Miami · Haulover & Biscayne Bay
Anchor on a real sandbar — Haulover, Nixon Beach or Monument Island — with a USCG-licensed captain who times the tide for you. Pontoons from $280 for 2 hours, fuel, ice and cooler included.
Loading Biscayne Bay conditions…
No prepayment online. We reply within 1 hour, 9am–9pm ET.
Pricing
Real numbers, all-in. No "call for pricing".
A sandbar Miami boat rental starts at $280 for 2 hours on a captained pontoon (up to 10 guests), $570 for 3 hours on a sport boat, or $1,320 for 4 hours on a 40–49 ft yacht (up to 12 guests). Every price includes a licensed captain, fuel, ice, water, a cooler and bluetooth sound — the only extras are catering, jet skis and gratuity.
| Boat | Best for | Rate | Typical sandbar trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pontoon / deck boat · up to 10 | Haulover floats, families, budget crews | from $140/h (2h min) | $280 / 2h · $560 / 4h |
| Sport boat 24–29 ft · up to 10 | Faster runs, two-spot days | from $190/h (3h min) | $570 / 3h · $760 / 4h |
| Yacht 40–49 ft · up to 12 | Shade, bathroom, comfort at anchor | from $330/h (4h min) | $1,320 / 4h |
The market's best-known sandbar operator charges $650 for 4 hours on a single 24 ft pontoon — our pontoon runs $560 for the same 4 hours, and you can step up the ladder to a sport boat or yacht when the group or the budget grows. Compare every category side by side on the Miami prices page. Deposit is 30% to hold the date; if the captain calls the weather, you reschedule free with 48h+ notice. Pay in USD by card or crypto.
Want a bigger crowd than 12–13 guests? USCG rules cap private yachts at 12–13 passengers regardless of size, so for 20–65 people the answer is an inspected party catamaran — see boat party charters.
The Sandbar Guide
No competitor tells you where the water actually is. Here is the honest version.
The famous one, often just called "the Miami Sandbar". It sits in north Biscayne Bay near Bal Harbour and Haulover Inlet, and the water over the bar runs roughly 2–4 ft depending on tide — shallow enough to stand with a drink in hand while the boat swings on the hook a few yards away.
On Saturdays and Sundays boats raft up gunwale-to-gunwale and it turns into Miami's biggest floating block party: mats out, speakers on, coolers open. On weekdays the same bar is quiet, clear and easy to anchor. Departing from our Haulover-area marina puts you on the bar within minutes of clearing the dock — no long Intracoastal slog. Full local breakdown in our Haulover Sandbar guide.
South of Key Biscayne, Nixon Beach is the sandbar for people who want the water without the wall of speakers. It is calmer than Haulover, with a family day-out vibe: kids splashing, paddleboards, long lazy floats.
Depth here shifts with the tide like on any bar, so we don't promise a number — your captain reads the water and drops anchor where standing is comfortable that day. It pairs naturally with a downtown departure from Sea Isle Marina: an easy southbound cruise past the Brickell skyline, then hours of quiet shallows. Weekday mornings are the sweet spot.
Just off Miami Beach, Monument Island is the classic party anchorage — and honesty matters here: it's an anchorage, not a standing sandbar. Boats gather off the island, you swim off the stern, float on mats and island-hop by dinghy or jet ski rather than stand mid-bay.
Because it's minutes from Miami Beach Marina, it's the go-to for short charters and late-afternoon sessions that roll into a sunset cruise past Star Island. If your day is more boat party than beach day, this is your spot.
Tides decide your day. A sandbar only exists as a "beach" around lower tides; at high water there is simply more of Biscayne Bay over the bar and the day becomes a swim instead of a stand. Our captains check the tide table before every Miami sandbar charter and time the anchoring window — that's the difference between standing in knee-deep water and treading it.
Compare
One table, zero marketing. Pick the vibe, we handle the rest.
| Spot | Vibe | Depth | Crowd | Best time | Distance from marina |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haulover Sandbar | Weekend raft-up party | ~2–4 ft, tide-dependent | Packed Sat–Sun afternoons, quiet weekdays | Weekday, or weekend before noon | Minutes from our Haulover-area departure |
| Nixon Beach Sandbar | Calm, family day | Shallow flats, varies with tide | Lighter than Haulover year-round | Weekday mornings | Southbound run from Sea Isle Marina (downtown) |
| Monument Island | Party anchorage, swim off the boat | Anchorage depth — no standing bar | Busy weekends, social scene | Late afternoon into sunset | Minutes from Miami Beach Marina |
Rule of thumb from our captains: groups chasing the scene go Haulover on Saturday, groups with kids go Nixon on a Tuesday, and groups that booked a DJ go Monument Island at 4 PM. On a 6–8 hour charter you can combine two of the three — start your planning on the Miami charters hub.
Sample Day
This is the standard Haulover run. Nixon and Monument days follow the same shape with different scenery.
Meet your captain, load your drinks into the iced cooler that's already aboard, pair your phone to the sound system. Safety brief takes five minutes; kids get sized life jackets.
From the Haulover side you're on the sandbar in minutes; from downtown it's a skyline cruise first. Keep eyes out — dolphins and manatees show up on bay runs more often than you'd think.
The captain reads the tide, picks a spot with room to swing, and sets the hook. Mats and floats go over the side, and for the next two-plus hours the boat is your basecamp in waist-deep water.
