No vacation is complete without some “Island Time”

Florida Island Tours ❤LOVES❤ Marco Island

Florida Island Tours is slightly different from all other tour companies around Marco Island. We offer Marco Island boat tours because we LOVE Florida, Marco Island, boating, and everything you can do on or around the water in Southwest Florida. Most importantly, we LOVE sharing this with our friends. You have a choice when booking a boat tour – choose a company that wants to do what you want to do!

See Marco Island in its Awesome Natural Splendor

Local knowledge is essential around Southwest Florida. This is a pretty hard place to get around a boat. Not only is the water shallow, but there are shoals, oyster bars, sandbars, and other obstructions that will hang you up. Although you could rent a boat and try it on your own, why not let a local captain do all the hard stuff for you? Enjoy your time out on the water, watching the wildlife, and enjoying the beautiful Gulf of Mexico.

A Dynamic, Constantly Changing Environment

Things change from season to season and year to year. Our captains are on the water every day and know where to go. They can ensure everything you want to do out on the boat happens because of their local knowledge and expertise.

Only Master Captains

Our captains are all U.S. Coast Guard certified master captains. This is a higher credential than the standard “six-pack” captain’s license, requiring more experience, sea time, education, and training. To us, it’s a no-brainer – better captains give better tours, and more experienced captains are safer.

Florida Master Naturalists

In our efforts to provide the best tour possible, all of our captains are certified Florida Master Naturalists from the University of Florida. This training program is the only collegiate-level course in Florida ecosystems and naturalist interpretation.

Professional and Qualified

Rest assured; your tour will be professional and safe. Many tour boat company’s out there are “fly-by-night” operations and will hire just about anybody to drive a boat. We rigorously hand-select only the best captains with appropriate experience and local knowledge. You can trust that your tour boat captain is a current Coast Guard certified master captain, medically Coast Guard approved, drug tested, current CPR trained, and TWIC complaint with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

See Marco’s Hidden Gems and Explore Remote Islands

Does Florida Island Tours offer boat tours that let you spend the day like a local—tired of the crowded beaches—annoyed with traffic and parking? Leave the aggravation behind and enjoy your day to the fullest. Our naturalist captain will ensure you get to the best, secluded barrier island beaches safely. Our captains know all the local beaches, which are busy and when, which are party beaches, and which are more family-orientated.

Unforgettable Memories Will be Made on the Water

During your excursion, the captain will point out the local wildlife, including the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin and Florida manatee, as well as birds, stingrays, sharks, and fish. We guarantee smiles when the dolphins sometimes jump and play in the boat’s wake. Other species we see are the southern stingray, many shark species, including the nurse, lemon, bull, and blacktip, roseate spoonbills, great blue heron, loggerhead, and green sea turtles, as well as countless species of fish. The area around Marco Island is full of life. Our Florida Master Naturalist certified captain will tell you about all the wildlife.

Smile Back at Marco Island’s Dolphins

Marco Island is an extraordinary place when it comes to dolphin activity. You can’t help but smile when you see the dolphins jumping and playing. Understanding their behavior and tendencies is essential when it comes to finding dolphins. Our captains are terrific at locating them and adept at understanding the dolphins’ behavior so that you can view them up close without disturbing them. Sometimes the Dolphins even interact with the boat and the people on board!

We Love Questions!

Want to know how dolphins sleep? How do sea turtles find their way back to the beach they were born on to lay their eggs? Want to know where manatees go when they’re not in Florida? Please bring all your questions; your naturalist captain will answer them all!

Custom Boat Made Specifically for Marco Island

Our boat is a top-of-the-line, custom-made 26′ 2019 Carolina Skiff DLV hybrid. We’ve looked at hundreds of boats and found this is the perfect boat for this area. You got to have a shallow draft boat here. That’s because the water is very shallow everywhere, especially on lower tides. However, most skiffs and shallow water boats are uncomfortable with inadequate seating and a wet and bouncy ride. Salty Lady II has a very shallow draft, a modified vee, and a high-sided hull. This makes it easier for the boat to cut through waves and chop, creating a dry ride where the spray and waves won’t get you wet.

