The Dolphin Explorer
MULTI-AWARD WINNING DOLPHIN STUDY / ECOTOUR!
2024 HIGHLIGHTS: 6,316 documented sightings of our 130 resident dolphins, 9 new babies born August thru November, 2 new grandmothers in our society, 2 more awards for our fantastic, well-educated team, and an opportunity to educate more than 10,000 guests from around the world about our dolphins and ecosystem. BOOK YOUR EXCURSION FOR 2025 NOW AND JOIN THE FUN!!!!!
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
Jan 2025 The Dolphin Explorer is a first rate outdoor experience run by passionate professionals who love to share their love & knowledge of the area Dolphins. We enjoyed the trip and highly recommend it as a must do when in Marco Island!
– Trip AdvisorJan 2025 Great trip! Saw A LOT of dolphins (20+)! Driver and guide were VERY knowledgeable and helpful in explaining the life cycle, habitat, diet, etc. They have a great means of identifying each individual animal. A really entertaining and educational tour for our grandchildren (& us)! Well worth it!
– Trip AdvisorJan 2025 This was an amazing trip! We saw so many dolphins and learned so much about them. Each dolphin has a name and history which made it so much fun. We had them jumping in our wake and got to see a few new baby dolphins. Such a personal and awesome experience. The team that took us out was so knowledgeable, friendly and loved what they do. I would recommend this to anyone who goes to Marco for a vacation - young and old. One of the best excursions I have ever been on. Thank you for such wonderful memories!
– Trip AdvisorJan 2025 We have taken this tour many times. Everyone that visits us here on Marco Island, we take on Dolphin Explorer Tour. We have taken the morning and afternoon, and we have seen Dolphins every time. What we enjoy most about this tour is LEARNING about the dolphins and their habits. We highly recommend this tour for everyone that comes to Marco Island
– Troip AdvisorJan 2025 On our first trip to Florida, my cousin and I decided to take The Dolphin Explorer afternoon cruise. We had no idea what to expect, and only hoped we would see a dolphin or two. We saw many dolphins, and got to enjoy watching them swimming alongside, jumping and playing in the wake. It was a fantastic time, allowing us many photo opportunities as well as video capture of the dolphins playing. Highly informative, also; we learned quite a bit about the dolphins in general, as well as quite a bit about each dolphin in general. We would highly recommend this tour. The stop for shelling was a bonus.
– Trip AdvisorJan 2025 We had a great time on the Dolphin Explorer tour. We were a large group of 12 with 7 kids ranging from 3 - 12. The kids really enjoyed the cruise, and the team did a great job finding dolphins and engaging with them in a environmentally responsible manner. They chased the boat and seemed to be having a lot of fun. Highly recommend this experienc
– Trip AdvisorDec 2024 Great trip! We saw dolphins right away and learned a lot! Would definitely go again! We so appreciated the gift of a family photo and a picture of the dolphin (Kaya) !that road the waves by our boat! Already in a frame on the fridge!
– Trip AdvisorDec 2024 In one word - "fantastic". We thoroughly enjoyed the entire 3-hour trip and were blessed by observing the antics of so many dolphins. Jim was an excellent guide/educator - we learned so much. And Eddie was excellent in navigating the Marco River and "plowing" through the water to get the dolphins to play with us. We have lived seasonally on Marco Island for 11 years but had never taken the Dolphin Explorer before. It is a definite "must do" for tourists and others visiting this area of SW Florida
– Trip AdvisorDec 2024 I was totally shocked, had no idea we would see that many dolphins, it was truly an educational experience filled with Dolphins swimming and jumping all around us. The guides were excellent, the knowledge they had to share with all of us was awesome. The book for the kids was excellent, it kept them involved constantly on the adventure, and the badge when they completed it. The pictures were a surprise. I would highly recommend, for all ages. I was glad I ask around myself, and everyone recommended Dolphin Explorer, I definitely see why now.
– Trip AdvisorNov 2024 Our family (grandparents, children ad grandchildren - 4 and 7) had an incredible afternoon on the Dolphin Explorer with Captains Bob and James who were extremely knowledgeable and lots of fun. They were wonderful with the small children and answered a million questions. We saw 9 dolphins in all but the most fun was those that followed the boat and put on quite a show jumping the wake. Captain Bob explained about the dolphins who were feeding along a seawall and remained there generation after generation. The children and adults all enjoyed searching for shells on the stop.
– Trip AdvisorNov 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 Advisor