Area nature preserves, rivers, and lakes offer you a chance to discover Florida’s wild side. In fact, two of the most beautiful and unusual natural habitats that Florida has to offer are within a short drive (or boat ride) of Panama City Beach. So if you’re ready to get up close and personal with nature, make plans to visit these two great natural attractions when you visit us here in Panama City Beach!

Find Florida’s Largest Coastal Dune Lake at Camp Helen State Park

Among the rarest ecosystems in Florida—and the world—are the coastal dune lakes. These freshwater lakes are found only along saltwater coastlines. It is the merger of freshwater and saltwater habitats that makes these areas so unique. One of the largest coastal dune lakes in the world is Powell Lake. This lake is part of Camp Helen State Park, located just north of Panama City Beach. Coastal dune lakes can only be found along the Florida coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and the coasts of Madagascar, Australia and New Zealand.

Along with seeing one of the only habitats of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, visitors to Camp Helen State Park can also enjoy birding, fishing, hiking, and viewing the areas unique wildlife.

See a Pristine Preserve on Shell Island

Even though it is popular with tourists, Shell Island has been left in a completely natural state.  There are no restrooms, trash containers, picnic tables, or buildings on Shell Island. So when you visit, plan to take what you need with you. You’ll also need to take everything you bring to Shell Island away with you when you leave. What Shell Island lacks in modern convenience, it makes up for in natural beauty.
Along the shores of Shell Island you can expect to see ghost crabs and shore birds. You may also see manatees and rays in the clear shallow waters offshore. Dolphins sometime play nearby as well. Shell Island is surrounded by grass beds that serve as a nursery for many marine species. Horseshoe crabs, sea stars, sand dollars, and horse conch all call this habitat their home.

There aren’t as many sea shells to be found on Shell Island as there used to be. But shelling along the beach can still be fun. Especially after a storm, you may find conch shells and sand dollars. It is important to note that collecting both the horse conch and the sand dollar live is illegal. So leave any live creatures you find in their homes. While you’re looking for shells in the shallow waters you may also find urchins and other marine surprises.

Set Sail to Make Your Own Discoveries

Camp Helen State Park and Powell Lake are north of Panama City Beach, just a quick drive up US Hwy 98W. St. Andrews State Park and Shell Island are located south of Panama City Beach. You can reach St. Andrews by land, but Shell Island can only be reached by sea. To get there, you can rent a pontoon boat. With a full day rental you’ll have plenty of time to explore the hidden jetties and inlets of St. Andrew Bay and the Grand Lagoon.

If you’d like a guide for your journey, you can book a wave runner tour or boat cruise. Freshwater and deep sea fishing excursions are available, too. Just tell the staff of Adventures at Sea where you’d like to go and let them guide you there and back safely.

Wherever you decide to explore, we know you’ll have a wonder time discovering the natural beauty around Panama City Beach.

The post Fall in Love with Panama City Beach’s Natural Attractions appeared first on Adventures at Sea Tours & Rentals.

The Gulf of Mexico has the largest concentration of bottlenose dolphins found in U.S. waters.

There are lots of ways to seek out bottlenose dolphins in their natural habitat during your visit to Panama City Beach. You can take a dolphin boat cruise or guided wave runner tour, or rent a boat and venture out on your own.

These curious creatures may even come looking for you as you snorkel or swim in the Gulf waters. However you find them, you can bet that seeing these beautiful animals in the wild will be a highlight of your vacation.

Here Are Some Interesting Facts About Our Friends in the Gulf:

Porpoises and Dolphins are Different

Porpoises, dolphins, and whales are all members of the animal classification order Cetacea. (The word Cetacea is derived from a Greek word meaning “large sea creature.”) These marine mammals share similar characteristics including their flattened tails, called flukes, and their cylinder-shaped bodies. The bottlenose dolphins common in the Gulf of Mexico are sometimes called grey porpoises. But, of course, they aren’t porpoises at all. There are no porpoise species that call the Gulf of Mexico home.

What’s the difference? Dolphins usually have a longer snout, or beak, and cone-shaped teeth. Porpoises have a more rounded face, and their teeth are flat. A dolphin’s body is usually more streamlined than a porpoise’s body. And, the dolphin’s fin is curved with a signature hook shape. A porpoise’s fin is just a rounded triangle. You might say that a porpoise is Richie, and a dolphin is the Fonz. Dolphins are just cooler.

Echolocation is all in a Dolphin’s Head

Most dolphins, including the bottlenose dolphin, have a slightly rounded, pronounced forehead. This part of their body is important for echolocation. Echolocation allows dolphins to use sound waves to locate items in the water. Dolphins operate this sonar system by emitting clicking sounds that travel through the water then bounce back after hitting an object. The dolphin’s large forehead and jaw capture these return sound waves and transmit them to the dolphin’s brain for analysis.

Dolphins Have Good Taste

Dolphins like to eat squid, octopus, and fish. On occasion, they may also nibble on krill or another crunchy crustacean. Dolphins often hunt in groups, called pods. They may surround a school of fish with a ring of bubbles or work as a team to herd the fish together. Dolphins have even been known to use their tails to fling fish onto the shore for easy pickings!

Dolphins Love to Have a Good Time

Bottlenose dolphins like to play and dive in the water. Often you will see a dolphin play on the surface of the water. When diving, dolphins will sometimes flip their tails—called flukes—out of the water. Dolphins like to play in the wakes created by boats and the currents created by passing whales. If you are lucky, you may even see a dolphin leap completely out of the water!

A dolphin may breach or leap out of the water for fun or while chasing fish. But if you see a dolphin leaping out of the water repeatedly and slapping the water with its tail or exhaling loudly (chuffing), it is time to leave the creature alone. These are all signs that the dolphin has had enough of your company. The wild dolphins around Panama City Beach are pretty used to us humans wandering around, but it is always good to remember—we are visiting in their home.

Let us Help You Visit the Dolphins When You Come to PCB

Here in Panama City Beach, we love our marine mammal neighbors and want to share their beauty with you when you visit. Our tour guides are trained to respect the dolphins and avoid disturbing them while still allowing you to observe them in their natural habitat.

Stop by one of our locations or book your tour online. We’ll make sure you have a memorable experience meeting our fascinating friends, the bottlenose dolphins.

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