Spend Your Beach Day on Top of a Sandbar at Crab Island

Destin, Florida isn’t just known for its crystal blue beaches and white sand. Just like many other beautiful beach places around the world, there are many other touristy things to get into, and Crab Island is definitely one to check out. Crab Island is a massive sandbar near the Gulf of Mexico, where all kinds of vendors anchor their floating shops and restaurants for an all-day experience for tourists.Show more

This sandbar “island” is located inside Destin’s East Side at the southern entrance of Choctawhatchee Bay, on the north side of the Marler Bridge (also known as the Destin Bridge). With all kinds of boat rentals and pontoon boats anchored around and people on jet skis, wave runners, and paddleboards riding close by, you’ll find your destination more easily than you think.

You can only get to Crab Island by a watercraft, considering it’s located in the middle of a body of water. Because of the strong currents and boat traffic, swimming there from ashore is not possible. You can bring your own boat, pick one of the many Crab Island excursions and let a professional take you there, or take any other form of water transportation there as long as you follow the guideline.

The most popular thing to use to get to Crab Island is pontoon boat rentals. In fact, the city of Destin is considered the “Pontoon Capital of the World” with the sandbar being a 5-minute boat ride away from the Destin Harbor. There are many boat rental companies in Destin and on Okaloosa Island, which is only 10-15 minutes away from Crab Island.

The reason why Crab Island is incredibly popular is probably that when you get to the sandbar, you can get out of your boat and walk around in cool, shallow water. With the vendors floating on top of the sandbar, you can walk from vendor to vendor across the entire area while your boat is anchored in one place.

Other fun adventures you can do is you can rent jet skis, kayaks, wave runners, and/or paddleboards on the sandbar as well. There are fun athletic and kid activities including playing water volleyball and tackling giant inflatable obstacle courses. There are food vendors where you can enjoy tasty food on their mobile food boats and floating restaurants. You can listen to live music being played by bands on floating stages.You can watch for dolphins and/or other marine life while snorkeling around your boat.

See more at rare.us/places/crab-island