Destin · Choctawhatchee Bay · Sandbar by boat
Crab Island
Wade into clear, shallow water on Destin’s famous sandbar by the Marler Bridge, reached by pontoon rental, shuttle boat or tour from the harbor.
Opens Okaloosa County’s Crab Island page. The sandbar has no gate or ticket; you get there by rental boat, shuttle or tour.
Details checked October 2026
Type
Sandbar in the bay
Reached only by boat, shuttle or tour
Admission
Boat needed
Pontoons from $300 for 4 hours in fall
Hours
Daylight trips
Vendors Mar 1 to Oct 31, gone by sunset
Time needed
3 to 4 hours
Typical shuttle or tour length
Parking
$15 a day
Harbor lots, cars and pickups only
Typical depth
1–4 ft
Deeper at the edges; varies with tide
What you’ll see
A sandbar party in clear, shallow water
Crab Island isn’t really an island. It’s a wide sandbar just inside East Pass, where boats anchor in water shallow enough to stand in.
Photo: Tamara Malaniy on Unsplash
Start here
Anchoring up at the sandbar
Boats drop anchor across the bar and everyone wades in. Most of it is about 1 to 4 feet deep, with deeper water at the edges, so you can float, toss a ball or watch the boats come and go under the Marler Bridge. In season, floating vendors sell food and ice cream from barges.
RV tip: go near high tide, when the water is clearest. Operators born on or after January 1, 1988 need a Florida boater safety card to drive a rental.
More to see
- Floating vendorsOkaloosa County licenses food barges from March 1 to October 31, and they must leave the sandbar from sunset to sunrise. Vendors can’t sell alcohol.
- Pontoon rentalsRent a pontoon and captain it yourself. Destin Vacation Boat Rentals lists a 12-seat, 24-foot boat at $300 for four hours from September 8 to October 31, fuel included.
- Shuttles and toursCaptained shuttle boats and tours run three to four hours and often add a dolphin cruise. Only the large commercial boats have restrooms on board.
- Views of the passThe bar sits just north of the Marler Bridge, between Destin and Okaloosa Island, with the Destin skyline across the water.
Why go
Destin’s most famous place to drop anchor
Crab Island started as a spoil island in the 1960s, built from sand dredged out of East Pass, and the tides slowly wore it down to the sandbar it is today. It sits within Gulf Islands National Seashore waters, so Okaloosa County and the National Park Service share oversight, and businesses there need permits from both.
For RVers it’s a tow-vehicle trip. Rental docks, shuttles and tour boats leave from Destin Harbor and nearby marinas, and the City of Destin’s harbor lots are $15 a day for cars and pickups only. Some rental docks, such as Destin Vacation Boat Rentals on Calhoun Avenue, offer free parking for customers.
Late October is the tail end of the season. Vendor licenses run through October 31, and posted rental prices end the same day, so call operators about November trips. Hurricane Isaias came ashore near Destin on October 9, 2026; on October 14 the visitor bureau said services were largely restored, with some disruptions remaining.
Photo: Bryan Dickerson on Unsplash
Why it made our list
- Clear water about 1 to 4 feet deep
- Floating vendors through October 31
- Pontoons, shuttles and tours from the harbor
- Views of East Pass and the Marler Bridge
- No admission; you pay for the boat
For RVers
Planning a Crab Island day from camp
The practical stuff we wished someone had told us before we pulled in.
Leave the rig at camp
There’s no RV parking on the harbor. City of Destin pay-to-park lots are for passenger cars and pickups only, and other vehicles are towed. Come in the tow vehicle.
Book a dock with parking
Ask your rental or tour company where to park before you book. Destin Vacation Boat Rentals, for example, lists free onsite parking at its dock at 111 Calhoun Avenue.
Time it with the tide
The water is clearest near high tide. In cooler months, north winds and low tides can leave much of the bar very shallow, so check a tide chart before you go.
