Adventures In Paradise

What Adventures In Paradise does

Adventures in Paradise, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned boat tour and cruise operator founded in 1986 by the Stewart family, headquartered at Port Sanibel Marina in Fort Myers, Florida. The company runs a fleet of three 45-foot U.S. Coast Guard-inspected Corinthian Power Catamarans (Dolphin Waters, Sun Princess, Miss Paradise) offering scheduled cruises, private charters, and holiday events including dolphin and wildlife cruises, shelling excursions to barrier islands such as Cayo Costa and Cabbage Key, sunset cruises, sea-life encounter eco-tours led by marine biologists, and fishing charters under the "Captain Noah" brand. Departures operate from Port Sanibel Marina, Sanibel Marina, and Fort Myers Beach (Snug Harbor), serving tourists and vacationers across Sanibel Island, Captiva Island, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Bonita Springs, and Naples in Southwest Florida.

The company monetizes through per-passenger unit pricing ($39-$125 depending on cruise type and holiday), private charter fees, gift certificates, and a wholly-owned retail sub-brand, AIP Outfitters ("The Sanibel Store"), which sells island lifestyle apparel and gifts at two physical locations — Tahitian Gardens Shopping Center on Sanibel and Downtown St. Petersburg — plus the e-commerce site AdventuresInParadiseStore.com. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via FareHarbor online booking, phone reservations, and walk-ins, with no app, no API, and no third-party reseller channels. Customer segments include leisure tourists, nature and eco-tourism enthusiasts, special-event groups (weddings, corporate charters), and fishing enthusiasts, supplemented by educational partnerships with Lee County Schools, Wa-Ke Hatchee Teen Camp, and conservation organizations through the Preserving Paradise program.

The business is operated by co-owners Evelyn Stewart and Joshua Stewart, with Captain Noah leading fishing charters and two named marine biologists (Matthew, Thomas) guiding eco-tours. With 1-10 employees, no institutional funding, no parent company, and no disclosed revenue, Adventures in Paradise is a micro-cap, lifestyle-anchored tourism operator whose competitive position is built on a 40-year local brand, multi-marina physical presence, and TripAdvisor 5-star reputation rather than scale or technology.

Name

Adventures In Paradise

Legal name

Adventures in Paradise, Inc.

Website

https://adventureinparadiseinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Myers

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Cruise and Tour Tickets: Direct ticket sales for scheduled cruises including dolphin watching, shelling excursions, sunset cruises, sea life encounters, and fishing charters. Revenue generated through per-person pricing with adult and child tiers.
2. Retail Merchandise (AIP Outfitters): Brick-and-mortar and e-commerce retail sales of island-themed apparel, hats, gifts, and beachwear. Operates physical stores in Tahitian Gardens Shopping Center (Sanibel) and Downtown St. Petersburg.
3. Private Charters and Weddings: Private charter services for events, weddings, corporate functions, and special occasions. Custom pricing based on group size and event requirements.
4. Gift Certificates: Prepaid gift certificates sold for all cruises and tours, functioning as prepaid vouchers for future services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Adventures in Paradise operates scheduled and private boat cruises and eco-tours from three Southwest Florida marina locations using a fleet of three 45-foot Corinthian Power Catamarans. Core offerings include dolphin and wildlife cruises, shelling excursions to barrier islands, sunset cruises, marine biologist-led eco-tours, private fishing charters, and special holiday cruises. The company also operates AIP Outfitters, a wholly-owned retail sub-brand selling island-themed apparel, hats, gifts, and beachwear through physical stores and an e-commerce storefront.

Product overview

Adventures in Paradise operates a fleet of boat cruises and tours serving Southwest Florida, primarily centered around Sanibel and Captiva Islands. The core offering consists of seven distinct cruise products (Shelling Beach & Dolphin Cruise, Shelling & Lunch Cruise @ Cabbage Key, Sea Life Encounter Excursion, Cayo Costa Shelling & Beach Cruise, Morning Dolphin & Wildlife Cruise, Afternoon Dolphin & Wildlife Cruise, Sunset Dolphin & Wildlife Cruise) plus Holiday Cruises and Captain Noah's Private Fishing Charters. The company also operates AIP Outfitters, a retail sub-brand selling island lifestyle apparel and accessories at physical locations in Sanibel and St. Petersburg, plus an online store. All cruises depart from Port Sanibel Marina, Sanibel Marina, or Fort Myers Beach locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shelling Beach & Dolphin Cruise

