South Padre Island Boat Rides: The Voyages You Shouldn’t Miss

While vacationing near the ocean, it is always a great idea to hop on a boat, swing with the waves, and take in the beautiful views of the shore. This is one relaxing activity that everyone can enjoy, no matter how young or old. Taking a fun boat ride was definitely one of the activities we were looking forward to on our family vacation to South Padre Island. Located on the Gulf of Mexico, near the southern tip of Texas, this charming resort town has no shortage of businesses that offer boat tours and short cruises. With so many South Padre Island boat rides to choose from, it can be confusing trying to decide which one to pick.

Find the Perfect Boat Ride for You

It is certainly important to find the boat ride that would be most enjoyable for you, and the choices around South Padre Island are plenty: There are educational eco tours, pirate ship cruises, sunset boat rides, deep sea fishing voyages, and even boat trips for people who would like to bring their dog on board. As long as you know what you are looking for, you will probably find it!

Our personal experience with the South Padre Island boat rides was really enjoyable. We took two separate cruises, and they were truly unique and completely different from each other. All of us had a great time, so we highly recommend that you give them a try.

Sea Life Safari Dolphin Watch Eco Tour

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TIP: Board at Pier 19 in South Padre Island, TX, and plan to arrive about 20 to 30 minutes before the scheduled time for your tour.

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The first boat ride we experienced in South Padre Island was the Sea Life Safari Dolphin Watch Eco Tour by Osprey Cruises. It all started at Pier 19, where we boarded for this adventure. The boat had two deck levels and felt very open, which is of course, great for sightseeing. Our crew consisted of Captain Nick, Deckhand Dillon, and Bekah, all very friendly and welcoming people.

The Queen Isabella Causeway Story

As soon as the tour began, Captain Nick gave us a very interesting overview of the area as well as some fascinating history. We learned that the Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway, which connects the mainland to South Padre Island, collapsed on September 15, 2001, after a tug boat crashed into it. Tragically, a number of people drove off the broken bridge and lost their lives. Coincidentally, this all happened only a few days after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. Captain Nick was one of the people who helped out by continually transporting passengers between South Padre Island and the mainland until the causeway was fixed.

Catch of the Day

After getting a little more familiar with the history in the area, it was time to meet some of the local sea critters. Deckhand Dillon threw a large net in the water, and explained that we would collect some marine animals, look at them, and release them back unharmed at the end of the tour. I admit, I was a bit worried as I always am when we, humans, mess with nature, but the kids were super excited.

Before long, Dillon pulled the net out of the water, and we got to see all kinds of fascinating little sea creatures. There were several puffer fish, a catfish, a couple of starfish, a small stingray, an interesting looking crab, and some other kind of little fishies. Dillon and Bekah quickly removed the sea creatures from the net and placed them in a couple of containers filled with water that were set up on the boat. Next, Dillon proceeded to tell us all kinds of interesting facts about the animals, before letting us hold some of them for a little bit. Our kids were very excited about this, and both agreed that the puffer fish were especially cute!

Dolphin Greetings

After cruising for a while longer, Captain Nick announced that we should start watching for dolphins. He added that we had arrived to the area where they like to hang out. It didn’t take us long to spot a playful dolphin trio swimming right near the boat. The three amazing creatures made a few small jumps as though they wanted to greet us, then dove deeper, and disappeared from view. A few moments later, the dolphins surprised us again as they came back up to the surface in a totally different place. This game of peekaboo went on for sometime, and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

The Jetties and the Views

From the dolphin area, our tour continued towards the Jetties of Isla Blanca Park on the southern tip of the island. As we were passing the most prominent jetty, a long walkway over the water, we saw the best views of South Padre Island’s skyline in the distance. To top it all off, a few more dolphins made an appearance not too far from our boat.

Captain’s Helper

After cruising for a bit longer, Captain Nick turned us around, and started heading back. At this point, he invited the kids to join him at the Helm, promising to let them drive the boat. Dani, our younger daughter, managed to overcome her shyness, and had fun steering the boat for a good while.

Back to Pier 19

When we returned to our starting point at Pier 19, Dillon and the kids sent all the sea critters back home into the ocean. After we parted with our great crew and left the docking area, we stopped nearby to watch a crowd of local pelicans patiently waiting and hoping to snatch some food. A man was cleaning some fresh fish for the restaurant at Pier 19, and from time to time he was throwing scraps to the birds.

Black Dragon Pirate Ship Cruise

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TIP: Board at Pirate’s Landing Pier in Port Isabel, TX, and plan to arrive 20 to 30 minutes before the scheduled time for your cruise.

