santa barbara duck boat tours

• Santa Barbara

Land Shark Tours

(805) 683-7600

About Land Shark Tours Land and Sea Tours Santa Barbara, our tours have been voted the best city and harbor tours of Santa Barbara and top 10 cool things to do in California.

Climb aboard Santa Barbara’s original amphibious tour vehicle, the LAND SHARK , for a personally narrated 90-minute land and sea tour adventure. Experience the best of Santa Barbara, in comfort aboard the most modern state-of-the-art amphibious vehicle in the world.

Enjoy exquisite views of the Santa Barbara coastline, the American Riviera, and the Santa Ynez mountains as seen only from our boat at sea. Don’t miss this exciting and entertaining Land and Sea adventure to experience Santa Barbara as never before! Fun for all ages, a ride aboard the Land Shark is truly a Santa Barbara and California “must-do” attraction.

Land Shark Tours Reviews

Candice martinez.

A must-do in 2024!!! The tour guide was amazing!!! She made the experience exceptional! I definitely recommend this for couples or a family with kids. She made me look at Santa Barbara in a new way!

Salli Hershberger

Highly recommend! What a fun afternoon, even for us locals! Thanks Natalie we had a great time. Salli & Marie

Billy Holland

We had a great time. Natalie gave us so much information on the tour it was great. We would love to do it again I will make sure to bring cash with me so I can tip! I felt horrible not having cash on me. Natalie deserved a nice tip. Thank you again Land Shark for a great trip!!!!The Hollands

Terrific time on the Land Shark. One of our favorite family activities. Natalie was wonderful. So kind and full of lots of good SB trivia. Thank you!

David Joseph

Had a fun filled experience with a tour guide who gave a bit of a history lesson in the City of Santa Barbara. The tour guide was quite friendly and provided opportunities for the audience to join in and answer trivial questions and riddles at intervals during 35min tour of downtown Santa Barbara. This was followed by a 20 minute boat ride which started from the marina west of Sterns Wharf which took us around Stern's Wharf and the marina area. The boat captain was also nice enough to take us areas where we could admire some of the sea life and take photos. There were plenty of seals, sea lions, pelicans, and various species of water foul. It was very informative. Please note that no food or alcohol is allowed board. If you have reservations against not being allowed to carry such items with you, I'd strongly suggest other alternatives. I'd recommend this for couples, family members and small groups. Have fun!

Marissa Gomez

Sam Bear was a fantastic guide! Our group who is a fun bunch of locals had never been on the Land Shark, were celebrating a birthday, and had the best time! Thank you so much Sam Bear and Captain

Sandra Santiago

This was the absolute best tour ever. It was my family’s first time visiting Santa Barbara and we couldn’t have asked for a better way to learn about its amazing history than with land shark tours .

This was a great tour with lively hosts. Would have liked more history and fun facts and less on the business promos. Loved the water experience. Would definitely recommend.

Fun. The tour gave lots of info on Santa Barbara. Want $20 tip. The price was $45. Hour n a half. How the driver got through the town was spectacular.

Brenda Stone

We had an amazing tour! On our way to lunch, we saw the boat for the 12 o’clock tour. I booked for the 2 o’clock from my phone which left and arrived promptly. Do read the fine print because if they don’t have at least 10 adults on the tour, they will cancel. Our host Sam-Bear was hysterical and informational. Captain Cliff was fantastic. We saw seals, sea lions and got a great history and layout of Santa Barbara. Do not miss this if you’re in town with 90 minutes to spare

Land Shark Tours VIP List   Learn more about the VIP program

Total Score: 1490

Land Shark Tours Gallery

• Google Plus

Current Issue Flip Book

• Dining Guide
• Shopping Guide
• Activities Guide
• Waterfront Guide
• Wine Country
• Paradise on the Pacific
• Real Estate Guide
• Feature Articles
• Photo Gallery
• Special Events
• Events Calendar
• About Passport
• Contacting Passport

Left Algined Image

The land shark tours.

View Santa Barbara by both land and sea, on this “boat with wheels!” Designed for comfortable cruising, the ambhibious Land Shark offers fully narrated 90-min. tours departing from Stearns Wharf at 12pm, 2pm, & 4pm, winding thru the streets of Santa Barbara and its historical landmarks, and splashing down into the blue waters of the Santa Barbara harbor.

Details for The Land Shark Tours

• Go to The Land Shark Tours website
• 10 East Cabrillo Boulevard; Santa Barbara, CA, 93101
• (805) 683-7600
• From Stearns Wharf at 12pm, 2pm, & 4pm; Private Charters also avail
• $25 Adults, $10 kids

Location: The Land Shark Tours

Quick links.

