There was limited space in the underwater glass-walled portion of the boat. The passengers lined up early to stake out a spot. While at the dock we saw pinfish and red snapper that were being fed by people on the dock. The area was hot and close. Once underway, we soon found we could see only a few feet. The tide was going out: the eelgrass and algae clouded the water. Soon the glass-walled area was totally abandoned, except for a few moms and toddlers who enjoyed the private gymnasium. My Florida brother says visibility in Panhandle waters is 20 feet at best and our experience was about average.

The above water portion of the ship had an upper and lower deck. There was an interior area for shelter. The upper deck had a snack bar offering cookies, chips, soda and beer. It was hot and humid on the ship, especially below deck.

The captain spoke often to the passengers through an intercom. You could sometimes understand what he said! The view of Destin from the harbor was wonderful.

The ship’s crew pulled up a crab trap to extract a female blue crab with only one claw, which the crew used to discus crab biology. My kids were a little too curious about the crab’s claws, but they survived the pinch. When everyone had seen it, the crab was freed to the sea.

The ship also went out into the choppy Gulf. Our young boys enjoyed trying their sea legs. We spotted dolphins feeding and the captain maneuvered the ship so that everyone could get a better look. The animals did not come close enough to be viewed from the glass-bottom area of the ship.

We then headed into the bay, where the crew used a mini shrimp net to see what other wildlife was about. They brought up a puffer fish (all fat and spiky), several pinfish and more blue crabs. My 3-year-old was quite excited to watch the puffer fish spit out water to get smaller. This made it real, whereas our videos at home just didn’t have the impact. All the wildlife was returned to the water.

In all, our boat trip was a really enjoyable two hours. The kids did not get seasick, they saw really interesting creatures up close, and the crew told them many interesting things (how to tell boy crabs from girl crabs, that crabs can grow replacement claws, that puffer fish are actually quite soft when fully deflated). I think ages 3-years to 12-years would be best for this experience.

As our family returns to the Panhandle often, I am sure we will make another trip on this boat. What better recommendation could you ask?