The Sightseeing Boat Tour will be on the water for an hour and a half.

• Vision Marine 217 Fantail Electric Boat – silent, eco‑friendly, lux seating.
• Tiki Pontoon Boat – open‑air “floating tiki bar” vibe with straw‑roof canopy.

We’ll supply all safety equipment, but we’d recommend bringing sunglasses, a hat, water, and sunscreen. Please do not apply spray sunscreen on the boat, it stains the seats and deck.

Yes. Every tour—whether on our sightseeing electric boat or our Tiki Boat—is booked for a single party only. We never mix groups. You’ll have the vessel and captain entirely to yourselves, with room for up to 6 guests per boat. Larger parties can reserve both boats to cruise together.

There is not a bathroom on the sightseeing boat or Tiki boat. We do have one at the check-in location at Vero Tackle & Watersports.

You will meet the tour boat at Vero Tackle & Watersports

3321 Bridge Plaza Dr Vero Beach FL 32963.

Click Here for a Google Maps Link

You’re not likely to get seasick. We’ll be on the Indian River Lagoon for the entire boat tour. This is a Brackish Estuary that’s fairly small and well protected from wind and waves. If it’s rough enough to get you sick, we’ll likely reschedule for a better day. It’s generally very calm on the Indian River Lagoon.

We operate under the uninspected vessel classification from the United States Coast Guard. This means we can only take 6 humans at a time, that includes children.

You absolutely are. Feel free to bring food and drinks. If needed, we can have a bag of ice for you. We have a cooler on board, you are also welcomed to bring your own cooler.

Not likely. We rarely see alligators in the Indian River Lagoon. They are not fans of the salt in the brackish water and definitely do not like all the human traffic. They tend to like freshwater that is calm and quiet.

Yes—both vessels are fully shaded:

• Electric Tour Boat – a sleek, fixed canopy spans the entire cockpit, so everyone stays cool and protected while you glide in near‑silence.

• Tiki Pontoon Boat – the signature thatched tiki roof covers the full deck, giving 360° shade without blocking those river breezes or sunset views.

It really depends on the group. If there is only light rain and the guests do not mind getting a little wet, we can still go. Unfortunately, this is usually not the case in Florida. Most often rain will result in lightning as well. In the case of lightning or high winds, we will cancel, reschedule, or refund your trip. We leave the final call to the Captain of the boat, they know Floirda weather very well.

• Early tours (9 AM – 11 AM) – Cooler water and lighter traffic mean dolphins are hunting, ospreys are fishing, and manatees often cruise in the shallows.

• Late‑day tours (about 90 minutes before sunset) – As the sun drops, many species feed again and the golden light makes sightings easier to spot—and photograph.

Seasonally, dolphins are year‑round regulars, while manatee encounters peak from late spring through early fall when the lagoon is warmest. Wading‐bird rookeries are busiest March–June.
Although every trip is different, picking the first or last tour of the day usually gives you the best wildlife show!

Yes! In fact, if you’d like, we are happy to bring First Mate Mildred as well. She is a Golden Retriever that loves boat rides and people.

Yes, please give us as much notice as you can. Since most Boat Tours are private we do not have a Captain on site unless a tour is booked for them. Same day reservations are possible with enough notice.

The point of this cancelation policy is to take you on a boat tour. We don’t want to charge you and not take you on a boat tour. If you cancel last minute or book a tour and don’t show up, you leave a captain on shore with no one to take on a tour. Within the 12-hour window, they likely passed up the opportunity to take someone else. Let’s just go on a boat tour.

• Cancelation more than 12 hours before the tour start time will receive a full refund or rescheduling.

• Cancelation of fewer than 12 hours until tour start time will be charged $100.

• No-call-no-shows will be charged the full boat tour amount.

All Boat Tour bookings made by phone require a credit card that will be charged for the full amount of the Boat Tour. Online bookings made through our website will take full payment at the time of booking. Without an authorized card or full payment, your trip is not confirmed, and a captain will not be scheduled. You may change cards or pay cash on the day of the charter, you can even split charges between humans.
The captain may cancel the Boat Tour for weather or mechanical issues at any time. You will be rescheduled or refunded if unable to reschedule. Only the Captain may cancel for weather, Florida weather is unique, and rain percentage does not necessarily mean it will rain.

Nope. Please do not smoke on the tour boats.

You will see the most biodaiverse waterway in North America, the beautiful Indian River Lagoon, and all it has to offer. From mansions to bottlenose dolphins, no two tours are ever the same. The most common wildlife are dolphins, we also see manatees and an incredible variety of birds.

We have free parking that we share with Riverside Cafe. Here’s a Google Maps link to our location
Google Maps to Vero Watersports

If you go to Vero Tackle Gift Certificates it will take you to our gift certificate pages.

Not likely, possible though. If it’s windy there could be some spray if we are moving faster in search of wildlife. Most trips will be cruising at a slower speed so dont miss anything

• Sightseeing Electric Boat: ~5 mph. The whisper‑quiet motor is designed for an easy glide that lets you spot dolphins and manatees without spooking them.

• Tiki Pontoon Boat: Capable of up to 20 mph, but we typically cruise at the same relaxed 5 mph so everyone can enjoy the views and wildlife. (If your private group wants to pick up the pace between sights, just let the captain know!)

Do keep in mind that it is an industry standard to tip the Captain/Crew, but it’s not required and we’ll never ask for it. If we do a great job and you want to tip you’re Captain, please do. They will really appreciate it.

Comfortable outdoor clothing works well. It’s a good idea to bring a jacket too. It can get chilly in the wintertime and more so around sunset.