Without a boat, you can snorkel from the rock jetty and the two swimming areas at St. Andrews State Park, for the $8 park entry. Shell Island needs a boat: shared snorkel trips start at $35 a person on the Tiki Boat, private boats at $299. Two wrecks on the state's shipwreck trail, Black Bart and USS Strength, are listed at 85 and 80 feet; they're for certified divers on a charter.
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Pick a spotSt. Andrews State Park · Photo: Royalbroil / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Credits
Prices are the operators' and the park's own, read on November 1, 2026. None of the boat operators publishes a 2027 season yet.
The rock jetty was built to protect the shipping channel and now works as an artificial reef. You reach it from inside the park, no boat needed. The park lists rays, angelfish, redfish, sheepshead and octopus among what snorkelers can see, and says dolphins often visit the waters around the jetty; sightings aren't guaranteed. The park calls it good for beginning and advanced snorkelers.
The jetty lines the shipping channel. The National Weather Service warns that rip currents form near jetties and advises against swimming in or around inlets with strong tidal currents. Stay out of the channel, and ask park staff if you're not sure where to get in. Check the beach flags and rip current risk before you go in.
Sources: Florida State Parks: snorkeling at St. Andrews, experiences and amenities, hours and fees; National Weather Service: dangerous currents.
Most trips leave from Grand Lagoon and stop at Shell Island to snorkel, looking for dolphins on the way. The two Shell Island ferries only take you there and back, with no snorkel stop or guide; see the Shell Island ferries. Prices are per person unless it says otherwise; check whether taxes and fees are included. New to snorkeling? Paradise Adventures says its guides explain the gear, it has life jackets for all ages and there's no minimum age; if you're unsure, it asks you to contact it before you book. Ask the other operators the same before booking. Beachy Boat Rentals runs private snorkel trips for 4 to 6 people from Panama City across the bay; it doesn't say snorkel gear is included.
Not a strong swimmer, or just coming along? Life vests for all ages are on board at Island Time's small-boat trip and at Paradise Adventures. None of the operators we checked says whether a guide gets in the water with you or whether you can stay on the boat while others snorkel, so ask both questions when you book. For calmer water without a boat, the park's brochure calls the pool behind the St. Andrews jetty protected; it's still open water, and the park doesn't publish whether lifeguards are on duty.
Island Time Sailing, Shell Island Snorkel & Sail
Leaves from5201 N Lagoon DrivePriceFrom $39 a personGood to know3 hours on a catamaran, at most 65 guests (the boat is rated for 78)Island Time Sailing, small-boat dolphin and snorkel
Leaves from5201 N Lagoon DrivePrice$59 a personGood to know2 or 3 hours, at most 6 guests. Snorkel gear, shell nets and life jackets included. Cancel up to 24 hours beforeParadise Adventures, Tiki Boat
Leaves fromHilton Vacation Club Bayside Resort, 4114 Jan Cooley DrivePrice$35–$50 a personGood to know3 hours, up to 22 guests. Snorkel gear, water, paddleboards and a lily pad; restroom on boardParadise Adventures, Footloose
Leaves fromHilton Vacation Club Bayside Resort, 4114 Jan Cooley DrivePriceFrom $50 ages 13 and up, $35 ages 3 to 12, $15 under 3; holiday rates can differGood to know3 hours, up to 38 guests. Snorkel gear and one drink; restroom and shadeSources: Island Time Sailing and its small-boat trip, Paradise Adventures: snorkel trips.
Prices, lengths and ratings from Viator on November 1, 2026. We haven't been on these trips.
Island Time Sailing
Three hours on a catamaran with snorkel gear, paddleboards and life jackets; taxes and fees included.
From $52.43 on Viator
Lagoon Pontoons
Two hours on a small boat with at most six guests and snorkel gear.
From $49 on Viator
Salty Fins
Two hours with snorkel gear and coolers of ice; bring your own food and drinks.
From $48.99 on Viator
Good Jibez Only Boat Tours
Three hours with a licensed guide, snorkel gear and life jackets.
From $55 on Viator
Some Panama City Beach tours are sold as getting in the water with wild dolphins. NOAA asks visitors not to swim with, feed or chase wild dolphins; see the dolphin rules.
These wrecks are offshore and too deep to snorkel. The state lists Black Bart and USS Strength on its Florida Panhandle Shipwreck Trail, but its Black Bart page gives two different positions, so we don't publish coordinates. Visit Panama City Beach's artificial reef program counts more than 50 sites; we found none there that you can reach from the beach.
Black Bart
HistorySunk as an artificial reef on July 27, 1993Depth85 feet to the bottom; wheelhouse at 40, deck at 66, holds at 80NoteDive Locker describes it as about 75 feetUSS Strength
HistorySunk on May 19, 1987Depth80 feet in the state's tableNoteThe state's own text says less than 80 feetBlack Pearl
HistoryA 97-foot steel ship added to Visit Panama City Beach's reef program, announced in 2025 (another of its pages says 100 feet)Depth75 feet to the bottom; the top is 54 feet downNote: About 6 nautical miles southwest of St. Andrews Pass; for open-water divers, Visit Panama City Beach says. A stop on Panama City Diving's standard charters
Sources: Florida Department of State, Florida Panhandle Shipwreck Trail: Black Bart, USS Strength; Visit Panama City Beach: Black Pearl joins the reef program, diving and snorkeling.
The depths here are each charter's range for the trip, not the depth of one wreck. Ask which wrecks are planned and how deep the dives go.
Panama City Diving, standard two-tank
Depth55–75 feetPrice$115 a diver for the 4-hour boat trip, read on its booking page on November 2, 2026Good to know: Tanks extra: two air tanks $18, two nitrox $24; no rental gear included. Refund if you cancel more than 72 hours ahead; full refund if the weather cancels
Panama City Diving, offshore two-tank
Depth75–110 feetPrice$135 a diver for about 5 hoursGood to knowNeeds an advanced adventure or deep certification and nitrox. Same cancellation termsDive Locker, Island Diver
DepthNot publishedPricePrice not publishedGood to knowRental: mask and snorkel $5, fins $5, dive flag $5Sources: Panama City Diving: dive charters, Dive Locker: charters and home page.
Florida's divers-down rules cover snorkelers too: they apply to anyone in the water with a mask and snorkel or scuba gear. As far as you reasonably can, stay within 100 feet of your divers-down flag or buoy in rivers, inlets and navigation channels, and within 300 feet in open water. Boats have to try to keep the same distances and slow to idle speed if they come closer. In the water, the flag is a red rectangle or square with a white diagonal stripe, at least 12 by 12 inches.
For scuba divers, St. Andrews State Park adds these rules:
Sources: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: boating regulations (checked November 2, 2026), Florida State Parks: St. Andrews experiences and amenities.
