ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — Thousands of cars drive over the Skyway Bridge every day, but one adventure offers another view of the bridge from below. 

Capt. Conor O’Neil is a super fan of coastal living, and could drive a boat before a car.

“So I had a little 17-foot skiff and I would pull the boat up to work on the docks behind Treasure Island,” O’Neil said. “And that’s how I would get to and from work.”

The 17-foot skiff has now turned into a 45-foot catamaran.

And he’s no longer riding to work. He’s made the riding the work.

As the president of St. Pete Coastal Cruises, he’s showing off the sunsets from his favorite spots, like a little island just off Ft. Desoto Beach.

It’s basically Postcard City.

“So after running this tour for a year and a half, personally, every single boat, it just doesn’t get old,” O’Neil said.

O’Neil started this venture with another lifelong boater and St. Pete Catholic High School buddy Chad Cassidy.

Their mission is to make the coastal lifestyle affordable. Tourists and locals can jump on one of their luxury passenger boats if they don’t have one of their own.

O’Neil and Cassidy see this beauty, and they don’t want people to miss out because they don’t have a house on the water or a boat of their own.

This is all leading up to the grand finale — to see the landmark that rises over 400-feet out of the water.

“Welcome to my personal favorite part of the night,” O’Neil said. “That’s gonna be the Skyway light show.”

Formal name? The Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge with more than 1,800 LED lights. And the illuminated columns create a tunnel effect.

A $15 million upgrade was completed in 2019 and paid for with tolls.

And the lights help pay for and paint the picture-perfect life for O’Neil.

“And that’s really where I get my fun out of being on the water and meeting new people and taking them to new places,” O’Neil said.

And riding the waves into his next trip.