5 FL Cities Among Top 20 In U.S. For Dolphin Sightings, Study Finds

HOLMES BEACH, FL — Holmes Beach ranked the top Gulf Coast city and No. 6 in the United States on “America’s Top Dolphin Watching Destinations 2026” ranking, according to an analysis released by BoatBooker.

It was one of five Florida cities to land in the top 20 across the U.S.

The study looked at bottlenose dolphin sighting data from OBIS-SEAMAP, a peer-reviewed scientific database maintained by Duke University's Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab in partnership with NOAA.

Across 356 U.S. coastal locations and 243,809 documented dolphin sightings, Holmes Beach logged 9,902 dolphins across 2,210 sighting events, according to the analysis.

Holmes Beach sits on Anna Maria Island in Manatee County.

“The shallow, warm waters of Tampa Bay and the adjacent Gulf shelf support year-round resident dolphin communities,” according to BoatBooker. “Moreover, the Anna Maria Sound sees regular pod activity throughout summer, making this one of Florida’s best cities for dolphin watching.”

The other Florida cities in the top 20 include:

• No. 14: Anna Maria, 5,417 sightings
• No. 16: Siesta Key, 3,505 sightings
• No. 19: Port Saint Joe, 3,072 sightings
• No. 20: Saint Augustine Beach, 2,626 sightings

"The Gulf Coast is one of the most underrated dolphin watching regions in the US," Vukan Simic, CEO of BoatBooker, said. "Holmes Beach topping the Gulf Coast rankings is a reflection of just how rich that stretch of water is — and how many boaters are heading there specifically to see dolphins up close."

The No. 1 spot on the ranking went to Buxton, North Carolina, where 20,128 dolphin sightings were documented.