Mind the season and the sun
Vendor barges are licensed from March 1 to October 31 and must be gone from sunset to sunrise. Bring sunscreen, water and shade; there’s nothing on the sandbar itself.
What visitors say about Crab Island
The visitor report card
We don’t copy other sites’ reviews, but the published scores are worth reading together. Scores checked October 24, 2026.
Commercial operations require authorization from the local government as well as the park service
Okaloosa County, on Crab Island · myokaloosa.gov
Google + Yelp
4.8/5
1,890+ reviews combined
Average weighted by review count. Tripadvisor has no listing for the sandbar itself, only for tour companies. Google’s listing is managed by a local charter company.
What visitors often mention
Recurring topics in Google’s review highlights
Pontoon boatsThe sandbarDolphinsSnorkeling
Google’s review topics point to pontoon boats (85 reviews), the sandbar (35), dolphins (18) and snorkeling (14). Yelp shows no review highlights. Checked October 24, 2026.
What a fall trip costs
Sample prices from Destin Vacation Boat Rentals for September 8 to October 31, 2026. A pontoon seats up to 12, so split between a group it can cost less than a tour.
Good to know
Pontoon, 4 hours$300 fall rate, seats 12
Pontoon, 8 hours$500 fall rate, fuel included
Adventure tour$75 per person, 4 hours
Ways to get therePontoon rentalShuttle boatGuided tour
Prices from Destin Vacation Boat Rentals’ website, checked October 24, 2026. It’s one of many Destin operators; holiday pricing is extra and its posted rates end October 31.
Know before you go
Plan your visit
Crab Island
- AddressBeside the Marler Bridge (US-98), Destin, FL 32541
- HoursDaylight trips
Vendors Mar 1 to Oct 31, gone by sunset - Phone(800) 322-3319
- Getting thereBy boat only, from Destin Harbor or a nearby marina. Don’t try to swim or paddle across the pass; boat traffic and currents make it unsafe, according to Florida Guidebook.
- CostNo admission. Pontoon rentals start at $300 for four hours in fall; tours run about $75 a person.
- ParkingCity of Destin harbor lots are $15 a day for cars and pickups only. Some rental docks include free parking for customers.
The phone number is the Destin-Fort Walton Beach visitor center. Crab Island has no office, so call your boat operator for trip details and weather calls.
Where to stay nearby
RV parks near Crab Island
These are the Destin-area parks we’ve written up. Times are to Destin Harbor, where most Crab Island trips start.
Destin West RV Resort
Large resort on Okaloosa Island, on Choctawhatchee Bay west of the Marler Bridge.
Henderson Beach State Park Campground
Sixty full-hookup sites inside the state park, with a boardwalk to the beach. Book well ahead.
Destin Village RV Resort
Owner-lot RV community in Miramar Beach where individual owners rent out their sites.
Helpful answers
Frequently asked questions
The questions RVers ask most before pulling in.
Boat trips daily in season · vendors through Oct 31
Ready to drop anchor?
Book a pontoon or tour, park the tow vehicle at the dock and aim for high tide.
Thank you to the people behind these photos and this video. Please support them by giving their work a look. Photos: Tamara Malaniy, Jamie Harthcock and Bryan Dickerson on Unsplash; Radoslav Radoslavov (2005, public domain) and Hastengeims (CC0) via Wikimedia Commons; the images were resized. Video: Destin Florida on YouTube (Crab Island). Review-site logos are trademarks of their owners.
Disclaimer
RV-Roundup is an independent, community-based resource created to help RV travelers and to support and promote the places we feature. RV-Roundup is not owned by, operated by, or officially affiliated with Crab Island unless otherwise stated.
The information on this page was prepared using the most current details available at the time of publication, including Okaloosa County’s and operators’ published materials and publicly available sources. Hours, pricing, rules and other details are set by Okaloosa County, the National Park Service and individual operators and may change at any time without notice. Before you travel, please confirm all details directly with Crab Island at myokaloosa.gov or (800) 322-3319. RV-Roundup is not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes made after publication.
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