Pontooning in Panama City Beach

We rented a pontoon boat for an afternoon and pontooned around the bay in Panama City Beach. What an afternoon! Our first stop was at a barrier island with the bay on one side and the ocean on the other. The kids loved snorkeling and seeing the fish in the crystal clear water.

We stopped in the middle of the bay a little while later where the water was shallow and some boats were anchored. Soon after we got out into the water, I felt a sand dollar under my foot. We quickly discovered that we had hit the sand dollar jackpot! They were everywhere. You could pick up three or four without moving. We got over 140 in about 20 minutes before we had to make ourselves quit. (I personally think they were placed there just for us by Grandma Helen. I love and miss her so much. Thank you Grandma.)

On our ride back across the bay, we saw many dolphin. Some were pretty close to the boat. It was the first time the kids remembered seeing dolphin. (Cole and Trent did in the Outer Banks but were too young to remember.) We were thrilled to see so many.

Our last stop was Shell Island. Although we didn't find any shells, the kids found many tiny hermit crabs. They picked up about twenty and put them on the boat. Of course, crabs don't just stay where you put them like sand dollars. They were crawling all over the boat. Back into the water they went!

It was a great day and a memory that for me will last a lifetime!