Add a jet ski from $120/h and take turns running laps off the bar, or pull anchor for a short hop — hidden bay islands make a good picnic stop between sandbars.
The return leg is the golden-hour photo op. Ask the captain to loop past the mansions if the schedule allows.
Back at the marina. Gratuity for the captain (15–20% is customary) and you're ashore, sun-tired and already planning the rematch.
Packing List
The cooler, ice, water and sound system are already on the boat. Bring the rest.
A floating mat turns the bar into a lounge. We can have one aboard on request; inflatables you bring should be blown up before departure — pumps eat charter time.
Sandbars are sand, but the approach can be shelly and the bay floor surprises bare feet. Cheap water shoes make the difference between wading everywhere and wincing everywhere.
BYOB is standard on private charters and the iced cooler is waiting. Decant into cans or plastic: glass on a sandbar where everyone stands barefoot is how good days end early.
You will be in open water and shallow flats for hours with zero shade off the boat. Reef-safe formulas protect you and the seagrass beds that keep the bay clear.
Everything you carry onto the bar comes back off it. One bag for trash, one for wet gear. The sandbar stays a sandbar because boaters pack out.
Phones, keys and cards live in a dry bag clipped to the boat. Towels are on you — and one more than you think you need is the right number.
Etiquette
The bay is shared water. Five habits separate regulars from problems.
Sandbar etiquette in one line: no glass on the bar, drinking age afloat is 21 just like ashore, keep music neighborly at raft-ups, anchor with room to swing, and pack out every single thing you brought — leave no trace.
The longer version: glass breaks invisibly in shallow water where hundreds of people stand barefoot, so it simply doesn't come. Alcohol is legal for guests 21+ on a private charter — your captain stays sober and stays with the boat. At a crowded Haulover raft-up your speakers sit yards from someone else's toddler nap, so match the volume to the anchorage; at an empty weekday bar, turn it up. Anchoring etiquette means leaving swing room between boats and never dropping a hook onto seagrass when sand is available — your captain handles this, which is exactly why every Come Yachts sandbar charter is captained. And the pack-out rule has no exceptions: cans, caps, cigarette butts, broken float valves. What the tide finds, the tide keeps.
One legal note worth knowing before you invite the whole office: private charters carry a maximum of 12–13 guests under USCG rules no matter how big the yacht is. Bigger groups move to inspected party catamarans — up to 65 guests, from $900/h — over on the boat party page.
Conditions
Light wind means clear water over the bar and easy rafting. Check before you lock a date.
Miami is a year-round sandbar town: peak season runs January–April, the flattest water tends to come in November–December, and summer's hurricane-season rain is usually a brief afternoon cell, not a lost day. If the captain calls the weather, you reschedule free with 48h+ notice — nobody pays to sit in chop.
That $760 example is a 4-hour sport-boat sandbar day — with eight friends it's less than a Saturday night out on South Beach, and it includes the captain and the fuel.
FAQ
Haulover Sandbar is the classic weekend raft-up — the biggest scene in Miami. Nixon Beach Sandbar, south of Key Biscayne, is calmer and better for families. Monument Island near Miami Beach is a party anchorage rather than a standing sandbar, and works best rolled into a boat-party afternoon. Tell us the vibe and we point the bow at the right one.
Haulover runs roughly 2–4 feet depending on tide, so adults can stand and kids can splash within arm's reach. Nixon Beach is calmer, with depth that varies by tide; captains anchor where standing is comfortable. Sized life jackets for kids are aboard every boat, and your captain stays with the vessel the whole time.
Weekends are the party: boats raft up at Haulover and the music carries across the flats. On weekdays you share the same sandbar with a handful of boats and get calmer water and easier anchoring. Families and groups that want space book Tuesday–Friday; social crews book Saturday or Sunday.
Yes — BYOB is standard on private charters, and a large cooler with ice is already aboard. Drinking age on the water is 21, same as ashore, and glass is a bad idea on a sandbar, so decant into cans or plastic. Your captain handles the boat, so everyone of age can relax.
Every boat has bluetooth sound, so you control the playlist. At crowded weekend raft-ups keep the volume neighborly — the sandbar is a shared anchorage, not a private club. On weekdays or at Nixon Beach you will have the space to turn it up.
Tides decide how much sandbar you get. Around lower tides the bar at Haulover is at its shallowest and most standable; at high water there is more of the bay over the bar and the day becomes a swim. Our captains check the tide table before every departure and time the anchoring to the best window.
Four hours is the sweet spot: the run out, two-plus hours at anchor, and the cruise home. Two hours on a pontoon works for a quick Haulover float from the north side. A 6–8 hour day lets you combine two sandbars or add a Millionaire's Row cruise on the way back.
A captained pontoon starts at $280 for 2 hours (from $140/h, up to 10 guests). A sport boat starts at $570 for 3 hours, and a 40–49 ft yacht from $1,320 for 4 hours. Every price includes a licensed captain, fuel, ice and a cooler; the deposit is 30% and weather reschedules are free with 48h+ notice.
Pontoons from $280, yachts from $1,320 — captain, fuel and iced cooler always included. Dates go fastest for Saturday afternoons at Haulover.
Keep exploring
Tell us about your day on the water — we reply with 2–3 matched boats and a firm all-in price. Within an hour, 9am–9pm ET.
We're matching boats for your date right now. Expect a reply within an hour, 9am–9pm ET.
Meanwhile — the full price list or the sandbar guide.