Available Tour Times: 9 a.m. & 1 p.m.
Duration: 3 hours
Get up-close and personal with dolphins on every trip! Get to know these marine animals on a first name basis as we cruise the waters of Marco Island in search of wildlife on this family-friendly eco-tour. Reservations are highly recommended!
Discovery, exploration, and adventure aboard The Dolphin Explorer!
Get to know our 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.
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 identified by their dorsal fins which act as their ‘fingerprints.’
You have the opportunity to participate in sighting, 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
The highlight of our trip to Marco Island! Wanting to travel with scientists and/or naturalists, this eco-tour was exactly what we were looking for. Bob gave us much detail about each & every dolphin. We got lucky on a beautiful, sunny day and spotted many playful dolphins. Bob and Eddie are very experienced in finding them and also very knowledgeable about this particular breed of bottlenose dolphin. DO NOT MISS this exceptional 3-hour excursion with a quick 30 minute island stop for some fantastic shelling. January 5, 2019
Kept all of us engaged (kids ages 14, 11 and 8) and learned a lot about local dolphins while spotting quite a few. The Captain was adept at knowing when the dolphins wanted to follow along in the wake and a couple of them provided some out of water acrobatics. Shelling at North End of Tigertail Beach and family photo provided to us were nice touches. January 2019
– Trip AdvisorOur family of 4 (with 2 teenage girls) thoroughly enjoyed this trip! We saw over 15 dolphins, ranging from 15 months old to older adults. They swam right up alongside the boat! Captains Bob and Michael were extremely informative and super friendly. We highly recommend you take this cruise! Date of experience: December 26, 2018
– TRIP ADVISORI have been twice on this tour and would go again - it's a great time for all ages. The tour includes about a 3 hour excursion complete with boat ride and a half hour stop on one of the beaches along the route for a swim or to collect shells. The guides are very knowledgeable and friendly. Both times we saw several kinds of wildlife and more than a dozen dolphins. December 2018
– Trip AdvisorWe have been on many many trips with them and they are without a doubt the best. Captain Bob is knowledgeable funny and friendly. He has an amazing ability to spot the local dolphins from their fins. He takes amazing pictures that you get free. Captain Eddie was also so knowledgeable and friendly. We saw 17 dolphins including moms with babies, beautiful birds and had great shelling on Tigertail Beach. Date of experience: December 25, 2018
– TRIP ADVISORThree hour trip with extremely knowledgable guide! We saw 17 Dolphins and learned so much about dolphins and more. Included a stop to go shelling. Bob took fantastic photos of the dolphins and our family and each group is given the snapshots as the tour wraps up. Water included, but bring snacks or pack a lunch, especially if you have kids. Highly recommend! Date of experience: December 25, 2018
– TRIP ADVISOR