Visit Shell Island Panama City Beach — Attraction in Upper Grand Lagoon

I would not recommend this place at all. When you map to get here on GOs it does deliver you to the correct parking lot but then you have no signs as to where to go or anything. We walked up to a set of buildings where I entered through the first gate I saw and I approached the first stand with someone in it which was the shell island shuttle stand and when I asked about where I needed to go to get my rental she had no clue what I was talking about like she had never heard of shell island rentals and then she proceeded to tell me I came in through a construction zone and not to go back out that way ....... ok there were no signs or cones or tape or anything saying that was a construction zone . Also thank Gid for the deck boy who came up bc he could tell we were lost but he was also confused when I told him k was hit in this place. I then tried to call the number to shell island rentals and recieved no answer. The deck guy then came back and pointed me toward a building with several workers who was the right place and once again no signs no arrows nothing but the person we dealt with was very nice but at this point I'm over 30 minutes past my rental time and I don't get that money back. So no I don't recommend this place . They need signs and to answer their phones bc people have no idea where they are when they drive up and the woman in the shuttle building should t...

The boats showed some age compared to other rental places- but they also cost 30% less too. Mine ran with no issues so overall it was a good experience. I selected the full day rental and have no regrets. A half day might have been sufficient if all you want is to get to the island to explore or snorkel, but a full day allowed me to go to shell island and walk the beach, find some calm places to snorkel on the bay side, drive over to St Andrews for lunch, went back to the island to snorkel more, then returned the boat without feeling rushed. Tip: all boats leave at the same time- so getting there early doesn't mean you'll leave early. In fact, get there early and you're going to find yourself waiting on the dock. That said, the people that got there early also got the benefit the free carts (limited number) for carrying gear. People arriving later were...

Without a doubt, this is a must do if you have kiddos and are in the area! We were able to book literally the morning of our tour and we chose a three hour private boat tour for our family of four (two littles-a seven and four year old boys). Capt Alex J was friendly and welcoming and had a lot of fun facts to tell us about the animals and the local area. He helped us find dolphins and sea turtles to take a look at. Shell beach was so fun. The kids tried snorkeling and you can walk to the other side of the island to see the gulf and a pristine beach. We brought a cooler of snacks and our chairs and umbrella but didn’t need the chairs and umbrella. Snacks were good tho :). Capt Alex was cool with the kids and safety conscious and just a delight to talk to! 10/10 would...