• Wine Country Guide

Popular Spots

Santa Barbara Shellfish Company

This place is for the real shellfish lovers! All varieties of delicacies from the sea.

Endless Summer Bar Café

“Top ten seafood spots by the sea” by Sunset Magazine.

Maecenas metus lorem nulla, pretium lipsum. 12 August 2012

Tetus lorem maecenas facili lipsum pretium. 26 July 2012

Since 1995, Passport Gateway Magazine™, has shown millions of visitors where To find the very best restaurants, stores, recreational resources, galleries, wineries and attractions in Carpinteria, Summerland, Montecito, Santa Barbara, Goleta and the Santa Ynez Valley.

Browse by Category

Current issue.

News Headlines

• The Santa Barbara Zoo Reopens on June 23!
• The American Riviera is OPEN.
• Santa Barbara named top ‘trending’ travel destination
• Santa Barbara Receives New York Times Destination Recommendation
• Complete List

THE 10 BEST Santa Barbara Boat Tours

Boat tours in santa barbara.

• Gear Rentals
• Surfing, Windsurfing & Kitesurfing
• 5.0 of 5 bubbles
• 4.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• Good for Couples
• Good for Kids
• Good for Big Groups
• Budget-friendly
• Good for Adrenaline Seekers
• Honeymoon spot
• Adventurous
• Good for a Rainy Day
• Hidden Gems
• Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.

1. Captain Jack's Santa Barbara Tours

2. Celebration Cruises - Santa Barbara

3. Land and Sea Tours/ Land Shark

4. Condor Express Whale Watching

5. Channel Islands Expeditions

6. Santa Barbara Channel Charters

7. Santa Barbara Sailing Center

8. Sunset Kidd Sailing Cruises & Whale Watching

9. Green Flash Charters

10. Santa Babara Parasail

11. Santa Barbara Boat Charters

12. Western Gate Maritime LLC

13. Western Gull Charters - Day Tours

14. Captain Spencer

15. Sandala Experiences

16. Santa Barbara GURU

17. adventure boat charters, 18. sunswept sailing, what travelers are saying.

• Captain Jack's Santa Barbara Tours
• Condor Express Whale Watching
• Channel Islands Expeditions
• Land and Sea Tours/ Land Shark
• Santa Barbara Boat Charters
• Santa Barbara Channel Charters
• Celebration Cruises - Santa Barbara
• Sunset Kidd Sailing Cruises & Whale Watching

Lil' Toot Santa Barbara

The happiest boat in the harbor, our featured santa barbara boat tours, public cruises.

Lil’ Toot, Santa Barbara’s original waterfront taxi, provides 25-minute narrated public boat rides between the Harbor and Stearns Wharf every hour.

Private Charters

Celebrate in style with Lil’ Toot! Whether it’s a birthday, anniversary, or any special occasion, our charming vessel offers an intimate and unique setting for your event.

Our Guests LOVE Lil' Toot!

I wish there were more stars to give. We went on the Lil Toot yesterday and took a 25-minute harbor cruise for $10 each. It was a guided tour so we learned a lot of interesting facts about the harbor. The staff was friendly and even had some jokes. We saw Sea Lions, birds and a spotted seal. The ride was nice and the girl was very knowledgeable. Such a great cruise at such a great price. I highly recommend!!

We had a great time on the Lil' Toot!! We reserved a 1-hour private charter around the harbor and the staff and experience was perfect. I highly recommend to anyone who might want to just have a very relaxing time to hangout with friends and family. The staff was very accommodating and very helpful from the moment we booked to the day of the actual trip. Thank you all again!!

After finding out that you could charter the Lil' Toot for kids' birthday parties, I was so excited. I catered the Lil' Toot for my little girl's 2 year birthday celebration and invited friends and family to join us. I arranged for some of my own food and drink and did a small catering order from Crush Cakes to serve. The boat ride was excellent (saw lots of animals!) and the kids even got to drive the boat for a few minutes (and toot the horn!). Everyone had such a great time. The best part for me was picking up what was left of our food and drink and exiting the boat and being "DONE!" The Captain and crew were both excellent hosts. Super fun, highly recommend this service.

We had a wonderful time on Lil Toot! Both the captain and mate were superb. We’ll take all of our smallest MN visitors out for a cruise from now on. TOOT TOOT!

