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About Us

We know these waters like the back our hand! Let our crew show you a great time!

Crack of Dawn

exterior of the gasparilla boat tours boat

Welcome aboard Crack of Dawn, our custom built, 30 foot pontoon with comfortable seating and plenty of room to move around, with a capacity to hold up to 18 guests. While you relax and enjoy the view, our crew will make sure you and your friends and family have a memorable cruise on the water.

Crack of Dawn is a United States Coast Guard inspected vessel. As one of only a few vessels in the area carrying that distinction, she is built to keep you and your family safe while underway.

Crack of Dawn is fully equipped with all of the following:

  • Onboard bathroom
  • Bluetooth compatible 600 watt audio system playing the tunes you love
  • USB charging ports to keep all your electronics fully charged
  • BYOB – food, beverages and alcohol and we’ll keep it cold for you in our large cooler stocked with ice and complementary bottled water
  • Capacity for 18 people
  • Comfortable seating for a relaxing cruise

Meet Our Crew

Captain Sue

Originally from Minnesota, Sue has lived in Florida for over 16 years. Her love and passion for the water started at a young age fishing with her father on the Great Lakes. She fell in love with the tour boat business several years ago.

In addition to her ownership and Captain duties, Sue also trains others on the water to enjoy their own vessel. She is passionate about training and making sure all are safe on the water. She has published several regional and national articles, “Tales Of A Tour Boat Captain.” In her spare time, she enjoys her dog, “Eros” and continues to enjoy riding horses, “her first love.”

She has many favorite restaurants on the island, including Snooks, of course.

woman boat captain operating a boat
a woman on a boat

Captain Kayla

I was born and raised in a small town in Wisconsin where my family has a horse farm. I feel blessed to call Venice and it’s beautiful beaches my FL home. I grew up fishing and boating with my grandparents on many of the beautiful lakes and rivers in Wisconsin and Minnesota. My love for boating has stuck with me throughout my life. I’m currently working on earning my Master Captain license. I love to be on or under the water. Fishing, scuba diving, enjoying a sandbar or strolling a beach with my golden retriever Libi. My favorite restaurant in the area is Pelican Alley. 

Captain Eric

I was born and raised in Toms River NJ. I grew up boating on the river and Barnegat Bay. I joined the Marine Corps after high school. I went to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait for Desert Shield/ Desert Storm. After the military I became a police officer, detective, and law enforcement supervisor for 22 years. I started with Gasparilla Boat Tours in 2018. My hobbies include fishing and motorcycles. For vacations, my wife, Cortnie and I enjoy going on cruises and camping.

a woman on a boat
a woman on a boat

Captain Kristina

I was born in Long Island New York but I’ve lived in Florida since I was 5 (so happy my family moved me here!) I’ve been working on boats for the past 5 years and love being on the water! My passion is to be around the Resident Dolphins Of Sarasota Bay! I feel so lucky to be able to explore them in there  natural habitat and explain what I’ve learned about them over the year’s! My hobbies include boating, sailing, fishing and kayaking with my Pup Koa! I’ve been married to my best friend for the past 17 years and we are blessed with two amazing children! Looking forward to seeing you on the water!

Captain Justen

I’m an 8th generation Florida boy! I’ve been here for 40+ years and traveled all over this great country, but Florida is the state for me. My favorite hobbies include fishing, scuba diving, sailing, kayaking, and really anything to do with the water. My grandparents and uncles becoming captains inspired me to the passion I hold on to so dearly. Inspiring or giving someone a memorable time is always my number one goal when out on the water.

a man on a boat
boat captain operating a boat

Captain Slavek

Captain Slavek has been around water and boats his entire life. He is originally from Poland, the Region of Thousand Lakes called Mazury, and spent many of his early years sailing and exploring the Polish Lakes. Once in the United States, his love for boating continued as he spent many years sailing and boating along the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Coast.

His most amazing sailing experience took place on the 150’ Polish Tall Ship Pogoria. Climbing the masts to release the sails was a challenging yet exhilarating adventure. His favorite place to sail is the Caribbean Islands.

Captain Slavek has been an active member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary for the past 20 years. He is the certified ASA Sailing Instructor and the PADI Dive Master. He also holds the 100T Master Captain License.

In his free time, Captain Slavek enjoys playing Pickleball, boating in the Charlotte Bay and the Sarasota area, scuba diving and watching soccer games. He resides in Venice, Florida.

Captain Aaron

Captain Aaron grew up in Michigan and began sailing at the age of 6. In his teen years he frequently took his daysailer out on Lake Michigan. In his 20’s he moved to Wisconsin and boated on several different inland lakes with pontoon boats and express cruisers. In 2018 Captain Aaron purchased a 48’ Sedan Bridge motor yacht with the intention of doing the Great Loop. In the spring of 2021, after selling their house and most of their possessions, Captain Aaron, his wife, and his cat moved aboard their boat and set out from Sturgeon Bay, WI on their Great Loop adventure. After arriving in Key West in January of 2022, Captain Aaron and family decided they would make Southern Florida their permanent home as they would rather deal with hurricanes than live where the air hurts your face.
Captain Aaron
Glen

Glen

I was born and raised in UP of Michigan, boating and fishing on Lake Superior, hunting are all things I loved doing. The past 20 years my wife and I lived in Green Bay WI, I worked as a brick/stone mason as well as a pest control technician. I enjoyed walleye fishing and ice fishing. We moved to Florida 2 years ago. My wife Sally and I love going to beaches, fishing and eating at Tiki restaurants near water!

Jack

I was born and raised in Rhode Island and grew up living on the water. I started my boating endeavors in the early 90’s and became a certified scuba diver, soon after I spent several years doing that for a living on Narragansett Bay while attending college. Following that I was a Real Estate appraiser and Realtor prior to moving down to southwest Florida in 2018. I recently acquired my Florida Real Estate License and I’m currently preparing to get my Captain’s license this year. My interests include boating, playing guitar, reading, collecting old books, astrology and studying philosophy.
Jack

Carly

The water feels like home for this Midwestern country girl! Born in Minnesota and raised on the lakes makes being a First Mate a dream come true. I grew up doing a lot of fishing, tubing, wakeboarding, and ice fishing. I finally made my way to the amazing state of Florida in 2016. I joined the tourism industry in 2018 and was a tour guide on horseback for some time. Horses are a huge part of my life, and I enjoy living in Arcadia, where it is a horse lovers paradise! Meeting new people and sharing a passion for the waters and wildlife here has been a dream come true! In my spare time I pour all my energy into my two young kids. We do a lot with our local 4H and our 3 personal horses. Both my kids have been swimming since birth, and we take advantage of any break in our schedule to get out and swim or fish! Of course, I can’t leave out that we take our very playful German Shorthaired Pointer, Foxy, everywhere. Her wild spirit completes our home. I have always wanted to be a boat captain and can’t wait to see where this journey with Gasparilla Boat Tours takes me!