The Dolphin Explorer
MULTI-AWARD WINNING DOLPHIN STUDY / ECOTOUR!
Our team has recently documented baby # 8 of this Fall birthing season! Mom Dip gave birth to her second offspring, named Nicks. We still have a few females that might have a calf soon and we are looking diligently! Come on our award winning excursion and meet our resident dolphins! More than 130 identified! BOOK NOW!
Available Tour Times: 9 a.m. & 1 p.m.
Duration: 3 hours
Get to know some of our area dolphins on every trip! Learn their names and who their relatives are as we cruise the waters of Marco Island in search of wildlife on this family-friendly eco-tour. Reservations are highly recommended!
"Passion, Integrity, Education" is our motto. Our beliefs are reflected in our passion to educate!
Join our dolphin research team and get to know the local dolphins on our Marco Island dolphin cruise – both fun and educational! Launched February 1, 2006, the 10,000 Islands Dolphin Project is a long-term study of the abundance, distribution, movement, association patterns, and behavior of bottlenose dolphins of Southwest Florida. Located on Marco Island with close proximity to Naples and the Everglades, we offer a one of a kind tour!
The Project is the only on-going study of wild dolphins in SW Florida and the only one in the United States that engages and is supported by the general public.
Using ‘photo-identification,’ our dolphins are recognized by their dorsal fins which act as their ‘fingerprints.’
You have the opportunity to participate in locating, counting, and confirming of individual dolphin sightings on our exciting Marco Island eco-tour. For more about the study, visit our dolphin survey results.
Rated 5 Stars on TripAdvisor
Nov 2024 It was very fascinating to see the dolphins up close in their natural habitat and also the educational information that our guide provided on the tour. Would highly recommend
– Trip AdvisorNov. 2024 Bob and Captain James were amazing!!! My kids (6 and 9) were both apprehensive about getting on the boat (they’ve never been on a boat before). They took special care to make sure they felt safe and secure. They had a little booklet for the kids, and we saw over 9 different dolphins! When we got off the boat, my son said “this was the best day ever!” And my daughter asked “when can we do this again?
– Trip AdvisorNov.2024 This was fabulous! Super educational and fun! Saw lots of dolphins. Our 8 and 11 year old absolutely loved this. Bob and James were super interactive and answered any questions we had. Shelling was great too! We went in the morning and it was sunny but a bit breezy on the boat so take a light jacket. By the end of the tour it was getting pretty warm, so I am glad we did the morning tour. Plenty of shade though as the boat was mostly covered except the front.
– Trip AdvisorOct 2024 This was our 4th trip on The Dolphin Explorer and it was just as fantastic as the first 3 times. Definitely an awesome trip for the whole family!
– Trip AdvisorOct 2024 It was an amazing tour. Saw lots of dolphins. The crew was extremely informative and kind. Would recommend highly and plan to do it again. Learned alot about the dolphins and the eco system
– Trip AdvisorOct 2024 I can't say enough good about this adventure. We had visited in March, and James shared that babies are typically born in September/October. So we decided to visit Marco Island again so we could hopefully see the babies. And we did! We saw so many dolphins - babies, mothers, grandmothers, and in-betweens. And to see them in their natural setting, swimming, jumping, caring for their young, it's incredible. This is on my "must-do" list for anyone who visits Marco Island.
– Trip AdvisorOct 2024 Best boat trip I’ve been on! If you love dolphins, this is the MOST educational and fun trip there is!! Perfect! We saw so many dolphins and Bob and James could tell us so much about each of them. Wonderful afternoon!!
– Trip AdvisorSEPT 2024. I've been to Marco Island on and off for over 40 years. I officially moved to the island 5 years ago. I'm sad to say I never went on the Dolphin Explorer until now. It was a great and very informative trip. Capt. James and Capt. Bob are the best. They were extremely informative and knowledgeable about all the dolphins. I totally encourage everyone to go at least one time if possible. You won't regret it.
– Trip AdvisorSEPT 2024 We've been on a few dolphin search excursions and we will only take this one in the future. The knowledge that you learn without any invasive tracking makes our heart happy. The others are nice but this one is the best!
– TRIP ADVISOR