Welcome Aboard, Salty Lady II

“Salty” is rated for 18 people and is comfortable for the typical six to eight people aboard our boat tour. Eleven comfortable padded seats and full custom railings to hold onto make our boat extremely safe whether you’re sitting or standing—the perfect vessel for the ideal place. Whether we are headed to a secluded beach for some low tide shelling, tucked way up inside the mangroves watching spoonbills working the mud near oyster bars, or taking it offshore into the Gulf for the perfect sunset, we can get you there and back safely and comfortably.

The Perfect Marco Large Group Tour Boat

“Beach Girl” is a custom-made 28′ 2004 Carolina Skiff 2790 DLX Extra Wide.  When you are looking for a tour tour boat that can legally bring parties of 6, 7 8, 9, 10 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, even 17 passengers for hire, there are very few options on Marco Island. Don’t worry, this vessel is kept to the highest standards required by the United States Coast Guard. “Beachy” has a very shallow draft, a flat front perfect for beaching, and a high-sided hull to stay dry from slat spray and waves. Enjoy a comfortable and dry ride with all your friends and family aboard the same boat.

Let’s Make Some Memories Aboard the Beach Girl

Rated for 22 people and this boat is very comfortable for the typical seven to sixteen people aboard our boat tour. Comfortable padded seats, full shaded passenger area, and custom safety railings to hold onto make our boat extremely safe. Whether you’re sitting or standing—this is the perfect vessel for this piece of paradise on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Whether we are headed to a remote shelling beach on a dead low negative tide, watching spoonbills working the muddy water in the Ten Thousand Islands, or cruising offshore for a perfect Gulf sunset, we will take your large group there and back in safety and comfort.

Intimate, Personalized Private Marco Island Boat Tours

Private boat tours mean you won’t have to share the boat with people you don’t know. We offer private tours because we realize not everyone wants the same time, and it allows us to customize your tour to meet your needs and expectations. When most boat tour companies only worry about selling tickets and getting as many people on the boats as possible, our focus is taking care of every single customer one at a time and ensuring every tour is personal and tailored to the customer’s needs. This sets us apart from our competitors and provides the best possible boat tour on Marco Island.

Your Tour, Your Day, Your Way

What to go sightseeing? Want to see if we can catch some dinner while fishing in the backwaters? Ready to explore our barrier islands and do some world-class shelling? Is witnessing a manatee up close in nature on your bucket list? Ready to unwind with a sunset cruise and a few cocktails?

Dream Vacation Memories Made Here

We make Florida dreams a reality on our boat tours. Whatever you want to do, we can make it happen. Our goal is to make your boat tour the highlight of your Florida vacation, and we mean that. So let us help you have the boating and beach day you’ve dreamed about.

Local Knowledge

Local knowledge is essential around Southwest Florida. This is a pretty hard place to get around in a boat. Not only is the water shallow, but there are shoals, oyster bars, sandbars, and other obstructions that will hang you up. Local knowledge is about Florida Island Tours #1 skill.

Why is Risk Renting a Boat?

Although you could rent a boat and try it on your own, why not let a local captain do all the hard stuff for you? Enjoy your time out on the water, watching the wildlife, and enjoying the beautiful Gulf of Mexico.

Ready to Book Your Tour?

Now that you’ve read about Florida Island Tours, you’re probably ready to book your tour. The next thing to do is to spend some time reading over our Marco Island boat tours page. This describes all the different types of terms we do and gives you an idea of what we can do out on the water. Then, please choose one of our popular tour options, or reserve a private custom trip. For that, we’ll need your input about how you’d like to spend the day to be able to conduct your tour. Don’t worry; nothing is set in stone; we can constantly adjust things when we go out on the boat.

What Should You Bring?

You’ll probably have questions about what to bring and what not to bring, as well as what to expect on the boat tour. Please hop over to our frequently asked questions page, where there’s lots of good information. If you still have questions or if there’s something that doesn’t completely answer your question, feel free to reach out to us over the contact page.

We ALWAYS Strive to Go Beyond your Expectations

The last step, of course, is booking the tour. Click on any Book Now button to check the real-time calendar to see if we are available when you want to go out on the boat. If the day and time are open, reserve your tour. We will get the boat ready for you!

We’ll Meet You in Paradise

Thank you for reading about Florida Island Tours and choosing us for your Marco Island boat tour. We are looking forward to getting out on the water with you!