4 St Petersburg Kayak Tours to Build a Morning Around

1.Clear Kayak Tour of Shell Key Preserve and Tampa Bay Area

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5,800 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $79Our pick

Paddle a tandem clear kayak from Tierra Verde to Shell Key Preserve with guides such as Alessia, Jenna, Ben, or Chris. Expect mangroves, sandbars, shells, birds, and possible dolphins in a group capped at 10. Bring water, sun protection, and shoes that can get wet.

“We had an amazing experience on this guided kayak tour of the Shell Key Preserve with our 2 sons. Our guide, Chris was friendly and helpful as well as very experienced and knowledgable about the ecosystem. We enjoyed seeing conch and fish and birds swimming under our kayaks. I highly recommend this tour with or without children. We will make this one of our regular activities whenever we visit the area.”

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2.Shell Key Clear Kayak Sunset & Glow Tours

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 542 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $84

Paddle a clear tandem kayak through Shell Key Preserve with color-changing LED lights beneath you. Guides such as Raven, Bria, Carmen, and Matt offer basic instruction and point out wildlife, mangroves, birds, and shoreline sights. Sunset departures may include beach time and spectacular evening views.

“This tour was awesome! Our tour guide Matt was very knowledgeable and made the tour even better! Absolutely beautiful and a ton of fun!”

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3.Small Group Kayak Tour of the Shell Key Preserve

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 501 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $79

Join Coastal Kayak Charters for a three-hour Shell Key outing from Tierra Verde. You’ll learn basic paddling, cross calm open water, pass through mangrove tunnels, and stop at the beach. Guides such as Taylor, Tracy, Brian, Kristi, and Alivia add local nature knowledge. Double kayaks are standard.

“The crew was very friendly. We had a great experience with the tour and our tour guide kept the experience very engaging. Highly recommended.”

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4.Kayak Adventure of Shell Key Preserve & Island with a Local

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 178 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $58Best value

Join local guides Scott and Karissa for a three-hour kayak trip through Shell Key Preserve near St. Petersburg. Paddle shallow grass flats, pass through mangrove tunnels when tides allow, watch for wildlife, then stop at Shell Key Island for swimming, shells, and beach time.

“I'm a fan of kayak tours and have done quite a few along the east coast, including through mangroves. Scott was easily the best tour guide I've ever had! Gave great easy to follow instructions for new kayakers, incredibly personable and friendly, immediately memorized the names of everyone on the group, and shared really interesting local history and facts on all of the animals, fish, plants, etc. that we saw throughout the trip. He was just extremely engaging and helpful. Karissa brought up the rear, making sure everyone was doing ok and no one left behind. One of the coolest parts was the cormorant birds hanging with the group so…”

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