8 of us went on this tour from 10a-2p. It was definitely the right time to take it. The parking lot was empty and by the time we got back there wasn't a spot to be seen. During our tour Tonya was our captain. She was amazing and very knowledgeable. We spent an hour watching dolphins and then the next 3 on a sand bar. The sand bar was awesome for the adults and kids. She put out a floating mat to lay on and parked right next to an inflatable obstacle course for the kids to play on. While on the sand bar she took a ton of photos and videos of everyone so you didn't have to worry about it. At the end of the tour she sent them to us at no extra charge. If we ever go back to Destin FL then we will for sure rent the boat again!!!! Hopefully Tonya is our captain again! NOTHING NEGATIVE ABOUT OUR EXPERIENCE!! read more

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Beautiful, relaxing, and fun. We did the 6 PM sunset cruise. Captain Brian did a fabulous job of taking us directly to the dolphins.. We were able to see so many! We saw a sea turtle, stingray, and herons too. We also stopped at a Sandy pristine beach and took a walk. It was so relaxing and beautiful. We also time to crab Island perfectly for Sunset Captain Brian took tons of pictures of us in a very thoughtful way with the sun sinking low in the background. the pictures turned out beautiful. What a great trip. I would highly recommend if you want to truly relax rent a private boat with a captain like Brian. read more

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Boat was clean. The guys were knowledgeable and worked really hard to have us see dolphins.

I did a good bit of research to find the cruise that would be best for us. I knew that my husband was not going to go in the water and was going to stay in the boat and I also wanted accessibility to a restroom. I also did not plan on being out there all day which a lot of the other cruises required as well as a hefty price tag. Crab Island fit the bill because we had ample time to enjoy being in the water without overstaying and the captain played a variety of good Tunes the entire time. I believe that we paid about $60 a person. In route to Crab Island the captain stopped the boat and was sure to point out a single dolphin that was swimming nearby and gave us all the opportunity to take pictures of it before resuming our journey. The first meet laid out a floating carpet for us once we reached Crab Island which no one really took advantage of but it was nice that it was there. I loved the beautiful water it was as clear as a swimming pool with lots of floating food boats and such nearby. Hubby was left on the boat with the captain by his own choice because he was sunburned and enjoyed the variety of rock and '80s music that they played. While having access to a restroom was important to me once I saw it it was questionable for use by anyone other than a child. It was very claustrophobic and in a hatch. If that is a consideration it's something you should definitely know before the need arises. read more

Highly recommend! Captain Brian was very knowledgeable, and he was able to get us incredibly close to tons of dolphins and sharks. Best dolphin tour experience anywhere! read more

Website allowed us to book a slot, but they canceled our trip overnight the night before the booking. If they would have canceled us back when we booked (two days ago) we could have rescheduled with another provider. They may be nice people and I wish them success, but they need to improve this part of the business. ***EDIT: Changed this from 1 star to 3 star. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year...and fix your booking system*** read more

We did our tour with Captain Brian and he was excellent! Highly recommend. He is very knowledgeable of everything. He also has a very interesting story about his life path history which is so unique. He brought his younger daughter along as an assistant captain and she was great with relating to the kids and showing them fun things. He communicated very well during the entire process and look forward to doing it again when we come back. read more

We loved our trip with Crab Island Dolphin Tours! Very chill and fun, with excellent sightings of dolphins right next to our boat and a bonus visit to a deserted stretch of beach for photos and exploration. We especially appreciated that Captain Wayne and his colleagues were willing to take us out in December, when many other operators aren't working, and that they are reasonably priced. read more

We took the dolphin/crab island tour with Wayne and Tonya this past week. We had a great time! They were both accommodating to our needs and fun to be around. Tonya took great family pictures (which looked professionally done) and sent to us. We saw multiple sharks and dolphins and got to use the private beach. I would highly recommend this tour! It was the highlight of our 8 day beach vacation. read more

The absolute best! Captain Tanya was so wonderful and informative. A wonderful way to relax and enjoy family and friends. I would highly recommend this excursion and this company to anyone in the Destin area. Thank you, Captain Tanya! read more

Very very good experience. Very well worth it. No complaints. The boat is clean and they made us feel very welcome.

We had an amazing time on the dolphin cruise! The captain and his partner were lovely and may be experience extra special!

