For the second year in a row, the Destin Crab Island Charter Boat is Best of the Emerald Coast
SunVenture Cruises is recognized as Emerald Coast Magazine’s Best of the Emerald Coast. An award recognizing the best local businesses along the Emerald Coast, this distinction is based purely on reader’s votes. For the second year in a row, SunVenture Cruises is named Best Charter Boat. Specializing in Crab Island excursions, sunset dolphin cruises, and seasonal fireworks cruises, SunVenture offers captained cruises aboard their 45′ catamarans. Serving two locations along the Emerald Coast in Destin and Okaloosa Island, SunVenture Cruises can accommodate up to 98 passengers aboard award-winning excursions.
While SunVenture Cruises offers cruises to the public between May – October, private charters are available year-round. Groups can inquire online for private charter rates – perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, rehearsal dinners, bachelorette parties, and more. Each private charter includes a Captain to cater to groups throughout the day. The 45′ catamaran also features a restroom onboard and a state-of-the-art sound system. Best known as a Crab Island charter boat, SunVenture Cruises offers safe and reliable cruises to Destin’s top destination, Crab Island, as each cruise includes a Coast Guard licensed Captain and crew.
In addition to being named Best of the Emerald Coast, SunVenture Cruises was also awarded a Traveler’s Choice Award by Tripadvisor. Recognizing the top 10% of activity providers, Tripadvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Award is based solely on visitor online reviews. Read more reviews from recent travelers on Tripadvisor.
“We had a terrific time visiting Crab Island! Hal and Thomas were FANTASTIC! We had a group of 11 (along with the rest of the people on the boat that had reserved that morning) and they made you feel like each family was their own. They joked, they retrieved items for you from bags and coolers, and they even had rafts on board to use or they would blow up rafts if you brought them to use. They offered to take pictures and joked around with the kids too. There were some pop-up thunderstorms around that morning (I mean it is Florida) and I felt like Captain Hal was truly watching out the whole time to keep us safe. We even got lucky enough to see some dolphins on the way there and back! It was a fantastic experience.” – TeacherVitt (Tripadvisor, July 2021)
2022 public cruises will be available to book starting in the spring of 2022. Public cruises will be available May – October and private charters are available year-round. Visit SunVentureCruises.com or call 850-424-6465 for more information.
If you’re visiting Destin, FL this summer you won’t want to miss out on Destin’s top spot – Crab Island. No longer a physical island, Crab Island is an area in the water where visitors can enjoy waist-deep waters, pristine emerald green water, and fun in the sun. You may have heard about changes coming to Crab Island, and we’re here to sort it out for the 2020 season. We’re answering all of your questions such as how to get there, which vendors will be operating this season, and which changes will impact your visit to Destin, FL in 2020.
How to get to Crab Island
The burning question – how do I get there? Visitors cannot drive or swim to Crab Island. You must travel to Crab Island via a vessel such as a boat, jetski, or kayak. If you have never operated a boat or other vessel, we highly recommend Captained Crab Island Excursions. A captain is included in your charter and stays with you the entire time so that you can get on and off the boat at your leisure. Aboard SunVenture Cruises, there’s also a restroom on board. Visitors who wish to go to Crab Island can rent their own boat, book a Crab Island Excursion, or hire a Private Charter.
What to do at Crab Island
Over the years, a variety of vendors have appeared at Crab Island, offering services ranging from food and beverage to inflatable obstacle courses. New to 2020, vendors must now leave Crab Island each night, meaning that they are no longer allowed to anchor or moor overnight at Crab Island. Because of this, the inflatables are not returning to Crab Island this year. Vendors who transport visitors to Crab Island must operate from a commercially licensed location, such as the dock at Heron Harbor, Dock on the Island, or Harborwalk Village. Vendors will no longer be allowed to pick up passengers from public beach space.
What to Bring
No alcohol is sold at Crab Island, but you are welcome to bring your own in a small cooler aboard SunVenture Cruises’ catamarans. Just remember, please no glass! We also recommend bringing a towel, change of clothes, sunscreen, and food and drinks. For the 2020 season, food vendors will still be allowed to operate at Crab Island. Pack as if you are going to the beach and make sure to bring water toys and floats. Our captains are happy to assist you with inflating your floats upon arrival to Crab Island.
Let Us Take You! Now cruising from Destin and Okaloosa Island, SunVenture Cruises is home of the original Crab Island Excursion! Cruise aboard our 45’ Catamarans, with covered shaded areas and a restroom on board. Each cruise includes a Coast Guard Licensed Captain and Deckhand. Choose between a 3 or 4 hour Crab Island Excursion. After a short cruise to Crab Island, you’ll enjoy waist-deep waters. On your cruise back to the dock you may see some of our favorite locals, such as dolphins, sea turtles, or rays. Not done exploring the Emerald Coast? Book a Sunset Dolphin Cruise or Dolphin & Fireworks Cruise to enjoy the best of Destin into the evening.
Wondering about things to do in Destin Florida for the 4th of July? Well the secret is out that the top spot is Crab Island, an underwater sandbar where locals and guests drop anchor with their boats for an unforgettable day in the sun. Only accessible by boat, Crab Island offers hours of fun in the crystal clear, waist deep waters – whether you want to relax on a float or listen to live music and jump on inflatables, it’s a playground of fun for everyone.
