Kayaking in Sarasota: Glass Bottom Night Paddle with LED Lights

See what swims beneath you while the rest of Sarasota sleeps

Kayak Sarasota's waterways at night in a glass-bottom kayak equipped with powerful LED lights that illuminate the water below. You paddle through a shallow harbor and seagrass flats surrounded by mangroves, spotting fish, crabs, stingrays, seahorses and other marine life as the lights glow beneath your kayak. The tour includes paddles, life jackets, a professional guide and fish food. It runs about 75 minutes and suits all fitness levels.

Step-by-step itinerary

Nighttime kayak tour with marine life viewing

• Board glass bottom kayak
• Paddle through canal into harbor
• Glide over seagrass flats
• View marine life illuminated by LED lights
• Enjoy views of causeway bridge and skyline

What’s included

• Glass-bottom kayak.
• paddles.
• life jacket.
• underwater LED lighting system.
• professional tour guide in English.
• and fish food for feeding marine life during the paddle.

Times

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• Every day 20:00

Information

Paddle a glass-bottom kayak through Sarasota's nighttime waterways with underwater LED lights illuminating fish, crabs.

Group Up to 16

Live guide English

Meeting point and pickup No hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point. See the exact address

Book up to 2h before

Ages Adult (4 and older) · Under 4: can't be booked

Cancellation and refunds Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund. 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.

Good to know

Low physical effort Pets welcome Public transport nearby Infants must sit on laps

More information The exact meeting point address, the operator’s instructions and every other detail are in the full listing. See the full listing

Traveler reviews

4.00 ★★★★★ Very good 6 verified traveler reviews

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The experience

What makes this different from a daytime paddle is the glass bottom and the lights. Your kayak has a clear hull, and as you move through the water, the underwater LED system kicks on and turns the seabed into something you can actually see, not guess at. The light cuts through the dark water and shows you what's moving down there: crabs walking the bottom, shrimp hovering near seagrass, stingrays gliding past. Fish scatter and regroup. On some nights, manatees drift through. The water glows beneath you the whole time.

The paddle itself follows a canal into a shallow harbor ringed by mangroves, then crosses seagrass flats where most of the marine life congregates. You're moving slowly enough to watch, and the guide is there to point out what the lights reveal. The John Ringling Causeway Bridge and Sarasota's skyline sit behind you the whole time: lit up against the dark sky. It's the kind of backdrop that makes sense for a sunset departure, though the night tour works just as well once the city lights come on.

This is a family-operated tour, which means the same people have been running these same routes for a while. They bring fish food, so you can feed what you see. No two trips are identical because the marine life moves around, but the setup (the lights, the clear bottom, the shallow route through the mangroves) stays the same. Infants ride on an adult's lap. The tour suits all fitness levels, so the paddle pace is easy enough that you're not fighting the kayak.

Top questions

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What kind of marine life will I actually see on the night kayak tour?

Fish, crabs, stingrays, seahorses and shrimp are common sights as the LED lights illuminate the seagrass flats and shallow harbor. Manatees pass through on some tours. The water glows beneath your kayak the entire time, so you see movement and detail you'd miss in daylight.

How long does the kayaking tour take?

The tour runs about 75 minutes from start to finish, including the paddle through the canal, across the seagrass flats and back.

Is the glass-bottom kayak hard to paddle?

No. The kayaks are easy to maneuver, and the paddle is slow and steady through shallow water. The tour suits all fitness levels, so you're not fighting the equipment or the pace.

Can I bring my infant or young child?

Yes. Infants sit on an adult's lap during the tour. The family-operated tour is designed for groups, families and children, so kids are welcome.

What's included in the kayaking tour?

The glass-bottom kayak, paddles, life jacket, underwater LED lights and a professional guide are all included. You also get fish food to feed the marine life you spot.

Operated by Sharkey's Glass Bottom Tours - Sarasota. Explorevia does not run this tour: we compare it with similar options, and you book it with our booking partner.

Prices and times updated today