Clearwater Beach: Mega Bite Dolphin Boat Tour & Shark Vessel

4.69

(532 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I noticed was the giant shark grin staring back at us from the dock—honestly, I laughed out loud. The Mega Bite boat looks like it could swallow you whole (in a fun way), but once we stepped inside, it was all padded seats and shade, not teeth. Our guide cracked a joke about being “the only shark dolphins actually love,” and somehow that set the mood: not too serious, just people out for a good time on Clearwater Beach. The engine rumbled to life and we slid away from the pier, gulls circling overhead and salt in the air—classic Florida.

I didn’t expect to get so into dolphin spotting, but there’s something about waiting for that flash of silver in the wake behind us—everyone leaning over the rail, holding their breath. When a pod finally showed up (three of them?), they started leaping right through the foamy waves our boat kicked up. Some kid yelled “they’re racing us!” and honestly it did feel like that. The captain slowed down so we could watch longer, narrating little facts about each dolphin (“that one’s got a notch in her fin—locals call her Sally”). I tried to film but mostly just ended up laughing at myself fumbling with my phone.

We cruised past these huge waterfront houses—our guide pointed out which belonged to local celebrities (I won’t name-drop here but some were pretty wild). There was this weirdly peaceful moment drifting by an island with nothing but mangroves and pelicans; sun glinting off the water, breeze lifting my hair. Someone passed around snacks (bring your own—they let you), and I realized how easy it is to relax when you’re not worried about anything except maybe getting splashed if you sit too close to the edge. The whole hour went fast. I still think about those dolphins chasing our wake—it felt like they were letting us in on some secret game.