Jet skis, boats, kayaks, paddleboards, scuba & more on the Emerald Coast.
🌊 Compare every water activity by age, budget & launch point →Thursday, November 12 · one day only
The 990-foot ocean liner goes down about 22 nautical miles off Destin–Fort Walton Beach. Operations start at 10 a.m., weather permitting. Here’s how to see it.
Olin Marler Charter Boats is running a viewing trip out to the site. $99 a person, 240 seats, and they say when they’re gone, they’re gone.
Get tickets →Live feed from the deployment site on AJ’s outdoor big screen on Destin Harbor.
Directions →A free celebration with light refreshments at the Destin–Fort Walton Beach Convention Center the day before.
Directions →The official viewing link goes up at thessus.com before deployment.
thessus.com →Weather can move the date. Boaters heading out on their own must follow the safety and security boats patrolling the perimeter.
Heads up: the summer season wraps up November 1
Many tours close until spring, and others run on reduced winter hours. Parasailing keeps flying on a winter schedule, and fishing charters, kayaks and paddleboards often run year-round, weather permitting. Check dates before you head to the harbor.
Most commercial tours are done for the year, but plenty still runs on the water. Hours shrink and the weather makes the call, so check with the operator before you go.
Destin's year-round headliner. Inshore trips for redfish, trout and flounder, plus nearshore and offshore runs when the Gulf allows. Shared seats or a private charter.
Winter hours vary — call ahead See the charters → Wed & Sat
Still flying on a winter schedule: Wednesdays and Saturdays, plus every day Nov 22–29 and Dec 20–31.
Nov 26 & Dec 25 already booked See parasailing → Still runningSelf-drive pontoons keep going on the harbor and the bay, often at off-season rates. Crab Island is still there, just a lot quieter.
Winter hours vary — call ahead See the boats → Still runningLED-lit clear kayaks after dark on sheltered water. A cool-night plan the beach flag can't touch.
Fort Walton Beach · from $86 Check dates → Year-round
Rentals on the harbor and the bay run all year. Calm water, cooler air, so bring a layer.
Sheltered water · from $24 See the rentals ↓Still running this winter
Clear kayaks lit from underneath, on the sheltered water of Santa Rosa Sound. About an hour and a half, guided, and one of the few things on the water a red flag or a cold snap won't cancel. Tap play for the full tour.
Check dates · from $86 →Before you book
The flag only closes the Gulf
Beach flags describe the Gulf of Mexico. They say nothing about Destin Harbor, the bay, the sound or a spring-fed creek — so 6 of the activities below run in any conditions, including the days the Gulf is closed. Every card says which side of that line it falls on.
Parasailing, snorkelling and deep sea fishing all happen in the Gulf, which makes them the first things the flag takes away and the best things going on a calm day. Each has its own page with the operator, the prices and the rules.
Up on a line behind the boat, hundreds of feet over the Gulf. The most-booked activity in Destin, and the first one the flag cancels.
Guided trips to the jetties and the reefs, gear included. The cheapest thing Pelican runs and the one actually priced for families.
Six hours out past the pass on a shared boat, or a private charter of your own. Trolling and bottom fishing, rods and licence included.
Gulf — flag applies See them all →Drive it yourself, hire a captain, or buy a seat. All three run out of Destin Harbor, which is sheltered water — they are the answer on a day the Gulf is closed.
Nine pontoons from four operators, from $18.75 a head. You drive, so somebody needs the Florida boater card.
Destin Harbor — sheltered See them all →Twenty listings with a captain, priced all-in with the crew fee in. Private charters from $299, shared seats from $20.
Destin Harbor — sheltered See them all →Every boat that takes 8 to 32, priced per head so the group chat can settle it in one message.
Destin Harbor — sheltered See them all →🤿 Go deeper
A veteran-owned charter out of Fort Walton Beach that takes certified divers out into the Gulf. Guides who know these waters, and full rental packages if you travel light — wetsuit and dive computer included.
🎓 Learn to dive
Destin’s premier scuba and swim training center since 1992. Something for every water lover — Discover Scuba, certifications, dive trips, swimming lessons, career programs and youth adventures.
7 in Destin itself, from $43. These do not have pages of their own, so they live here.
2–8 hours
Single or tandem on Destin Harbor and around Norriego Point, two to eight hours. Sheltered water and the cheapest way onto it in Destin proper.
Destin Harbor — sheltered Check dates & prices →2 hours ★ 4.9
Two hours on Yamaha WaveRunners with a guide who knows where the dolphins are. Ages 5 and up can ride, but the driver has to be 18 and hold a Florida boater card. The price shown is what the checkout actually bills.
Gulf — flag applies Check dates & prices →1–4 hours ★ 4.9
Ungoverned Yamaha VX1050D-CB WaveRunners with Bluetooth speakers — the fast ones, and Boogies says only six exist in the area. Up to three riders per ski inside a 400lb limit, and an optional anchor lets you stop at Crab Island for $25. Whoever drives gets a safety briefing on the dock first, so build in the time.
