2 Hour Dolphin, Birding And Shelling Tour

Amazing tour! Captain jack and the entire crew were amazing! We saw lots of dolphins, got lots of amazing shells and everyone—kids to adults had an amazing time! I couldn’t recommend this tour more.

Booked this tour with the idea that we would have a little shelling excursion included with the sunset. Didn't know if we would be sharing the boat with other people , but the booking agent said there were no others signed up...yet. When we got to meeting place we discovered that we would be having a private tour! Our guide and boat operator was Captain Joe and he turned out to be a wealth of information about the dolphins and various tropical birds we encountered. He also had lots of details about the shallow waterways and history of the area. We spent about a half hour shelling on a remote beach only accessible by boat. Great shelling opportunity! Overall, a perfect experience...beautiful, calm weather and winds plus just enough clouds in the sky to make the sunset interesting.

This was my favorite tour ever! Dolphins, birding, and shelling are all my favorite things and we did all three. Had a blast. Saw tons of dolphins and beautiful birds. We were dropped off on gorgeous beach and found incredible shells. Glen was our guide and he knew the area, the history and the wildlife. Strongly recommend.

Captain Mike and first mate Kim did such an amazing job showing us the beautiful 10,000 islands area of Marco Island! Me and my family had an absolute blast!

Great experience! Captain and co-captain were both knowledgeable and very friendly. We had a great time! Went with family including my 10 year old daughter and they took the time to teach her all about different kinds of shells and gave her some to take home. We saw a bunch of dolphins and the shelling was incredible! I would definitely go back. Highly recommend!

Amazing experience! Well worth it! Would’ve liked more time to shell but the dolphin encounter was awesome! Captain Ed and first mate Kim were great tour guides and knowledgeable. Great price! Would absolutely go again!

Captain Mike and Kim were both amazing and very knowledgeable about the area and wildlife. Would do this again and would absolutely recommend to others. Great shelling, lots of dolphin activity, and an overall wonderful experience with family. ♥️

Mike and Kim were the heart and soul of an absolutely exceptional tour. Their kindness was evident from the start, creating a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere, but it was their profound knowledge that truly captivated us. They didn't just point out shells; they animated the entire area surrounding the beaches. With infectious enthusiasm, they shared the fascinating stories behind each unique find, explaining the creatures that called them home. Their expertise seamlessly expanded to the surrounding dunes and vegetation, turning a simple ride into a rich lesson in local ecology. Without a doubt, this immersive and educational adventure was the highlight of our entire day—an experience we'll cherish and recommend wholeheartedly.

Very informative! The first mate was exceptional! We saw quite a few dolphins! I would definitely go again!

Ray was an amazing guide. He shared awesome facts, made sure we got close ups of dolphins, and made the ride as smooth as possible!

Colt was very informative and a fine host. We enjoyed the visits to the secluded islands to gather shells.

Captain Ed and Jules were fantastic! They made sure we saw dolphins and our dolphins even gave us a show! We saw a manatee and hunted for and dollars. It took about 2 hours and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Would book again.

We had an awesome time. Saw all kinds of birds and the captain explained a lot about the various birds. Then we saw a turtle! And then a manatee and then a dolphin. We watched a large male dolphin hunt and the captain explained how the dolphin goes in circles to stir up the silt so the fish can’t see but the dolphin has echo radar. Then the dolphin slapped his tail- to stun the fish. And then he had his meal. It was very interesting. Then we went to Dickinson island - a huge sand bar and island with nesting birds. There were a LOT of shells and they gave each of us a mesh bag and sent us shelling. We found lots of interesting shells. On the way back, Kim from Marco island tours, showed us all kinds of shells, told us the names and explained interesting facts. I would highly recommend!

We had a fabulous time. Captain Kevin was awesome he found us dolphins manatee and a sea turtle. Kim the first mate was a treasure with tons of knowledge about shells and shared with all of us different treasures and the backgrounds of each shell. Having Kim on board made the trip better than I expected.

Very nice tour. Captain Kevin was very knowledgeable and just fun to be with! Was really great with kids.

It was a beautiful and fun experience. We saw dolphins and there were tons of shells. Our guide was super informative

We have done an amazing tour with the captain and the crew. They are both very considerate and friendly. We have seen birds and Dolphins whitch play rear the boat. The stop at shell's island was very sympathic.

It was amazing. Guides were great, friendly, knowledgeable! Dolphins were so close and we all found amazing shells. This was our second time going, and I would go again!

