Cattywampus Aquatic Adventures — Attraction in Santa Rosa Island

Disappointing and Unsafe Experience on June 10, 2025. We were 7 people and had a very disappointing experience. The day before our trip, we called to ask about the weather since forecasts had been unpredictable. We were reassured that they monitor the weather hourly and would reschedule if there was more than a brief light rain expected. However, just five minutes into the trip, heavy rain began—and they continued sailing. Soon after, thunder and lightning started. Only then did they turn the boat around. But instead of heading back to shore, they stopped the boat in a random spot, far from any reef, claiming it was a good place to snorkel. It was clearly not, and it seemed like a move to avoid offering refunds or rescheduling. It continued to rain the entire time. When I called afterward, the person who originally booked us remembered our weather conversation and was kind and understanding. However, the owner who called me later was extremely rude. She denied that there had been any lightning and insisted that I was the only one who had complained—as if that invalidated my concerns. I also mentioned that when the captain asked if anyone had been on a boat tour before, we were the only ones who had. He jokingly said, “So we can do whatever we want since you can’t compare,” which felt unprofessional in hindsight. Nothing that was described in the tour listing was delivered, and we felt the captain made an unsafe and poor judgment call. The actual reef we were supposed to snorkel at was on the other side of the bridge, but we never got there. The spot where they stopped had nothing to see and felt like a deliberate diversion. Though the owner eventually offered us a two-year rain check, we have yet to receive it, nir we will. We went back to Destin Snorkel who were and still are much...

So originally I was shopping around and noticed this place was more expensive than the others. A few days later I got an email from them reminding me that yes it is more expensive than other cruises, but it is also a 3 hour long cruise whereas most of the others are 60-90mins. That email is what made me decide to book with them because it seemed so personable.. This was one of the coolest experiences ever. When we left the dock I was thinking it would take a good 30 mins to an hour to see any dolphins, but within two mins of leaving we spotted a pod of dolphins and I swear they swam within ten foot of the boat! It was so cool! I do not advise booking your boat cruise if it is 55° outside and cloudy, it was FREEZING! But the crew had blankets they let us use which was so nice and made a big difference! They have hoola hoops you can play with, and two nets you can sit on over the water. I highly recommend this dolphin cruise to anyone with small kids. It was very kid/Family friendly . Unfortunately there wasn't much sunset to our sunset cruise due to the clouds, but I bet it would be beautiful on a clear sunny day. If we ever come back to FWB I will be doing this again, and hopefully next time the weather is better. The crew was so friendly and even let my daughter drive the boat, and they had good music on as well. 10/10 would highly recommend!

I will say we saw some of the other boats out for the other cruise lines, and they were packed in so tightly and had to stand to see over the rails. This boat is very spacious and there was plenty of room to move around and I did not feel...

Cattywampus Aquatic Adventures was a fantastic experience for us! We did the fireworks cruise and it was just perfect. A short, fun snorkeling adventure to start with, some cruising around a little, and the fireworks to finish out the evening.

The snorkeling part is just out to Crab Island, so not tons of amazing fish or anything, but some small fish here and there and a lot of hermit crabs on the island and in the water. So it is definitely very basic snorkeling and probably mostly only entertaining for kids, but my kids (7 and 8.5) thought it was super cool, and we adults enjoyed the fun of the crabs, as well. It was a cute and fun little excursion.

The captain and crew of the boat were truly great--friendly, fun, entertaining, and GREAT with kids. They gave any kids who wanted to a chance to steer the boat for a few minutes, and also had some fun dancing and hula hoop competitions on the deck. Cannot say enough good things about the captain and crew and the level of customer service.

The boat is nice and not horribly crowded--plenty of people, but not overbooked to where you're packed in uncomfortably or can't sit where you'd like. We were able to find set out on the front/top deck of the boat to enjoy the view. There is also a bathroom on board (albeit the typical boat bathroom that doesn't smell the greatest, but not at all due to a lack cleanliness--it's just the nature of boat restrooms).

We would 100% recommend this cruise to anyone and truly enjoyed...