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Preserving ParadisecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 September 2025Adventures in Paradise partnered with Preserving Paradise program, hosting educational excursions through Southwest Florida's waters. The program inspires young entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, educators, and residents to understand the history and ecological importance of Sanibel and Captiva Islands' waters, flora, and fauna.
• Sanibel-Captiva Conservation FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 September 2025Conservation organization participant in Preserving Paradise program. The foundation works to protect the natural resources and wildlife of Sanibel and Captiva Islands.
• Captains for Clean WatercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 September 2025Regional conservation organization dedicated to protecting water quality in Southwest Florida. Participates in Preserving Paradise educational excursions aboard AIP vessels.
• The Everglades FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 September 2025Environmental organization focused on protecting the Everglades ecosystem. Participates in Preserving Paradise program focusing on Caloosahatchee Estuary conservation.
• Lee County SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 September 2025Educational partnership bringing students (such as Cypress Lake School) on Preserving Paradise excursions for environmental science and marine biology education.
• Port Sanibel MarinacoreOthers · 16 September 2025Primary marina departure location for Adventures in Paradise cruises. Located at 14341 Port Comfort Rd, Fort Myers, FL 33908. Company operates from 'G' dock.
• Children's Education Center of the Islands (CECI)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2016Nonprofit preschool serving families on Sanibel and Captiva since 1974. Adventures in Paradise is platinum sponsor for Pigs in Paradise annual fundraiser and has historical connection (founders' children were once enrolled).
• Wa-Ke Hatchee Teen CampminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Lee County Parks and Recreation teen camp program. Adventures in Paradise sponsored eco-tour outing for 40 students to experience Pine Island Sound and San Carlos Bay marine life.
• Snug Harbor MarinaminorOthersDeparture location for Fort Myers Beach operations. Located at 645 Old San Carlos Boulevard, Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931. Restaurant partners with Adventures in Paradise for cruise-related dining.
• Mainstay Restaurant (Cabbage Key)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRestaurant destination for Shelling & Lunch Cruise @ Cabbage Key excursion. Guests can enjoy lunch at this unique island location during the cruise. Part of the experiential package offering.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Banana Boat Tours: Banana Boat Tours is a Florida-based multi-market sightseeing cruise operator offering dolphin and sunset cruises across multiple coastal markets, illustrating a more distributed, multi-market approach to the same boat-tour business Adventures in Paradise operates regionally.

Direct peers

• Pure Florida: Pure Florida runs dolphin, sunset, and sightseeing cruises plus boat tours and charters out of Fort Myers, Naples, and Tin City, overlapping Adventures in Paradise's geography, vessel types, and customer base.
• Salty Sam's Marina Fishing Charters: Salty Sam's offers backwater and offshore fishing charters out of Fort Myers Beach, directly overlapping Adventures in Paradise's Captain Noah's Private Fishing Charters product in geography and target angler customer.
• Fort Myers Princess: Fort Myers Princess operates sightseeing and dolphin cruises on the Caloosahatchee River and surrounding waters, offering a comparable sightseeing-by-vessel experience to Adventures in Paradise in the Fort Myers region.
• Captiva Cruises: Captiva Cruises is the most direct competitor, operating dolphin watching, sunset, and shelling cruises out of Captiva Island and South Seas Island Resort in the same Southwest Florida market as Adventures in Paradise, with a similar vessel-based sightseeing model.
• Tropic Boat Tours: Tropic Boat Tours operates dolphin watching, shelling, and sunset cruises around Marco Island and the Ten Thousand Islands, comparable in offering and Southwest Florida tourism focus to Adventures in Paradise.

Others

• Sanibel Sea School (SCCF): Sanibel Sea School is a marine education program operated by the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation that competes for the same eco-tourism educational market and overlaps Adventures in Paradise's marine biologist-led excursions.

Regional players

• Jungle Erv's Airboat Tours: Jungle Erv's runs eco-tourism water tours (airboats) in the Everglades and Fort Myers area, addressing a similar nature-based tourist customer but with a different vessel type and inland experience rather than coastal/island cruising.
• Florida Princess Cruise / Island Queen Cruises: Island Queen Cruises and similar Southwest Florida sightseeing operators offer comparable dolphin and shelling cruises (e.g., to Cabbage Key and Useppa Island), competing for the same day-trip tourist as Adventures in Paradise.

Broad incumbents

• Key West Express / Key West Cruises: Key West Express is a larger Florida passenger ferry and cruise operator running longer-distance waterborne trips, providing a broader-scale Florida sightseeing-by-vessel benchmark for Adventures in Paradise's sightseeing business model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sanibelcruises
• Instagraminstagram.com/adventuresinparadisecruises
• Xx.com/sanibelcruises

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Adventures In Paradise