Instead of dealing with the hassle of captaining your boat, let us take you to Crab Island. Our Crab Island cruises are soaring in popularity, as one of the top things to do in Destin Florida. But you don’t have to take our word for it. Check out our 5 star reviews on Facebook or our Yelp Reviews, that earned us the People Loves Us on Yelp Award for 2017.
What a great way to kick off summer with an award based on our guests’ reviews. There’s nothing more coveted than an award earned directly due to the reviews your guests have taken the time to leave. SunVenture Cruises is the proud recipient of the 2017 People Love Us on Yelp award – based on the numerous 5 star reviews left by our guests.
Here is what our guests had to say:
Brittany, Magnolia TX: “Great time with Larry and Mark. Entertaining and nice people. Great time and worth the money to get to crab island. Short ride over so it was great.”
Marco, Magnolia TX: “Went out with Grant and Larry to Crab Island in Destin. The guys were great and took us straight to Crab Island and anchored us down right next to the best burger spot in the area. We got to play volleyball there and listen to the DJ at the same burger place – they also have live music at Crab Island. The water was amazing and we got to swim and show the kiddos some hermit crabs that were walking along the ocean floor. Words of advice for others, bring your own drinks; alcohol, sodas, waters, etc. Bring your own floats, etc or you can rent from the guys or rent jet skis from near by vendors. You can also bring your own food as well if you would like or you can purchase chips and drinks from the boat for $2 a piece or buy a burger or other food from other floating vendors. Tipping the guys is encouraged as they do an awesome job and will hand you whatever you need and be your personal waiters as well as inflate your floats. Thanks again Grant and Larry!!”
Krystalynn, New Orleans: “Had a great time with Grant and Larry. They tell you it takes 25 mins to get to crab island but it only takes 5-10. If you bring floaties they’ll inflate them for you. Also, bring cash to tip and for other rentals the have (jet skis, paddle board, kayak) and food. Bring your own alcohol!”
Kara, Circleville, OH: “We took the 2pm excursion to Crab Island on the Sunventure I. We had a blast! Captain Larry and Joe are the best! They are tons of fun and they provided excellent service. We will definitely book another Destin cruise trip with them next time we come to Destin.”
Ande, Scott Depot, WV: “The guys on the boat were great. They were funny and eager to help you with anything. Bring your own alcohol. It is allowed, and if not the margaritas are $15.00. The guys from the boat will even give you your beer/fill your cup so you don’t have to climb up and down. They were great.
The water at Crab Island was perfectly clear and this was probably our favorite day of our whole vacation. We will definitely do this again when we return to Destin, maybe even more than once.
I definitely recommend this to anyone looking into it. Take a float and you will have a blast.”
Crab Island is by far one of the most unique things to do in Destin Florida. Where else can you float, mingle and play in waist-deep, emerald green waters, go down inflatable slides, listen to live music and bask in the sun? It truly is something everyone has to experience.
Crab Island is only accessible by boat which presents a challenge if you are on a Destin beach vacation. Even people who live here and have boats have found our daily Crab Island cruises to be a more beneficial option. Here are a few reasons why:
Cheaper than renting a boat to Crab Island – the cost of renting a pontoon boat and the gas will cost you much more than $40 per person for our Crab Island cruises. Not to mention – you might not have a bathroom on board.
Safer than renting a boat – all our captains are Coast-Guard licensed and cruise twice daily thru the Destin Harbor to Crab Island. You will not find anyone more experienced with the Destin waters. No need to worry about navigating through the unpredictable boat traffic and figuring out where to anchor at Crab Island. Also if you decide to BYOB, you don’t have to worry about driving the boat, just having fun.
More relaxing, convenient and fun than renting a boat – it’s no fun to have the hassle of driving, anchoring and caring for the boat while everyone is enjoying cocktails in the sun and taking in the scenery. Let our captains host you for the day – they anchor at Crab Island and stay with you the entire time.
Bring your own cooler – Just when you thought the deal couldn’t get any sweeter – BYOB! Bring your own alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages aboard the SunVenture at no additional cost.
Bathroom on board – Did we mention that the Crab Island sandbar is out in the middle of the waters? The SunVenture stays anchored with you through the entire 3 hour excursion so you have complete access to the bathroom and your cooler.
Just when we didn’t think we could top last year – this summer has proved to have been the most fun for our Crab Island cruises. Captain Larry and Joe provided our guests with laughs and memories throughout the summer. We want to end the summer on a memorable note and we want to celebrate with you.
The only place to celebrate Labor Day in Destin Florida is at Crab Island. This underwater playground offers hours of fun in the sun as we anchor at the shallow sandbar near the Destin bridge. You’ve worked hard, now it’s time to play hard!
We will stay anchored during the entire Crab Island excursion as you decide what you want to do in the emerald green, waist deep waters. You can go canoeing, jump on the inflatables, slide down the slides, listen to music, eat food or simply float and relax in the sun. Bring your cooler and let us take you to the only place to be this Labor Day in Destin. We have Crab Island Cruises at 10am, 12 pm and 2 pm throughout Labor Day weekend.
If you want to catch one of the last summer sunsets this Labor Day, we’re cruising every night at 6:30pm for our Destin Dolphin Sunset Cruises. Our entertaining captains will take you through an entertaining and narrative tour of the Destin Harbor for this educational and fun eco-tour. Watch the sun set under the iconic Destin bridge and hopefully see some playful dolphins. The SunVenture’s relaxing setting and arrangement gives you one of the closest views of the dolphins without being on a large, overcrowded boat.
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