Manasota Key has the Gulf on one side of it and Lemon Bay on the other, and that is the whole reason there is always something to do on the water here. Whatever the conditions are doing, one side of the key is working. Gulf too rough to ride? The bay behind it is flat. Bay too quiet? There is usually a shore break on the beach worth skimming. Captain ET grew up on this stretch, competes as a skimboarder and a wakesurfer, and runs the whole operation himself.
What you can do out here
Wakesurfing
An endless wave behind a purpose-built wake boat, with coaching included. Most first-timers ride the same day.
Skimboarding
The beach version, on the thin water of the shore break. Captain ET is a world champion at it, so ask.
Paddleboarding
Mangrove tunnels and back bays, flat and quiet in the morning. Boards delivered wherever you are staying.
Dolphin watching
Wild bottlenose dolphins in Lemon Bay, most days of the year, on a boat with just your group aboard.
Sandbars & swimming
Shallow, warm and calm. A Day on the Bay is exactly this, with no schedule attached to it.
Fishing the flats
Rods available to rent if you want to try the flats and the passes on your own time.
The boat-based trips are all private, up to six guests, at one flat rate for the whole group. Charters and pricing has every rate.
Gear rentals, delivered
If you would rather do your own thing, we rent the gear and bring it to you. Text what you need and where you are staying, and it turns up.
Surfboards depend on whether there is any swell running, so it is worth asking the day before. Rentals are not bookable online, a text is faster: 941-883-1360.
Get out on the water
Book a charter online, or text for gear and Captain ET will sort it out.
Questions people ask
Wakesurfing behind a proper wake boat, skimboarding on the beach break, paddleboarding through the mangroves and back bays, swimming off the sandbars, and fishing the flats. Lemon Bay stays calm when the Gulf is rough, so there is almost always something worth doing on the water here.
No. Everything for a charter is aboard: boards for every level, vests, ropes and safety gear. If you want gear for your own day on the beach, we rent paddleboards, skimboards, surfboards, fishing rods, chairs and umbrellas and deliver them to you.
Text 941-883-1360 with what you need and where you are staying, and we sort out delivery. Rentals are not bookable online because the gear moves around, and it is faster to just answer a text. Surfboards depend on whether there is any swell.
It is one of the easiest board sports to pick up. The boat does the work, the wave is adjustable, and most first-timers are up and riding inside their first session. Captain ET coaches every charter, which is included in the price.
It is the beach version: you run, drop the board on the wash and ride the thin water. Captain ET is a world champion skimboarder, so if that is what you want to learn, you are asking the right person. Bring it up when you book and he will bring boards.
Winter and spring bring the calmest water and the clearest days. Summer is warmer for swimming, with a better chance of an afternoon storm pushing things earlier. Mornings are flattest year round, which is why most charters start early.
Where to go from here
Private boat charters in Englewood covers the four trips in detail. Dolphin tours goes into what is out in Lemon Bay and when. And the local guide to Englewood has the beaches, the food and the day trips worth making.