Story

Fishing, Sightseeing and Dolphin Tours with Osprey Charters

October 23, 2017 by Kurt Lischka

Captain Greg Burnett has a ton of fish tales and he likes to tell 'em!

Captain Greg operates Osprey Charters Dolphin & Shell Island Tours out of Baypoint Marina in Panama City Beach, which is convenient to Shell Island, St. Andrews Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. As we step on to his family-friendly, 25-foot Carolina skiff, we're just across the lagoon from St. Andrews State Park. There's lots to do and lots to see and Captain Greg knows all the spots to observe dolphins, catch a passle of fish, snorkel off the jetty, or take a secluded walk along the pristine beaches of Shell Island.

Shell Island has seen Native American villages, Spanish explorers, and even pirates! More modern efforts at development have usually been quickly undone by hurricanes, including a zoo that was once located on what is now state-owned land.

Captain Greg is a friendly, easy-going dude who has grown up on the water. He knows how to treat passengers right and will tailor your trip depending on what you want to do. Want a sunset cruise for your bachelorette party? No problem. Want to wet a hook and let your kiddo catch his first saltwater fishy? Captain Greg will make it happen. And of course there's miles and miles of beaches for shelling!

"We are going to see the dolphins now." says Greg. "There are a few places where they usually hang out and they enjoy it when our boat comes around. It's always exciting and I love it when passengers see their first dolphin!"

Sure enough Captain Greg took us right to the spot and we saw a dozen or so dolphins and a few other boats that were enjoying the show.


This guy (gal?) was very friendly and seemed curious about us.

 


Along the way we saw an amazing gang of Tarpon skimming the surface heading east along the shore off Shell Island.

"Most of our trips nowadays are people wanting to see dolphins and we always enjoy it," says Captain Greg. "Ninety percent of our business comes from the South Walton area."

 

We saw so many different types of sea birds - herons, cormorants, pelicans, ospreys, seagulls ... in the air and on the water. And just chilling on the pilings, docks, and channel markers along the way.

Aside from close-encounters with local wildlife, Captain Greg encourages folks to simply relax, and enjoy the ride. Find Captain Greg on the web at www.pcbdolphintours.com. Make your reservation today by calling (850) 814-8016. You can also follow Osprey Charters on Facebook and Instagram.

 

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Kurt Lischka's picture

As a happy ambassador of South Walton, Kurt loves to share SoWal with the world through stories, photos, videos, texting, social media, and even telephone.

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