A full-day pontoon to Shell Island starts at $229 on Viator, a guided two-hour jet ski tour at $149. The state park rents kayaks and paddleboards from two hours. Born in 1988 or later? You need a boater ID card to drive.
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Pick a rentalPanama City Beach, 2016 · Photo: Tomas Salas / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (CC0) · Credits
All prices are Viator's lowest prices, read on November 1, 2026; the total for your date is on the listing. Born in 1988 or later? Check Florida's boater ID rule before you book.
Both rentals leave from Grand Lagoon, a short ride from Shell Island. What to bring for a day on the island is on our Shell Island page.
Paradise Adventures
A full-day pontoon rental with a 60 hp motor, for a day at Shell Island.
From $229 on Viator
Paradise Adventures
The same company's eight-hour rental with a 90 hp motor; the listing names no other difference.
From $239 on Viator
We found no plain jet ski rental on Viator, only guided tours. Both go to Shell Island and take about two hours; one leaves from Panama City Beach, the other from Panama City across the bay.
AAA Jet Ski Rental
A two-hour guided jet ski tour to Shell Island, with fuel, life jackets and a guide.
From $159 on Viator
Sunshine Watersports PC
A two-hour guided jet ski tour with a stop at Shell Island when conditions allow; fuel and life jackets included.
From $149 on Viator
Viator prices and lengths on November 1, 2026. The St. Andrews rentals don't have reviews on Viator yet.
St. Andrews State Park concession
A single kayak from the park's concession, from two hours.
From $32.10 on Viator
St. Andrews State Park concession
A paddleboard from the park's concession, from two hours.
From $42.80 on Viator
Katie's Paddle Boarding Adventures
A 75-minute paddleboard lesson in Panama City, across the bay from Panama City Beach. It starts on Lake Caroline and ends in St. Andrew Bay; board, paddle, life jacket and leash are included.
From $85 on Viator
The AAA jet ski tour asks for a driver of 18 or older. Sunshine Watersports' own page lets drivers of 16 and up ride with photo ID and a boater safety card, with a renter of 18 or older.
Florida law: if you were born on or after January 1, 1988, you need photo ID and a boating safety ID card to drive a boat or jet ski with a motor of 10 hp or more (Florida Statutes 327.395). The law also accepts a temporary certificate, a boating course or exam passed in another state that meets national standards, an International Certificate of Competency or a Canadian Pleasure Craft Operator Card, and it lists a few exemptions. The statute says a temporary certificate is valid for 90 days; the state wildlife agency's regulations page still says 12 months. A rental company may not rent to you without these documents unless an exemption applies, and it must brief you before you leave (327.54). Checked November 2, 2026.
For jet skis, the law sets the minimum driver age at 14 (327.39). A rental company may not rent a jet ski or motorboat to anyone under 18. Everyone on a jet ski wears a life jacket that isn't inflatable, and the driver wears the engine cutoff lanyard. No jet ski may run from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise. Company rules can be stricter.
Some jet ski tours are advertised as swimming with dolphins. NOAA asks visitors not to swim with, feed or chase wild dolphins; the rules are on our dolphin tours page.
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