Gulf — flag applies Check dates & prices →1–4 hours ★ 4.9
The everyday WaveRunner, self-drive, with fuel, life jackets and the safety briefing included. Up to three riders per ski inside a 400lb limit. Priced by season, so the hourly rate drops after summer. Their rate card also lists a half hour, though the online calendar starts at one, so ask at the booth if that is what you want.
Gulf — flag applies Check dates & prices →2 hours
No rope once you are up — the boat throws a wave and you ride it at about ten miles an hour. Far easier than ocean surfing because the wave never closes out, which is why beginners get up the same afternoon. Two hours, up to six aboard, coaching included.
Choctawhatchee Bay — sheltered Check dates & prices →Motorized surfboards ★ 4.9 Google
A surfboard with a motor, so you don’t wait for a wave. Beginners get up quickly, and experienced riders can really open it up.
Call ahead for winter hours See the jet surf →
2-hour group · 1-hour private ★ 5.0
Destin's surf school, run by Dylan Sims. Lessons meet on the beach behind Capt. Dave's on the Gulf, and the instructor stays in the water with you. Small summer waves are the best time to learn. Today's surf report →
Gulf — flag applies4 more within about forty minutes — Fort Walton Beach, 30A and one inland spring. We say where they are rather than filing them under Destin, because turning up at the wrong harbour is a wasted morning.
1–3 hours ★ 4.4
Paddle Choctawhatchee Bay or Santa Rosa Sound. Sheltered water, so a Gulf flag day does not stop it.
Santa Rosa Sound — sheltered Check dates & prices →1.5 hours
LED-lit clear kayaks after dark on sheltered water. Runs at night, which makes it one of the few things here a bad beach day cannot touch.
Santa Rosa Sound — sheltered Check dates & prices →
3 days
Hardtop, inflatable or catamaran board for three days. Works out cheaper per day than two single-day rentals if you are here a week.
Choctawhatchee Bay — sheltered Check dates & prices →duration not published
Holmes Creek by kayak or paddleboard, snorkelling a freshwater spring with an underwater scooter, lunch included. Inland and spring-fed — the one thing on this page that is completely weather-proof.
Spring-fed creek — inland Check dates & prices →More than anyone tells you. Beach flags describe the Gulf — they say nothing about Destin Harbor, Choctawhatchee Bay, Santa Rosa Sound or a spring-fed creek forty minutes inland. On a double-red day, when the Gulf is closed to the public and parasailing and jet skis are off, the harbour kayaks, the bay paddleboards, the clear kayak glow tour and every boat charter in the harbour are running normally. That is why this page separates activities by where they actually happen rather than listing them all together.
No, and this is the one most sites get wrong. Purple means dangerous marine life — jellyfish, man o' war, rays. It stops you swimming in the water. It does not stop you flying over it, riding on top of it or sitting on a boat. A green-and-purple day is calm, clear water with jellyfish in it: a perfect parasailing day and a bad snorkelling day. Cards on this page that put you in the water carry a warning; the rest do not.
Six years old and 50 pounds to fly, three years old and 30 pounds to ride along as a spectator. Worth knowing before you book: there are only three spectator seats on the boat, so a party of eight where four fly and four watch does not fit. The weight ceiling is a separate question that operators do not publish and you should ask about directly.
To fly, on an early flight, which surprises everybody. A spectator seat is $59. Fliers are $75, but on the 8am and 9am departures the second ticket is half price — $37.50. So on an early flight a second flier costs $21.50 less than a second spectator. If you were planning to pay to sit in the boat and watch, you are paying more for the worse seat.
Riding, no. Driving, probably. A personal watercraft is well over 10 horsepower, so Florida's rule applies: anyone born on or after 1 January 1988 needs a Boating Safety Education ID card to operate one. Guided jet ski tours advertise a minimum age to ride — five on one popular tour — and say nothing about who is allowed to hold the handlebars. The temporary certificate takes a short online exam and is valid 90 days.
Early. Wind builds through the morning and the Gulf gets choppier through the afternoon, so the 8am departures are the smoothest water of the day — which is also when parasailing runs its half-price second ticket. The cheapest flight is the calmest flight, and nobody in this market says so.
Prices checked August 2026 against each operator’s own booking listing. Parasailing is $75 to fly and $59 to watch, with the second flier ticket at $37.50 on the 8am and 9am departures. Flag status is read live from the same source as our beach conditions page, which is updated by lifeguards.
Deep Sea Fishing, Party Boat Fishing, Shared/Group Fishing, and Private Charter Fishing
Multiple options available • Book early!
30-min $65 | 1-hour $95 per ski — blast across the bay straight to Crab Island!
Ages 18+ to drive • Pickup at Harborwalk Village, Destin
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Google Rated "Excellent" 4.9 Stars
Motorized surfboards built for maximum fun — beginner or pro, you'll love it!
All skill levels welcome • Destin's most fun water experience
Enjoy Destin and Learn to Wakesurf! Similar to surfing an ocean wave, wakesurfing is riding the wave created by the boat. Much easier to catch and control — perfect for beginners and pros alike.
Limited daily trips • Book early for best times
Featured
Dylan Sims and the Ride On crew pick the right sandbar for the day's waves, bring the board, and stay in the water with you until you're standing up.