We love the "Lil Toot"! We take it every time we're in SB and it never gets old! It's a fun and easy way to get to the pier from the Harbor & back, especially during the summer when there is limited parking on the pier. The crew is friendly & professional & the fare is reasonable! I highly recommend taking a ride and enjoy seeing the Sea Lions and a tour of the amazing harbor!

Destination Santa Barbara

Wildlife and island cruises.

The Santa Barbara Landing is your destination portal to all kinds of ocean boat tours. Our crew are knowledgeable about the area and share interesting bits of local info that make our tours informative and fun. Great for the entire family.

California Gray Whale Watching Tours

Catch a glimpse of the California Gray Whale as it makes its way north to Alaska on the longest mammal migration on earth.

Whale Guarantee – if we don’t see whales you get 100% credit for future expedition in the same calendar year.

$99/adult $79/Senior (65+) $49/child

4th of July Fireworks Sunset Cruise

Experience the world class fireworks over the Santa Barbara Harbor on the TRUTH as we get the closest and best view of the show!

$100/adult $75/child (12 and under)

Channel Islands National Park Tours

Visit one of the most beautiful and least visited National Parks in the U.S. on one of our custom built adventure vessels. We offer island kayaking, snorkeling, SCUBA diving, and wildlife viewing.

 Starts at $99/person

 Day and Multi-Day

Live Music at Sea

Summer 2023 Music at Sea

Prices Vary

Special Events

Private charters.

Charter one of our boats out of Santa Barbara.

VISION can hold 100 passengers

TRUTH can hold 49 passengers

Have an unforgettable wedding or reception on a boat off the coast of Santa Barbara.

Our vessels are a perfect location to host a private event for any special occassion.

Whale and Dolphin Tours

Sunset cruise, channel island tours.

• Tours Public Tours Private Charters
• Public Tours

Private Charters

• Buy Tickets

Take your party on both land and sea on Santa Barbara’s only premium party-bus!

The Land Sharks can be reserved exclusively for your group of up to 40 passengers for virtually any type of event at almost any time, day or night. Privately reserving a Land Shark allows your group the flexibility to depart from a different location, at a different time than a scheduled public city tour, or even customize a tour route.

Each vehicle is equipped with a superior digital sound system and LED lighting. Bring your favorite music and beverages and get ready for a most memorable event!

Private Charter Prices

• 1.5 Hours: $1200 cash / $1300 credit or debit
• 2 Hours: $1800 cash / $1900 credit or debit

Private Tour Prices

• 1.5 Hours: $1400 cash / $1500 credit or debit
• $200 CASH Cleaning/Damage deposit required upon arrival.

Cancellation Fee

• $300 any time after booking.
• $600 less than 7 days before the booked event.

Our Land and Sea Tours representatives are available to help you design your own unique land and sea adventure and customize a tour or event to meet your specific needs!

For questions, more information, or to book your private party charter, call (805) 683-7600 or send an email to [email protected]. Learn more about the vessel you will be riding in or checkout our FAQ page.

Offering waterfront cruises, harbor tours & private charters

Whether you want to experience a tour of Santa Barbara’s beautiful coast, have a romantic evening with a loved one, enjoy music out on the water with friends, or plan your perfect party, Celebration Cruises has everything you need. Here you can learn all about our selection of Santa Barbara cruises on board our three boats: Azure Seas, Whisper and Santa Barbara Water Taxi – known as Lil’ Toot.

Meet the Founders: Captain Fred And Kathy Hershman

With 40+ years experience in both pleasure and commercial vessels, Captain Fred Hershman has spent his entire life on or near boats – growing up with his father on a 51-foot Ketch sailboat and serving in the Coast Guard from 1968 to 1974. A decorated veteran from the Vietnam War, he holds a 100-ton, near coastal Masters license. Captain Fred’s wife Kathy is Azure Seas’ business manager, event planner, and cruise director.

Currently they live on one of the 113 live-aboard vessels in the Santa Barbara Harbor. Together, they make the perfect team for safety and service. The Hershman’s started Santa Barbara’s original water taxi service Santa Barbara Water Taxi (aka Lil’ Toot) in 2003. Lil’ Toot offers daily narrated boat rides between the Santa Barbara Harbor and Stearns Wharf. They started Celebration Cruises in 2010 to offer the Santa Barbara community and visitors more cruise and private charter opportunities, acquiring Azure Seas in 2014 and Whisper is 2017.

Both Fred and Kathy share a deep passion and commitment to Santa Barbara and the waterfront community. They are active members of Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce, contribute to many local fund-raising events, and offer free tours to public schools as well as individuals on active military duty.

