Boat tours and cruises guide

Dolphin watches, sunset cruises, pirate ships, crane tours and a boat to San Jose Island, and what to know before you book.

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Overview

A boat tour gets you onto the bays and channels, and this coast has several kinds. The Port Aransas tourism bureau says the town is home to sailboats, yachts, fishing charter vessels and a pirate boat, and that you can choose a pirate or tiki cruise, a dolphin or sunset cruise, an adventure cruise or an island-hopping trip.

The bureau describes the dolphin and sunset cruises as trips where you watch dolphins swim alongside the boat. It describes the pirate and tiki cruises as blending interactive entertainment with tropical vibes, for families and groups. Its adventure cruises include a high-speed ride across the bay, an intimate sailing excursion, or a custom dolphin watch combined with an island hop.

In Corpus Christi, the visitor bureau lists boat tours that range from a luxury sunset cruise around Padre Island to a 50-foot open-air boat on the bay. It also lists a nearly 50-foot vessel that departs from Snoopy's Pier on North Padre Island, where it says you may see dolphins up close and over 380 bird species along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.

What to do

Rockport & Fulton

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) says Rockport is the base for several boats that visit the whooping crane feeding areas in winter and the colonial waterbird nesting islands in summer. The Rockport-Fulton Chamber of Commerce says scheduled boat trips to the refuge run throughout the whooping cranes' migratory stay. One Rockport tour operator in this directory is Whooping Crane & Dolphin Boat Tours.

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Lamar & Goose Island

  • Aransas Bay Birding Charters

    Birding and photography boat trips from Sea Gun Marina on the Lamar peninsula, with whooping crane tours on shallow-draft boats, private or shared.

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Ingleside & Portland

  • Dolphin Connection Ingleside

    Small-boat wild dolphin tours with Captain Kelly, plus views of the tanker and tugboat traffic in the ship channel.

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Port Aransas

The Port Aransas tourism bureau groups its cruises by type. Under pirate ship and tiki cruises it lists Red Dragon Pirate Cruises and Port Aransas Tiki Boat Tours. Under dolphin and sunset cruises it lists Scarlet Lady Dolphin Adventures, Woody's Last Stand Dolphin Watch and Port Aransas Fisherman's Wharf. For island hopping, the bureau describes the Jetty Boat to San Jose Island, which runs from Fisherman's Wharf to a private dock at the base of the North Jetty on San Jose Island.

  • Jetty Boat to San Jose Island

    A short passenger ferry from Fisherman's Wharf to San Jose Island, a private, uninhabited barrier island with a long beach, gentle surf, and the north jetty.

  • Pirates of the Lydia Ann

    Pirate-themed boat cruise on the Lydia Ann Channel out of Port A, cannons, costumes, and delighted kids.

  • Port Aransas Tiki Boat Tours

    Private charters on a tiki-style boat.

  • Red Dragon Pirate Cruises

    Costumed pirate ship sailing out of Port A with water-cannon battles and treasure bits for the kids, calmer sunset sails for the adults.

  • Salt Devil Cruises

    Port A cruise outfit running small-boat trips on the bay and channel.

  • Scarlet Lady Dolphin Adventures

    Dolphin and sunset cruises out to the lighthouse on a comfortable mid-size boat with a bar on board and a drink package.

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Corpus Christi & Padre Island

Harrison's Landing says its Japonica is a 50 foot, open air touring boat that shows the highlights of downtown Corpus Christi. The bureau lists Marker 37 Marina and Corpus Christi Marina among the marinas where boat slips are available.

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When to visit

Whooping crane trips follow the birds. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says whooping cranes typically arrive at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in late October and leave by mid-April. TPWD says Rockport boats visit the crane feeding areas in winter and the colonial waterbird nesting islands in summer, and it advises going by boat to see the cranes, since views from the refuge tower are normally distant.

TPWD adds that a short ferry crossing to Port Aransas can show bottle-nosed dolphins and brown pelicans.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, according to NOAA. Storms sometimes form outside those dates. Check the forecast from the National Weather Service in Corpus Christi and follow local officials.

When to visit the Coastal Bend

Getting around

To reach Port Aransas from the mainland, the Texas Department of Transportation runs a ferry on State Highway 361 across the Corpus Christi Channel between Aransas Pass and Mustang Island.

In Corpus Christi, the visitor bureau lists the Corpus Christi Marina, Bluff's Landing Marina, Bluff's Bay Marina and Marker 37 Marina as places with boat slips, and it lists public boat launches at the Packery Channel boat ramp and the Billings boat ramp. The Laguna Madre, it says, is a vast, shallow lagoon known for smooth waters. The ski canals on North Padre Island are a quieter setting lined with waterfront homes.

Where to stay

Salty Breeze Cottage

Rockport & Fulton, TX

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