Cruise out through the Santa Rosa Sound into the open waters of Pensacola Bay — home to one of the most active resident bottlenose dolphin populations on the Gulf Coast. Your USCG-licensed captain and Mermaid Crew know exactly where the pods are feeding and will guide your group to the best dolphin spotting locations while sharing facts about local marine life, Gulf Coast history, and the waterways that make Pensacola Bay one of the most dolphin-rich stretches of water in the South.

Gulf Islands National Seashore, Pensacola Beach, FL Cruise the protected waters of the Gulf Islands National Seashore — a pristine stretch of Gulf Coast barrier island accessible only by boat or vehicle through Fort Pickens Road. The emerald waters and white sand shoreline of Santa Rosa Island are visible throughout this section of the cruise. Your captain will share the history and ecology of one of America's most visited national seashores right from the water.

Fort Pickens, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Pensacola Beach, FL Built in the 1830s and best viewed from the water, Fort Pickens served a critical role during the Civil War and is where Geronimo was once held as a prisoner of war. The western tip of Santa Rosa Island offers dramatic views of Pensacola Pass where the Santa Rosa Sound meets the Gulf of Mexico — one of the most active dolphin feeding areas on the entire cruise route.

The historic Pensacola Lighthouse, located on the grounds of Naval Air Station Pensacola, has guided mariners through Pensacola Pass since 1859 and is one of the oldest lighthouses on the Gulf Coast. NAS Pensacola is also home of the world-famous US Navy Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron. On Blue Angels practice days — most Tuesdays and Wednesdays March through October — you may catch the team flying their iconic formations directly overhead at 9:35AM. Watching dolphins from the water while the Blue Angels thunder overhead against a backdrop of one of America's most historic naval installations is a one of a kind Pensacola Beach experience.

Fort Barrancas, Naval Air Station Pensacola, FL Also located on the grounds of Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fort Barrancas is one of the most historically significant military fortifications on the Gulf Coast. Originally built by the Spanish in the 1780s and later expanded by the US Army, the fort sits on a bluff overlooking Pensacola Bay and is visible from the water during your cruise. Your captain will share the layered military history of this remarkable site — Spanish, British, Confederate, and Union forces all played a role in its story.