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We enjoyed so much our Sea Life Safari Eco Tour that all of us were very excited to hop on another boat ride the following day. It was going to be a ride of a different kind, one that would take us on a pirate adventure.

Fun at Pirate’s Landing Pier

We crossed the Queen Isabella Causeway from South Padre Island to the town of Port Isabel, and arrived near Pirate’s Landing Pier. This is where the Black Dragon Pirate Ship was docked.

Unfortunately, when we tried to check in for our cruise at the ticket counter, we found out that it had been canceled because there weren’t quite enough passengers. They did however inform us that we could still get on the sunset pirate cruise, departing a couple of hours later.

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TIP: Purchase your tickets in advance, and call to make sure your cruise will depart as planned. Occasionally a cruise may get canceled or postponed if there aren’t enough passengers, although this happens rarely if ever during the busy seasons.

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Port Isabel Lighthouse

Since we had some time to kill, we decided to check out the Port Isabel Lighthouse located right next to the pier. On the way there, we treated ourselves to some truly delicious ice cream from Davey Jones Ice Cream Locker.

Once at the lighthouse, we paid the minimal fee, and climbed to the small balcony at the top. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and the views up there were really wonderful. On one side, we could see the town of Port Isabel, and on the other, Pirate’s Landing Pier, Queen Isabella Causeway over Laguna Madre, and South Padre Island in the distance.

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TIP: Bring cash for the Port Isabel Lighthouse. At the time we visited, this was the only form of payment they accepted.

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Cruise Time

We returned to the pier in a couple of hours, and were excited to finally get in the pirate spirit. After checking in at the ticket counter, we didn’t wait for long before we met two of our pirate hosts, Shorty and Robo Todo. The whole experience started with them firing a cannon off the pier, and producing a loud bang and a lot of smoke.

Once we boarded the ship, we met the other members of the pirate crew, Captain Black-Hearted Andy, Sea Dog, and Scarlet, our bar tender drink specialist. Yes, there was a fully stocked bar on the ship.

Fun for Everyone

During the cruise, our hosts put on a hilarious spectacle, which included pirate stories and fun pirate games for all the kids on board. At one point, they handed us water guns, and encouraged us to fire at will. Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy “shooting” everyone, while trying to take photos and protect my camera from getting soaked, but I did come out of this victorious. All the kiddos also had fun with spraying their parents, and the pirates! There were other great kid adventures as well, like collecting treasure, dancing, and participating in a sword fight. Everyone also got a tattoo and a lovely, painted-on mustache.

The Sunset

Perhaps my personal, favorite thing from this whole, really fun experience was the view at sunset. There was definitely something enchanting about watching the warm hues and the final rays of sunshine while sitting on a pirate ship. So, in the end, it worked out for the best that our earlier ride was canceled!

Other South Padre Island Boat Rides

If you are looking for a different boating experience, there are definitely other options to consider. Start by checking out all the other boat rides that Osprey Cruises has to offer. If you specifically want to bring your dog on board, visit Fins to Feathers and book a ride for you and your furry best friend. In the end, whatever you choose, remember to sit back and relax…and take in all the beautiful views that the area has to offer!

Special Thanks

We would like to thank South Padre Island Convention and Visitors Bureau and Osprey Cruises for inviting us on board. We had an absolutely amazing time, and want to be sure to mention that while these boat rides were sponsored activities, all opinions expressed in this article are our own. Please, refer to our Disclosure Policy for more information.

Resources to Help Plan Your Trip to South Padre Island, Texas

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• South Padre Island Official Website – Find information on hotels, attractions, restaurants, beaches and much more
• Beach Park at Isla Blanca – Check out all the fun water rides that this waterpark offers, and get your tickets
• Isla Blanca Park – Plan a visit to this beachfront park in South Padre Island, and take a walk on the jetties
• Osprey Cruises – Check out some fun South Padre Island boat rides you can take, including the Sea Life Safari Eco Tour and the Black Dragon Cruise, and book your adventure
• Port Isabel Lighthouse State Historic Site – Learn about the history of this beautiful lighthouse, and plan your visit
• Sandy Feet Sandcastle Services – Book a sandcastle building lesson, and learn some fun, new skills
• Sea Turtle Inc. – Learn about the fascinating sea turtles and the amazing mission of this rescue center
• South Padre Island Adventure Park – Book a horseback ride on the beach, zip line, and feed some hungry goats
• South Padre Island Birding & Nature Center – Discover the large variety of birds that live near Laguna Madre

Note: Unless otherwise indicated, the photos in this post were taken by Vessy with a Nikon D5600 camera. Please send us an e-mail (vessy@feelgoodandtravel.com) if you would like to use any of them. All images are subject to copyright laws.

These activities took place on January 5 and January 6, 2019.

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