Learn More About The Santa Barbara Channel

YOUR ADVENTURE AWAITS!

The condor express in santa barbara has been creating amazing whale watching experiences for  over 35 years. come aboard for the experience of a lifetime, condor musical cruises.

Whale Watching at the Whale Heritage Site

WHAT OUR PASSENGERS ARE SAYING

WHAT YOU'LL ENCOUNTER

Meet the array of wildlife you could see while out on the open ocean.

START PLANNING YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE

PRIVATE CHARTERS

Looking for your own personal adventure? Book your own private whale watch, celebration of life, or party cruise!

CHECKOUT OUR GALLEY

We're one of the only whales watching boats along California's coast that has a full galley with breakfast, lunch , and beverage options. If you forget to grab a bite to eat before your trip, no worries, we've got you covered! Check it out below.

OUR DEDICATED CREW

HIROKO OWNER

DAVE  CAPTAIN

DEVIN  CAPTAIN

KELLY CREW 

Samantha crew, bob photographer.

HIROKO  OWNER

THE CONDOR EXPRESS

71-foot-long, 26.5-foot-wide, quad-jet-powered catamaran capable of cruising at 28+ knots

Powered by four BRAND NEW, low emission, 700 hp Scania Diesel engines. 

Twin wave piercing hulls, feature a modified hydrofoil wing that produces an extremely smooth and stable ride. 

U.S. Coast Guard certified and insured to carry up to 127 passengers

Features a large and luxurious teak-paneled cabin. Expansive windows allow viewing from inside the cabin, seating for ~60 persons, and 2  Large  plasma screen TV's allow passengers to see boats  location  throughout the channel.

Full galley with breakfast and lunch menu. 

Complete bar with adult drinks such as cocktails, beer, and wine. 

Upper sundeck seating offers unobstructed animal viewing and sight seeing

Huge raised bow allows passengers a up-close look at the wildlife=, specifically the dolphins! Be sure to look down when hanging out on the bow, common dolphins love to bow ride!

Three full-size rest rooms aboard

High-tech Bose audio system projects captain's voice throughout the  entirety of the boat. 

A large aftdeck provides lots of room for dancing to a DJ or a live band. There is plenty of space for passengers, or educators and researchers to work

Lil' Toot Santa Barbara

Location & Hours

Suggest an edit

237 Stearns Wharf

Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Serving Santa Barbara Area

You Might Also Consider

Santa Barbara Wine Tours

Welcome to Santa Barbara Wine Tours, where we invite you to embark on an unforgettable journey through the enchanting wine country of the Santa Ynez Valley. With our deep-rooted knowledge of the area and extensive expertise in… read more

in Wine Tours

Circle Bar B Stables

Santa Barbara's oldest and finest Horseback Riding tours with views of the Pacific Ocean and channel islands! read more

in Kids Activities, Tours, Horseback Riding

Explore Wines Tour

Nicole T. said "The absolute best! We had the most amazing experience. We had a private wine tour and so much wonderful information. She made it so comfortable for us and I can't wait to go back to do it again! We told all of our family and friends…" read more

Amenities and More

About the business.

Lil’ Toot, Santa Barbara’s original waterfront taxi, provides 25-minute narrated boat rides and sunset boat rides between the Santa Barbara Harbor and Stearns Wharf every hour. …

Ask the Community

Ask a question

Yelp users haven’t asked any questions yet about Lil' Toot Santa Barbara .

Recommended Reviews

• 1 star rating Not good
• 2 star rating Could’ve been better
• 3 star rating OK
• 4 star rating Good
• 5 star rating Great

Select your rating

Overall rating

Awesome experience. We hired Whisper, a 6-seater boat. Super nice! Captain Larry was fantastic and a great company! Thank you for your great service.

Business owner information

Business Manager

Apr 11, 2024

Thank you so much for sharing about your experience, Akash! Captain Larry is great & we are so happy you enjoyed your time on Whisper. We would love to have you back anytime!

