About Capt Yak Kayak & SUP
Capt Yak is a veteran-owned kayak and paddleboard outfitter on Tierra Verde, the island community between St. Pete Beach and Fort De Soto Park. Its launch at 2962 Pinellas Bayway South sits at the doorstep of Shell Key Preserve, which means paddlers are inside the preserve's mangroves and seagrass flats within minutes of leaving the ramp rather than crossing open water to get there.
The core offering is the guided Shell Key tour, a naturalist-led paddle through mangrove edges and sandbars where dolphins, rays, wading birds, and the occasional manatee are regular company. Hobie pedal-drive kayak tours suit guests who would rather pedal than paddle, with variants built around wildlife viewing, snorkeling, or fishing. Private eco and sandbar tours take up to eight guests, seasonal sunset tours run November through February, and single and tandem kayaks are available for self-guided rental. Stable boats and patient guides keep everything accessible to first-timers.
The military-owned operation trades on local knowledge and small group sizes rather than volume. Tours are timed to tide and wildlife activity, and the location gives it arguably the best access of any outfitter to Shell Key's interior channels — water that day-trippers arriving by ferry never see. It has become a favorite of paddlers who want the preserve without the crowds.
