Wow! What an experience! We took a 9am tour to Shell Key on Cap'n Dalton's boat. There were only…read moresix passengers on board, which meant there was plenty of room to spread out and enjoy the sunshine. Dalton provided expert commentary about the area, even pointing out a few celebrity homes and yachts along the way. It was a gorgeous ride over to Shell Key, and we even saw a few dolphins along the way. Once on the island, we had about 45-50 minutes to explore the beaches and do a little snorkeling and shell-hunting. The island is aptly named, with rows and piles of shells along its white, sandy beaches. The water was warm and perfect for swimming. Soon enough we were back on board and heading back to the harbor. And that's when the magic happened: dolphins! Following along in our wake, and no doubt attracted to the enthusiastic squeals of one of our dolphin-loving fellow passengers, the dolphins put on quite a show. Even Dalton, who I assume sees a LOT of dolphins, was impressed by how long they followed in our wake and performed jumps and flips for us. It was truly one of the most remarkable experiences of my life! Thank you Dalton and Island Ferry for an amazing and memorable tour and one of the true highlights of our vacation!

Lovely tour! Our guide was very nice and chill, she definitely wanted to make sure we had a good…read moretime. Obviously its never a guarantee, but we saw dolphins and a manatee on our tour. Groups are small and the boats are very comfortable. They use pontoon boats so you have shade, which I definitely appreciated. The beach they took us to to snorkeling was gorgeous.

I highly recommend this amazing charter with Captain Brian and First Mate, Christina. We had such a…read moreblast on the water and will definitely book again. We went to Midnight Pass, where the beach was pristine with fluffy sand. Floated in the water, and soaking up the sun! You won't be disappointed with Tortuga Boat Adventures.

From the owner: At Tortuga Boat Adventures, we have been providing unique boating adventures to the Sarasota,…read moreVenice and Bradenton area for over 15 years. Our experience and expertise in the industry make us the go to choice for all your boating charter occasions - Sandbar excursions, Tiki restaurant and bar hopping, Dolphin, Turtle and Manatee watching, Beach stops, Sunset cruises. We specialize in providing boat tours around Sarasota`s breathtaking coastline. We also offer family friendly & pet friendly boat tours. We have the perfect adventure waiting for you!

I joined the dolphin and donuts morning trip. Captain Eric…read moreand first mate Kelly Brought us to viewing dolphins in their natural habitat right away. Kelly was very knowledgeable about the local history of some of the beautiful homes on our tour, and also about the dolphins and birds. The morning trip is definitely a great way to start your day! Tell em Davo sent ya!

The crew were friendly & knowledgeable. We did the Donuts & Dolphins and they called around to…read moreother boats to ensure a great experience. The Sandbar tour was also excellent!

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!

Such a fun experience! The crew is so kind and amazing! My grandsons (ages 4 & 6) loved it! This…read moreis the perfect way to spend a fun afternoon with kids.

Best time ever for kids! The staff was so accommodating and great getting the kids involved and…read more participating in such a fun time. My grandkids told me it was the best time ever!! Thanks and kudos to the Captain and his Crew!!

John was a tour guide and was Great!! He took me and my family to some very cool snorkeling spots,…read moreand provided us with all the gear and water.

We had the best time ever! We saw tons of dolphins. Went to Egmont Key and then went snorkeling…read more The kids had a blast and our captain was so nice!

We did the sunset tour and it was a great way to end our day. Captain Brian was so knowledgeable…read moreand so much fun. There were 8 of us in the boat, but I think it may have been possible to have a couple more. After checking in at the food shack Captain Brian directed us to the boat that was waiting for us in the river. We purchased our tickets online and we also had waivers to sign before we even got there. Captain Brian pointed out points of interest as we sailed down the river. My favorite part was "bird island". Hundreds of birds..... big ones, little ones, colorful ones, and noisy ones. It was so neat. Once we got back to the landing we spent the remainder of our tour waiting for the sun to go down. It was beautiful. We also saw a few alligators. None seemed to be very big, but who knows what the water was hiding. Captain Brian was disappointed that there weren't more gators for us to see, but he figured they were all off elsewhere looking for "love" as it is now mating season. I would definitely recommend this tour.

Thanks Denise for a great afternoon on our private tour from Linger Lodge. Very comfortable…read moreelectric boat so as not to scare away the wildlife made for an enjoyable day to watch for so many birds, turtles, and yes even got to see a nice sized alligator. Denise was very knowledgeable of the areas history, plants and wildlife. Ending the trip back at Linger Lodge for drinks and dinner. Perfect! And of course we had the Alligator bites. The best in Florida.

Six of us celebrating daughter birthday, it was so easy to hop on ferry to go an enjoy the day.read more

Great crew - seemless from start to finish. Safe, enjoyable, reliable, user-friendly website -…read moregreat pricing - fun. May even see a dolphin or two :D