FAQ

Yes, we always see a good variety of marine life, but everything we look at is in the wild and we cannot control them. We have a very good chance of seeing dolphins and sea turtles year round. The chance of seeing a manatee does go down during winter months when they move to warmer waters. A high percentage of our trips, we get to see all 3. However, some trips we only see 2 out of the 3. And a small portion of our trips, we get unlucky and only see one.  We also frequently see jellyfish, fish, and many species of birds.

Since we have an on-board aquarium on our boat, we always have marine life ready for you to see and learn about, regardless of whether the dolphins come out to say hi.

Kids have a great time with us! They love the on-board aquarium and learning about the various creatures within. We play games and have other fun activities specifically for kids.  We also give each kid a Time and Tide Adventure Book!

We have a great opportunity to make learning fun while putting our own unique spin on Eco Tours! We may not have degrees in biology, but we are Florida natives and fishing charter captains. Since we have always lived around the water and have made our living in the ocean, we know a lot about the area and its wildlife. We do study up, but I’m sure we can be stumped on occasion.  We have a better understanding than most of how our marine life survives day to day because we are fishing charter captains. We have always made our living by knowing where, why and when marine life is abundant.

Our tours range from 2 1/2 hours to 3 hours depending on how long it takes to go through the locks.

You don’t need to bring much! Bring your camera and sunglasses. Sunscreen is also a good idea as our sun can be very strong! You may also bring a small bag with drinks and snacks.

Smoking is permitted on all private tours.

We provide all safety gear, licensing, and opportunity for fun!  We also provide water and sodas.

You are more than welcome to bring beer or wine in a small cooler or cooler bag as long as you are 21 years of age or older. You can pick up a few beers or a cocktail from the Grills Tiki bar before you board.  We are all about fun and a cold drink goes very well with a beautiful day in the sun. Just remember that this is a family friendly tour.

Yes, we have an enclosed restroom on the boat. It is a good idea to use the restroom at the Grills Tiki Bar before we leave, however, so you don’t miss anything on the tour! Unfortunately, our restrooms are not wheelchair accessible.

We are not allowed to touch or feed dolphins, sea turtles, or manatees.  We do get to throw fish to pelicans and on occasion we get to grab small sharks, sting-less jellyfish, crabs, and other fish species. Plus, we always have some local marine life in our on-board aquarium!

We have rain in our forecast just about every day in Florida, but typically it doesn’t hit our area until after 4:00 pm. Our storms are typically very short and the sun comes back immediately. If we have heavy storms on us during departure, we will delay the trip. If the weather forecast will prevent us from running the tour, we will make every effort to contact you and reschedule. Please make sure you include a local phone number in your reservations so we can contact you. If you cannot reschedule, there is no charge for cancellation at this point. On rare occasions, sea conditions don’t allow us to do the full ocean part of our tour. We will still go to the mouth of the Port and then spend more time exploring different areas of the Banana River Lagoon.

Yes, you must make reservations in advance.

No, any age is welcome on our tour, but every individual (even babies) have to have a ticket since the Coast Guard regulates our passenger capacity.

You should dress appropriately for the weather forecast (anywhere from t-shirts to jackets). Its hard for us to make recommendations since we get our jackets out when it’s 70 degrees and visitors from colder climates think we are crazy!  🙂

Maybe!  Remember, this is an Eco Adventure!  We venture into the ocean, where we may take a little salt spray.

We have all the required Coast Guard safety equipment including life jackets. We have adult and child size life jackets as well as 3 infant life jackets.  Our reservation system limits the number of infants we can take on board to 3 so that we can ensure every person has access to a life jacket.

Children are not required to wear life jackets on a vessel the size of our boats. If you prefer your child wear one the entire time, you may want to bring a comfortable vest style life jacket for them. Our child size life jackets are the Coast Guard required life jackets that are big and bulky. Our infant life jackets are more comfortable.