The first thing we realized about Speed Boat Adventures is that the owner Chris Sanborn and his associate Captain Tony really enjoy what they do. We were greeted warmly and treated very well, both were especially personable and professional. The one thing they are serious about is safety, so they walked us through some basic boating safety and rules before we got started. I consider myself a pretty experienced boater but their presentation is good for even a first timer.
The trip itself was a blast, I was with my wife and two boys ages 11 and 14. My wife admittedly is the white knuckled boater typically, anything from a fishing boat to a hobie cat makes her a little anxious. Despite the small size of these little speedboats, she was calm and really enjoyed the entire ride. You get to go pretty fast but the boats are stable and fun to drive. My older son rode with Captain Tony and even got to drive the boat a bit - something he especially enjoyed.
We saw all sorts of wildlife, dolphin were abundant and we spotted some as soon as we exited the channel. Captain Tony is very knowledgeable and took the time to make sure we all saw everything while also describing what we were seeing. He did a great job pointing out all the sights, landmarks and even as a local I learned a few things about my own area. I can only imagine how cool this trip would be for visitors from other places, we loved it so I would expect folks who aren't accustomed to this kind of experience would really appreciate all of it. On the way back to the marina after a good 2 hour ride we were extremely fortunate to spot a baby manatee! It isn't every day this kind of thing happens so I don't want to create a false expectation, we were very lucky.
I very much recommend this adventure to anyone who enjoys the outdoors, water, boats, wildlife, sun, fun etc. If none of that excites you, find the nearest bowling alley or movie theater! These guys will take great care of you and I highly recommend this trip!