The Dolphin Explorer

June 2026 My husband and I had the best time on the Dolphin Study Eco Tour! We saw 20+ individual dolphins, and at one point we saw about 15 together! The tour guide and captain were knowledgeable, friendly, and happy to answer any questions. I particularly love that the dolphins are in no way tagged or captivated, but instead they are ethically studied and cared for. We also went to a portion of the beach that otherwise would've been difficult to get to, and we found some of the most amazing sea shells. I would highly recommend this tour!

June 2026 Our family has been on other boat tours but Dolphin Explorer was one of the best we have experienced. We especially like that our ticket sales is what supports their efforts to observe and collect data for the dolphins who are in the Marco Island area. We were able to view 37 dolphins on our trip! As we anticipated the sighting, the views of the Marco River are so beautiful. The boat is spacious and clean. We loved the complimentary bags to collect shells and photos. Our guide was very kind, knowledgeable and the kids on board had fun documenting their observations as well, earning a badge at the end. Thank you for a wonderful day trip!

June 2026 A very interesting morning on the water. Thoroughly enjoyed identifying each dolphin that we found along the way. They have catlogued every dolphin in the area, and knew every one of them by name on site! Each of their dorsal fins is unique. Beautiful day on the water, and we left with a photo of the experience to keep. Would definitely recommend this as it is different from any other dolphin & shelling tour. Kids would love matching up the pictures with the named dolfins. A unique, fun experience!

May 2026 We had such a wonderful trip with Captain Eddie and Bob! I was hoping to find something fun and educational for an energetic six-year-old who absolutely loves animals, and this experience could not have been more perfect. She was so excited spotting dolphins and trying to identify each one, and she especially loved watching them dive and play in the wake of the boat. The timing of everything was great — just when she started getting a little restless on the boat, we stopped to walk the beach and look for shells, which she loved just as much. It truly was the perfect outing for our three-generation family, and we made some really special memories together.

May 2026 Excellent knowledge of the wildlife. Both Bob and Captain Eddy ( heck he has a PHD) we're so good with communicating information about all the Dolphins. We saw baby Pelicans, a Manatee, and Osprey. Besides the Dolphins. I would highly recommend this outing. Great for any group. Forgot to mention we have a huge bowl of amazing sea shells!!

April 2026 Exceeded expectations. Watching dolphins catch fish just feet away was great. Clean boat, knowledgeable crew. Fabulous.

April 2026 This is an outstanding trip! 3 hrs of pure joy watching these beautiful mammals in their natural habitat. We saw 13 dolphins 🐬 in total. The team are excellent and very knowledgeable. We finished off with a bit of shelling and it was wonderful. This is definitely something to put on your list of things to do when in SW Florida - you will not be disappointed .

April 2026 Amazing trip. Perfect for entire family. I went with my 80yr old Dad who has Parkinson’s and my very energetic 5yr old son. The boat was comfortable and had maybe 70-80% of seating covered and out of the sun. It was very easy to get up and walk around to view the dolphins when the boat was idle or moving slowly. I think we saw 20 different dolphins (all identified by the marine biologist running the tour). And of course they all came up more than once so there was tons of opportunities to see dolphins. The shelling on tiger tail beach was great too. Bring a bathing suit so you can walk knee deep in the shallow clear waters - this is where we found our best shells. We had a great time. It’s actually a trip I would do again and again because it’s such a cool, unique and educational experience. Definitely a lasting memory for grandkids to have of their grandparents later in life.

April 2026 This is a highly enjoyable boat trip suitable for all ages. We saw 25+ dolphins, and loved watching them playfully swim and jump along side the boat. The trip was 3 hours, including a 20+ minute stop to gather shells along TigerTail beach. The on-board naturalist gave a short history of their Dolphin Study, and each child was given an activities packet to record the dolphins, fish and birds they saw. The naturalist took pictures of the jumping dolphins, and gave one to each group. He also took family group pictures at the beach. It was nice to receive these souvenir pics before we left the boat. We also enjoyed speaking with the boat captain about the waterways and beaches. There were 40 people on our boat, but it did not seem at all crowded, as everyone could easily move about and watch the dolphins. Our group included parents, grandparents, and kids 2, 5 and 7, and everyone had a great time.

April 2026 Excellent, Bob is great with the kids, very educational, Bob answered all questions, reasonable price, would highly recommend