Went to Crab Island today! Oh my!!! It was amazing!! Highlight of my trip... I drove a jet ski for the first time in my life & to top it off dolphins swam right up next to me!!! We had an amazing captain & guide Wayne Burnette! He took the time to explain and teach us how to drive the wave runners for those of us in our party that didn't know how to drive one. He helped us during our entire trip & was a fountain of knowledge. He even gave us amazing trip tips for the rest of our Destin trip. Thank you, thank you for such an amazing trip! read more

We had such a great time with Captain Wayne. He was a great boat captain, knew the right places to take us too and knew the history of the area. It was such an enjoyable tour! And we are already thinking of booking him for next year. read more

Captain Wayne is an awesome guide. This was hands down the best trip we have had out on the water. He is very knowledgeable and great to hang out with while on your tour. He taught us the history of Destin. I would not recommend anyone else for a dolphin tour or a boat ride to Crab island. We will be back and his tour will be on our list of things to do. He also got us close enough that we were actually able to swim with the dolphins. If you are wanting a personable time with the family in a relaxed atmosphere. This is your guy. I hope you will give him a shot. We were really lucky. We saw a shark, dolphins, sea turtles, and a sting ray. I would say that's hard to beat. Thanks again Captain Wayne. We will be back! read more

I would recommend crab island dolphin tours to anyone! What an amazing experience!! Every last one of us were just entranced throughout. We saw probably 30 dolphins some of which were almost near enough to touch. (Of course, dolphins go where they want so we were definitely lucky to have seen so many, so close). It was just as magical as I imagined it would be! We also got to see a HAMMERHEAD SHARK!!! It was too cool! This thing was 7+ feet long and within 20 feet of the boat. Then we went over to crab island and threw out the anchor so that we could get a good experience of it. The water was beautiful and only about 3 feet deep so perfect for kids! It was a great family environment; lots of great, floating food places with AMAZING food!! In addition, captain Wayne is just the most personable guy. He's so knowledgeable and kind. He let both the little ones drive the boat (under his professional supervision) for quite awhile, which, of course, they loved! We are actually going to come back for another tour later in the week because we loved it so much! read more

Crab Island Dolphin Tours - My daughter driving the boat with Captain Wayne! She loved him immediately! - Boat Charters Near Me - Destin, Florida

We have used Captain Wayne for crab island trips and fireworks cruise for the past two summers. Was great each time. He is friendly and communicative with scheduling. Super flexible on what we wanted to do. Very personable and knowledgeable about the area. We will definitely be using him on our next trip! read more

Captain wayne wasn't exactly honest. We had planned a 4 hour trip but it began to storm less than an hour into our trip. We understood that nothing can be done about the weather, but after he charged us for an hour -- which several locals told us later he shouldn't have done, we were trying to grab our stuff and get off of the boat in the rain and lightening and one of the girls in our group paid the entire amount, me and another friend added in a tip and another didn't realize the whole amount had been paid and gave him even more $$, which he gladly took. We didn't realize what happened until we got to a restaurant. He got a 50% tip for driving us out in the rain for 40 mins. He could've offered to take us for free the following day but he didn't. Probably because he ran off with our money. We are nice people, and we always tip well. It was very shady and disappointing. read more

We absolutely love hiring Captain Wayne to show us the beautiful waters and sights around Destin. We've been with Wayne twice - last year at this time and then yesterday. This experience is something my husband, two sons and I have come to look forward to and we plan on making a trip with Captain Wayne a definite part of our family vacations in Destin for years to ckme. Wayne is friendly, easygoing and clearly enjoys what he does and loves this area. He allowed my older son to steer the boat for a little while, which was very kind and something he did not have to do. We saw dolphins pretty up close and personal, with a relaxing stop at Crab Island and a gorgeous sunset to cap off a lovely tour. Call Captain Wayne for a wonderful, more personal alternative to those other, more crowded dolphin cruises - you won't regret it!! read more

Captain Wayne was amazing; such a kind and honest man who loves what he does. He took me, my daughter and her friend out on jet skis and we had such a wonderful time - the water was so crystal clear and beautiful!!! Captain Wayne took the time to explain so much to us (the history of the area), the fun places to go, things to do, etc. You can quickly see how passionate he is about what he does, and he sincerely wanted us to have a great experience. I will absolutely be back and use his company. I highly recommend him! read more

Captain Wayne was amazing. So accommodating. He even made our drinks for us as we were in the water on Crab Island. He took us on a beautiful harbor cruise. We saw a precious group of dolphins and a baby dolphin up close. Even though it sprinkled, we did not suffer thanks to the good Captain! read more

Had a great day with Capt Wayne at Crab Island with my family of 5 with three teenagers. Wayne made everyone comfortable and was very knowledgable of the area. Adding a jet ski was a blast as we anchored in the middle of Crab Island and took turns touring the bay. This was our first time coming into the Destin harbor from 30A and we will do it again. Thanks Capt! read more

This is hands down the best way to experience the waters of Destin! Captain Wayne is very fun & genuinely loves his job. He takes care of everyone who comes on the boat! I've been a few times and every single trip we've seen dolphins & he even let my little brothers 'drive' the boat. We all had an amazing time!! I highly recommend! read more