Drive Your Own Boat Tour from Fernandina Beach

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Duration

2h 30m

Group

Up to 14

Language

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TimesAnother time?

Days and times: Every day · 10:00 and 13:30

10:0013:30

You're at the helm of your own boat, not watching from a seat

A guided boat tour from Fernandina Beach where you drive your own CraigCat (a small, agile speedboat) through the waterways around Amelia Island and out toward Cumberland Island. Your guide navigates the route and points out wildlife and historic sites while you handle the controls. The tour runs 2.5 hours and includes bottled water.

Step-by-step itinerary

Guided CraigCat boat tour and sightseeing

Meet at 251 Creekside Drive
Drive your own CraigCat boat
Pass Historic Fernandina Beach
Pass 19th Century Fort
Explore Cumberland Island waterways
See Dungeness Ruins and wildlife

The experience

Two and a half hours is long enough to cover real ground without eating your whole day. You meet at C Dock in Fernandina Beach, get a briefing on how to handle the CraigCat, and then you're driving. The boat handles like a go-cart on water (responsive and quick), so even if you've never piloted anything before, the learning curve is short. Your guide leads the way and radios instructions and commentary as you move through the waterways.

The route passes Historic Fernandina Beach first, where your guide gives you the backstory of the island. Then you head toward Cumberland Island, where the real wildlife watching happens. The waterways there are where you'll see dolphins, manatees, wild horses and the birds that nest in this part of Florida. Dungeness Ruins sit on Cumberland too: 19th-century structures rising out of the marsh. Because you're in a small, nimble boat and you're the one steering, you can move closer to things than you'd get on a bigger tour boat, and you can linger where something interesting shows up.

Conditions on the water vary, so you might get splashed or feel the boat bounce in chop. That's part of driving your own vessel. Bottled water is included. You need to be at least 18 to drive. If you were born after January 1, 1988, you'll need to complete Florida's Boaters Safety course before the tour (that's a separate step, not part of this booking). All participants must weigh under 250 pounds.

What’s included

Bottled water.
your own CraigCat to drive.
a live English-speaking guide leading the route and providing commentary on the history and wildlife of Amelia Island and Cumberland Island.

Information

Lasts 2h 30m, runs every day at 10:00 and 13:30, from US$ 135 per person, with a live guide in English and in groups of up to 14.

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 10:00 and 13:30Another time? ›

GroupUp to 143 private ›

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

AgesAdult (6 and older) · Under 6: can't be booked

Cancellation and refundsNo refund if you cancel.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 4 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with back problems

Operated by Riptide Watersports

Is this one for you?The 2.5-hour window fits into a half-day itinerary without dominating it, leaving time for lunch or other activities in Fernandina Beach before or after. If you want to be hands-on and in control rather than sitting as a passenger, this is the tour for it. You're steering the whole time, not watching someone else drive.