I had been wanting to do something a little different in SB with my kids and thought Lil' Toot would be a fun activity to give them a different vantage point of the city. It's a brief 20 min ride from Stearns Wharf to the Harbor. You can get on at either point. I originally thought about booking a round trip but when I called and spoke to Rebecca, she gave great insight. Both points are about a 15-20 minute walk from each other depending on how fast you walk. So most people book one way and walk back. That's exactly what we did. When you get off at Stearns, you can peruse shops and restaurants there, and eventually make your way to Cabrillo and walk towards State Street or to back to the harbor. It was a short enjoyable walk on Cabrillo. The ride itself is pleasant and fun. We boarded at the harbor and the easiest destination to map to is the Maritime museum. The dock is right across from there. There is plenty of paid parking there too. $3 per hour. We arrived early and walked around the shops. There is a Brophy Bros if you want to sit and eat before your ride, or On The Alley around the corner for quick and casual dining. We glided through the harbor and saw different types of boats, learned which celebs owned some of them, and saw the sea lions. It's recommended to arrive at the dock 10 mins before departure. You can scan your QR code or give your name to check-in. Super easy check-in and you hop in. The boat itself really is "lil'" and limited to a smaller capacity. They have snacks and drinks onboard if you need. It's $10 one way per adult, $5 per child. Be sure to book ahead online because they seem to fill up.

Jan 23, 2024

Thank you so much for taking time to share about your experience on Lil' Toot, Anna. We are thrilled to hear you enjoyed your time our on the water. We can't wait to have you & your family back onboard!

I actually went on this Celebration Cruises Sunset Cruise and I highly recommend it! Great value and had an amazing and relaxing time calmly sailing up and down the coast of Santa Barbara. The scenery was beautiful and we got to see a whole pod of dolphins right next to the boat as well as some harbor seal hanging around. Definitely recommend wearing a thick puffer jacket because it will be cold around sunset!

we had an amazing tour with Little Toot on their yacht. Friendly staff, great customer service and great tour , wish weather was better but nonetheless it was so worth it. Our 2 year old daughter loved it and got to see Sea Lions as well.

Apr 23, 2024

Thank you for joining us on the "happiest boat in the Harbor"! We look forward to welcoming you & your family onboard again soon!

We had a wonderful 2 hour cruise aboard the Azure Seas in Santa Barbara. It was a lovely day, the cruise was fun, the staff were helpful and informative. We didn't see whales the day we cruised, but we had fun any way! Thank you again. -- W. Cafferky

Mar 13, 2024

Thank you so much for sharing about your experience, Wendy! We are thrilled you enjoyed your time out on the water. We hope to welcome you back soon!

Absolutely incredible. So cute, so scenic, nicest staff. Amazing that this is only $10 in a pricey place like Santa Barbara! 100% must do experience!!

This was an approximately one half-hour tour in and around Santa Barbara Harbor. At only $10 per person (what a bargain!) we saw seals, sea lions, pelicans, and many boats with fascinating names. It was the high point of our visit to Santa Barbara - and we had a great time throughout our visit. Everyone was friendly and every small child received a sticker commemorating the tour. We'll do it again if we ever get the chance!

Oct 12, 2023

Thanks so much for taking the time to share about your experience on Lil' Toot! Awesome pics of the Mystic Whaler, too! We'd love to have you back onboard anytime!

Our department outing was a fun cruise on Lil' Toot with lunch on the Wharf. Highly recommend for a team bonding experience. We all had so much fun and learned a ton about the harbor too!! Thank you to the Lil' Toot crew!!

Sep 5, 2023

Thanks so much for joining us on the "happiest boat in the harbor"! Look forward to the opportunity to be of service again in the future. Toot Toot!

I had such a great time hopping on and off of Lil' Toot the other day - Rebecca and Captain Milo were super knowledgeable on Santa Barbara and the history of the SB Wharf - I will be recommending this experience to all of my friends and family coming into town from now on, and will be keeping them in mind when it comes to hosting a private tour in the future!

1 other review that is not currently recommended

Sustainable Wine Tours

1.5 miles away from Lil' Toot Santa Barbara

Our tours grant you exclusive access to only all private, small-production, wineries, estates, and vineyards where guests often meet the winery owner or winemaker while immersing themselves in the history, sights, smells, and tastes… read more

Uncorked Wine Tours

Uncorked Wine Tours, is a private, personalized, customized wine tour for you, your friends, and your family. You are able to select winery locations or take advantage of our planning services and we will curate an itinerary for… read more

Collections Including Lil' Toot Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara with kids

By Jennifer J.

People Also Viewed

Celebration Cruises Santa Barbara

Sunset Kidd Sailing Cruises and Whale Watching

Land and Sea Shark Tour

Channel Islands Expeditions - Santa Barbara County

Condor Express Whale Watching

Santa Barbara Adventure Company

Santa Barbara Trolley

Santa Barbara Whale Watch

Adventure Boat Charters Santa Barbara

Best of Santa Barbara

Things to do in Santa Barbara

Browse Nearby

Other boat tours nearby.

Find more Boat Tours near Lil' Toot Santa Barbara

Related Cost Guides

Town Car Service