Afternoon Cruise

Does anyone have experience with the various ';Dolphin Cruises';, etc. I%26#39;ve always wanted to take one of these short ocean cruises but have yet to try. I have seen some of these cruises setting out and they looked very crowded. Also, how practical is it to see dolphins on a dolphin cruise. We will be there next week and I wanted to try something new.

Afternoon Cruise

We did a ';Sunset Cruise'; on the ';Seablaster'; behind AJs last week. (There are two different Seablaster boats, different owners) It went out from 5 -7 %26amp; sunset was about 6:30, so we watched for dolphins between 5 - 6:30ish. Saw several. The waters were too rough to go into the Gulf that day, so we watched for dolphins in the jetty area %26amp; then went into the Bay to watch the sunset. The jetty area is the popular place to see the dolphins, we were told. Where they ';hang out';. But we also often see them from our condo, swimming across the shoreline. So keep an eye out any time you are on the beach, too.

Not so many people this time of year, so there weren%26#39;t many people on our charter, either. The ';Silent Lady'; looked to be more crowded.

We did an afternoon dolphin cruise a few years ago %26amp; only saw one dolphin, but I think that wasn%26#39;t the norm.

This is a GREAT time of year to go :-)

Afternoon Cruise

Thanks for the information. I looked at the SeaBlaster online and it looks real exposed - do you wear your beach attire? Also, was the sunset worth the cruise? Did you have children with you and if so did they enjoy?

This time of year, the sunset is just as gorgeous from the beach, as it sets out over the water.

Yes, the Seablaster is very exposed. But I think we wore crop pants (my daughter in law %26amp; I) while the guys wore shorts. There were several families with young children on the boat. My first question was where to sit so I didn%26#39;t get wet or get the crap beat out of me. I was told ';way up front';, so we sat in the very first row. We didn%26#39;t get wet but the back did get a couple of splashes. Nothing major.

If you go on a breezy day, it seems more windy out on the water, so you might want to consider light jackets for after sunset.

The 2 hrs was plenty of time for me.

My husband %26amp; son went on a fishing charter the next day (5-6 hrs) %26amp; we were glad we didn%26#39;t go. They loved it but too much time on the water for me.

GMRPH, I would go on the ';Original'; Seablaster located behind the Lucky Snapper restaurant. We have been going out for many years on the Seablaster and always have fun, they let the kids drive the boat for awhile also. Capt. Larry on this Seablaster has been running the Seablaster for years.

I would not do the Seablaster at all. For a nice afternoon or evening Cruise, I would choose the Southern Star Dolphin Curises. They ALWAYS see dolphins.

Semco, do you have personal experience with Southern Star? I looked at their website and the information is very basic. I like the idea that there are some inside areas. Seeing the dolphins is not as big a deal as enjoying the overall experience. I really don%26#39;t want to get wet in the evening because I know it starts getting chilly on the water at sunset. However, because it is less $$ we might consider an afternoon cruise. Is there a time when dolphins are more likely to be spotted?

The Southern Star and the Seablaster (by Lucky Snapper) are both fun boats to take for a sunset cruise. The other Seablaster is the AJsSeablaster which I have not been on.

I just went on the Seablaster again a couple of weeks ago- second time this year our Parrot Heads club has booked the boat. You may get splashed if the waves are big as you go out through the jettys- but come on - you are out on the water and if you are afraid of getting wet you shouldn%26#39;t even consider going. It is more of a party boat - they include beer and wine during the cruise. You are exposed to the sun but it is setting...and it is fun when you get going fast out in the Gulf. We did see alot of dolphins, they stayed with the boat for some time.

The Southern Star spends more time in the bay on their cruise, It is a glass bottom boat but you really can%26#39;t see anything through the glass.

We did the Southern Star this past August. We did have an enjoyable time - but did not see any dolphins. We went in the afternoon. We were told that they pretty much always see dolphins, but unfortunately we were the exception to the rule.

I think if we try it again we will pick a different time of day.

Also, regarding the glass bottom - it was just a green blur. I figured that if we stopped to watch something maybe we could appreciate it - but it never happened.

Thanks everyone for the info. We leave tomorrow!!!!!