Boat Tours & Cruises

Experience St. Augustine from the water on one of the region's exceptional boat tours, where Matanzas Bay, the Intracoastal Waterway, and the Atlantic Ocean provide spectacular backdrops for unforgettable maritime adventures. The city's Municipal Marina serves as the departure point for a diverse fleet of tour boats, sailboats, and specialty vessels offering experiences ranging from dolphin-watching cruises and sunset sails to historical narrated tours and pirate ship adventures that delight the entire family. Seeing the ancient city's skyline and the Castillo de San Marcos from the water provides perspectives on St. Augustine's remarkable history and natural setting that no land-based tour can replicate.
Dolphin watching cruises rank among the most popular water experiences in the area, and for good reason - bottlenose dolphins are year-round residents of St. Augustine's coastal waters, frequently entertaining passengers with playful acrobatics, bow-riding, and feeding behavior. The protected waters of the Matanzas River, Tolomato River, and Intracoastal Waterway create ideal dolphin habitat, and knowledgeable captains know where to find these charismatic marine mammals reliably throughout the seasons. Beyond dolphins, cruises often encounter sea turtles, manatees during warmer months, brown pelicans, ospreys, and the spectacular variety of shorebirds that make Florida's coast one of the world's premier birding destinations.
The Schooner Freedom offers one of St. Augustine's most romantic and memorable sailing experiences, a beautiful historic sailboat that departs from the Municipal Marina for afternoon sails, sunset cruises, and evening excursions on Matanzas Bay. Passengers can help raise the sails, learn basic sailing skills from experienced crew, or simply relax and enjoy the sea breeze and magnificent views of the historic city. Sunset cruises aboard the Freedom create magical experiences as the golden light transforms the ancient buildings and the Bridge of Lions into a picture-perfect vision of Old Florida at its most beautiful.
During the Fourth of July celebrations, water adventures take on patriotic significance as operators offer special cruises positioned to view the spectacular fireworks display from the water, combining the excitement of the fireworks with the unique perspective of watching them reflect in the bay. During Nights of Lights season, evening boat tours showcase St. Augustine's spectacular holiday lights from the water, where millions of white lights reflecting off Matanzas Bay create a mirror-image display of extraordinary beauty. The Black Raven pirate ship offers interactive pirate cruise experiences perfect for children, combining swashbuckling theater with genuine waterfront adventure.