Restaurants feature fresh seafood harvested daily from the Gulf. South Padre is known for its water sports, including jet skiing, by, surf, and deep-sea fishing, parasailing, sailing, and windsurfing. Other island activities include bicycling, tennis, shelling, and horseback riding on the beach. The South Padre Island Tourist Bureau provides detailed information about accommodations, activities and events related to boating, sailing, fishing, and seashore recreation. Offshore species may include tarpon, sailfish, marlin, kingfish mackerel, ling, pompano, bonito, red snapper, warsaw, and wahoo.
Marinas provide fuel, bait, tackle, launching ramps, and boat rentals.
Small boats with guides are available for day fishing. At the island's southern tip. Horses are usually available from sunrise to sunset. The long, narrow sand island sweeps in a gold arc north some 110 miles to Corpus Christi. Modern hotels and motels edge several miles of the Gulf at the island's southern tip.