I have one very important piece of advice for ANYONE coming to PC Beach for vacation. Rent a boat... a pontoon boat is perfect... you chug along at a slow speed, but that's good if you're unfamiliar with the waterways. You can picnic, lounge, explore... it's fun and there's no other way to see the MOST beautiful parts of our beaches!

Trust me on this. And, if you don't feel like piloting your own boat (or you want to have a few cocktails and let someone else do the driving), take one of the many great short cruises available. The Island Time is awesome!

Why come to the beach, if you're not going to enjoy the water?!

Renting a pontoon boat with a group and spending the day behind Shell Island has to be one of my favorite things to do.The water when we wre there was cyrstal clear.We snorkled over the top of grass beds and seen a lot of small fish.We took a cooler and a small grill with us and everyone had a ball. KyBob

That's right, KyBob!

It's become a ritual for us whenever family visits - we stock the coolers, go Alvin's and get a ton of water toys, rent a pontoon boat, and head for Shell Island.

Usually we run into a group of dolphins in St. Andrews Bay as we leave Grand Lagoon. The kids go nuts. Then onto Shell Island near the Shuttle landing... the beach is wide and sheltered there, with a long low shelf perfect for snorkeling and swimming.

Then we head over the sand and dunes to the Gulf side of the Island. That's when the bolder kids really get excited! Very often the waves are waist high and crashing onto the shore... the water is aquamarine like they've only seen in movies... and often as not there are more dolphins. A day of this, and all the kids are worn out and the adults can call a babysitter and head to one of the beach bars and leisurely enjoy drinks. Perfect.

I keep hearing this about the dolphins...I've never seen any in all my trips (not that there's been that many trips yet). Is this a hoax?

No hoax, ftimmy. Panama City Beach is famous for being one of the very few places in the world where boaters, and to a lesser degree, swimmers can find and easily interact with Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins.

If you take a boat out into the Gulf, you're likely to see dolphins riding your bow wake, or pacing you for short periods of time. I've seen dolphins in St. Andrews Bay from the north side of Hathaway Bridge all the way to the Pass... even seen them from the Hathaway Bridge.

The most popular spot for spotting the dolphins, though, it just around the east end of the jetties off Shell Island. On most any given day you'll see wave runners and boats circling around, trying to draw the attention of several dolphins.

If you care to see them, your best bet is to rent a boat or wave runner. There are also several excellent dolphin encounter tours out there.

Hello there ftimmy. I live near PCB, and can tell you that there are just a TON of dolphins over there! Every time we go out on the water we see at least one of them. So the next time you are in town, keep your eyes open slugger!

WE always see dolphins around Shell Island and the State Park.We've had them come right up to the boat and want to be feed.It's against the law now to feed them but nobody told the dolphins. KyBob

Just got in from taking a little ride over to Shell Island. There is a storm brewing out in the Gulf (Barry is its name), but it's beautiful here in PC, and the dolphin must be all hyped up because of the storm... they were jumping and playing and having a ball! The babies are a little older now, so they are venturing away from their mamas a little bit, and they are so CUTE! They just FLY through the air!

Anyone who hasn't come down here to experience this is missing out!

Hi everyone!
All this talk about Shell Island. I can't wait. We are going to be first timers to PC. We are leaving the 18th. There are 6 of us, my husband and I and our 4 daughters. My first thought was to take the shuttle across but how much more expensive is it to rent a pontoon boat for a day and are they relatilvely easy to drive. I'm sure they tell you exactly what to do and where to drop anchor at, right? Who is the best and least inexpensive to rent from. Are these pretty safe? Our daughters are 9, 7, 3 and 1. Any info will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
Beth

Hi Beth, glad to have you aboard (bad pun, I know).... I've always had good luck with You're the Captain boat rentals. They're located at Hamilton's Restaurant at Thomas Drive. Spoke with Mark over there to get a price breakdown on their pontoons -

16ft for up to 6 people runs $109/half day or $179/full day.
20ft for up to 9 people are $129/half day or $199/full day.
24ft for up to 12 folks are $159/half day or $219/full day.

True, that's more then the cost of the shuttle - which is $9.50 for adults, $5.50 for kids, or roughly $45 for your family... but, with a pontoon you control when you come and go, where you go, and how long you hang out at the island.

Whenever we have family or friends from out of town visit, the first thing we do is rent a pontoon and head out to Shell Island. Between the freedom of operating your own boat to the excitement of seeing the dolphins up close and personal, it never fails to be memorable.

You can read more about boating with the dolphins here -

http://www.tripsmarter.com/panamacit...imdolphins.htm

Dean,
thank you very much for checking into that for me. Now I have to let the price sink in and then break it to hubby LOL.
Beth

A quick question. How late in the year do the boat rental places stay open? I have a business meeting in November and want to bring the family, but we're worried there won't be anything for them to do while I'm working.

Is it warm enough to go on the water that time of year?

Good news on the boat... there are several places in town and on the Beach that rent year round. You're the Captain (see above) is one of these that are open year round.

There's plenty to do in PCB after Labor Day... many of the restaurants and bars stay open, some of the attractions will be open, if at reduced hours, and there are dozens of great near-by day trips - Grayton Beach and Seaside, Falling Waters State Park, St. Joseph State Park, Eden Gardens - that are entertaining and relatively inexpensive.

The weather in November? To many a transplanted midwesterner (such as myself), the weather in November is perfect. The highs are in the mid-to-high 60s and the lows around 50... The days are usually sunny, with just enough rain to keep things green and blooming... the water temps are around the low 60s, so not ideal for swimming, but it is possible.

So. It's warm enough to go on the water, but not exactly warm enough to go in. There are boats available to rent, and there's plenty to do - don't forget the Isuzu Ironman Triathlon on Nov. 3rd - so come on down!

I am not trying to be a spoil sport, but please be careful in your interaction with the dolphin. As evidenced by the dolphin seeking out the boats going out to Shell Island, they are being conditioned to interacation with humans, which is not always good for them. It can damage their ability to live in the wild for one thing.

The thing that troubles me most is that it causes them to approach all boats, and there are some not so nice humans out there. Some people try to pour beer down their throats, and thow them foreign objects which they try to catch and eat. I have also seen jerks in Jet Skiis trying to chase them down, and so on.

Please visit this site and read it before planning your dolphin viewing trip. Please use common sense, just because they approach you, if you must feed them, feed them properly. These are gentle trusting creatures, and we can damage them without meaning too.

Enough preaching for one day, please visit and read:

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/prot_res/MM...g.html#Viewing