fun!

Highly reccommend. Capt'n Fin was very accommodating, knowledgeable, on time, and personable. We…read moresaw dolphins, sand dollars, crabs, and just relaxed on a sand bar. Price can't be beat for the amount of fun we (6 women) had! We "cackled" in joy, watching dolphins playing with the wake!

This is our second year with Captain Kim's tours and we toured with the Captain, herself…read more It was very windy and choppy, but we saw a ton of dolphins and she scooped up plenty of critters for us to examine. We went to a sand bar and scooped up live sand dollars (carefully) and a huge whelk and whelk eggs. It was a very different tour than last year, but she was so adaptable and obviously knows the area/ is incredibly knowledgeable about the bay, the homes along the water, and all the animals within. We'll be back with her next year!!!

We had SO much fun on our combination tour with Connie! She was great! We found so many cool shells…read moreand creatures! We caught crabs and starfish and did get to see some dolphins. It was a wonderful day! We went at 930 so it wasn't hot and we were able to have the whole afternoon for other activities. Definitely check this out. Our kids, 10 and 3 loved it!