Haulover Sandbar Boat Trip: Swim Where the Boats Raft Up
North of the skyline, Biscayne Bay turns into something else entirely — waist-deep turquoise flats where boats anchor in a loose floating village. This 3-hour private charter is the sandbar specialist among the private boat trips in Miami we compare: it departs from the North Miami Beach side, so you spend your time anchored and swimming, not commuting across the bay. Here's the route, the rules and why the departure point matters.
About the Sandbar Charter
Cancel up to 24 hours before for a full refund
Most of it anchored — minimal transit time
Whole-boat price for your private group
Leaves near Haulover — no hour-long crossing
Swim, stand and float in clear shallows
The highest-rated island trip on the site
Check Live Availability & Prices
Real-time dates and prices for the private sandbar and islands charter.
Why This Trip Beats a Skyline Loop for Swimmers
Most Miami charters are sightseeing trips — you look at things from the boat. This one is built the other way around: the boat exists to get you anchored at the Haulover sandbar, Miami's famous shallow-water hangout, with Billionaire's Bunker and Raccoon Island as the scenery on the way.
The departure point is the quiet advantage. Charters leaving from South Beach burn close to an hour of round-trip transit to reach the same sandbar; this one boards on the North Miami Beach side and is anchored in minutes. Three hours here means roughly two and a half in the water, not one and a half behind a windshield.
What the Sandbar Scene Looks Like
What You'll See and Do
The trip mixes swimming with the north bay's best gawking:
- The Haulover Sandbar — anchor in waist-deep turquoise water among the weekend flotilla
- Billionaire's Bunker (Indian Creek Island) — the guarded island of billionaires' compounds
- Raccoon Island — the green mangrove islet where the locals raft up
- Stand-up swimming, floating and sandbar people-watching
- Rays and small fish cruising the clear flats under the boat
- The Miami Beach high-rise skyline as the backdrop going home
How the 3 Hours Flow
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0:00
Board in North Miami Beach
Meet your captain near the Haulover marina area, load the cooler and head out through the calm channel.
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0:15
Billionaire's Bunker pass
A slow cruise past Indian Creek Island's compounds — the most guarded address in Florida.
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0:35
Anchor at the sandbar
Drop anchor in the waist-deep flats. Swim, float, wade between boats — this is the long stop.
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2:15
Raccoon Island swing
Pull anchor for a lap past the mangrove islet and whoever's rafted up there.
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2:45
Skyline ride back
Cruise home with the Miami Beach towers on the horizon and the cooler running low.
Know Before You Anchor
Not suitable for
- Non-swimmers who won't enjoy the anchored stop — the swimming IS the trip
- Anyone after a quiet nature outing on a weekend — Saturdays and Sundays at Haulover are a party
What to bring
- Swimwear worn from home, towels and a dry change of clothes
- Reef-safe sunscreen — you'll be in open sun and reflective water for hours
- Water shoes if you have them; the bottom is sand with the odd shell
- Drinks in cans or plastic and snacks — the sandbar has no vendors on the water
- A floating phone case for the in-water photos
Not allowed
- Glass anywhere near the water — Florida rule, doubly enforced where people stand barefoot
- Walking up onto Billionaire's Bunker — private island, armed security, viewable from the water only
Where It Runs — the North Bay
Sandbar Trip — Common Questions
How deep is the water at the Haulover sandbar?
Waist-deep or less at the anchorage — most people stand. It shelves off toward the channel, so kids stay on the shallow side and the captain will point out where that is.
Weekday or weekend — which should we book?
Weekends are the famous floating party: dozens of boats, music, a real scene. Weekday mornings are the same turquoise water nearly empty. Pick by the experience you want — the charter runs both.
Will we actually see anything at Billionaire's Bunker?
You'll see the compounds, docks and security boats from the water — that's as close as anyone gets. Recent residents have included Jeff Bezos, Tom Brady and Ivanka Trump, and the captain has the current gossip.
Is 3 hours enough?
Yes, because of the departure point — you're anchored within about 35 minutes of boarding. The same sandbar visit from a South Beach marina would spend nearly an hour more just in transit.
What Travelers Say
We anchored next to a boat with a DJ and a boat with a grandma doing a crossword. Haulover is exactly the circus I hoped, and the shallow water is unreal.
Captain knew the exact sandy patch to drop anchor — clear water, no crowd, kids stood the whole time. Billionaire's Bunker drive-by was a bonus.
Went on a Tuesday morning and had the sandbar nearly to ourselves. Three hours went too fast. Worth every dollar of the $359.