This was a tremendous experience! Captain Kevin was amazing, explaining fun facts about the area, getting dolphins to follow us, pointing out birds, and showing us where to find sand dollars on the private island. The first mate was also awesome, teaching us about various shells and looking out for dolphins for us. It was a truly awesome experience!! Would definitely recommend!

My wife and I had a great time with captain Ray and 1st mate Kim. They did an excellent job with their knowledge on seeing dolphins and the shelling. It was our first time doing a boat trip like this. I would highly recommend this company Marco Island boat tours. They were very friendly and answered all our questions. Kim was so well versed in her knowledge of all the wildlife we saw and how dolphins are like. 5 star in my book!!! Tim/Maria

This was a great tour. The captain and first mate were excellent and very informative. It was great to see so much wildlife (dolphins, osprey, terns) and despite the fog the sand island was really cool.

We had group of 6 adults and 5 young kids. Perfect length excursion. Great crew put us on dolphins that jumped right next to our boat. Also saw lots of other wildlife and we went home with awesome shells and sand dollars! Highly recommend.

Captain Kevin was fantastic! The highlight of the birds we saw was a roseate spoonbill. We saw a pod of dolphins up close and personal to the boat, and he took us to a great sand bar for shelling. Highly recommend this tour and Captain Kevin.

Captain Ed and Kim were fantastic. Lots of knowledge to pass the time and both clearly enjoy their job and new people. We saw more dolphins than we could count and close enough to touch(we didn’t, state law and such). Shell island was impressive and we found so many unique shells to take home as souvenirs. The trip was worth 2-3 times what we paid and the hospitality was priceless. Thank you very much!

What a fantastic tour!! Friendly, knowledgeable Captain Ed knew just where to take us to see all of our favorite birds!! We saw everything we wanted and more and got some awesome shells!

Our group had a wonderful 2 hour tour filled with lots of dolphin sightings and plenty of time to collect beautiful seashells on the beach. Captain Ed and first mate Kim were extremely knowledgeable and went out of the way to make our tour fun and enjoyable. We had a great time and highly recommend this tour!

Ed and his co captain were incredible and very knowledgeable about the area we were boating in. We highly recommend this tour! The captains got the dolphins to play next to our boat.

The crew was very friendly, knowledgable of local wildlife, and dedicated to making sure we had a good experience. The pilot tried multiple times and locations until we spotted a pod of dolphins, and when we collected shells, he ran down the beach to a spot few people who have made their way to and shared the best shells he found.

Captain Kevin was very knowledgeable about the area . It was a beautiful day as we saw many schools of dolphins around the boat. We were brought to a beautiful white sanded area for shelling where we collected a lot of different shells. Great experience!

The day was spectacular. Our Captain (Kevin) was knowledgeable and relaxed. Riding on the water was great and shelling on the island was fun! The dolphins were being shy and not very playful but we still had the opportunity to see a couple.

The "2 hour" shelling tour got us ~20 minutes of actual time on a beach before the crew was tired of being rained on and forced us to leave. Of course they claimed "passenger safety" as the reason, but we overheard them discussing how much they didn't want to be out in the rain that day. We did get a partial refund, but the memories and experience is what we were after and were cheated out of.

Capt Kevin was very informative and fun guide. He made sure we got to enjoy the things we most wanted to do. We were right next to the dolphins and found more shells than we knew what to do with! Definitely recommend!

We saw lots of dolphins. The captain was very knowledgeable about the area and wildlife. He made my granddaughters Dat when he gave them a sand dollar after they couldn't find one.

Our tour with Captain Kate was the perfect length for a morning out with me and my two young children. We saw birds fishing, dolphins surf our wake, we saw a baby dolphin, and even saw one leap out of the water with excitement! They collected sackfuls of beautiful shells and enjoyed souvenir shopping at the bait shop. Kate was welcoming and informative and great with the kids and we would definitely book another tour if we come to the area again!

Fantastic boat tour this morning with Captain Ed! Visiting from London England so we wanted to see as much floridan nature as possible, the tour certainly exceeded our expectations! Amazing bird life, grazing manatee families and dolphins wave jumping. Quick island stop to look at beautiful shells 🐚 The Marco Island boat tour crew were so knowledgeable and friendly. We saw and learnt alot! What a fab experience. Highly recommend 👌

We had a great time on our tour! Captain Kevin was a great guide! He told us all about the history of the area, about the different species of birds we passed, and he made sure we got up close to the dolphins as they swam. The island he took us to for shelling was beautiful! We found some pretty cool shells, and my son was even able to find 4 sand dollars! It was a great experience overall!

Excellent adventure... ran with the dolphins, went shelling on an island near Marco , visited a rookery and saw manatees... Great captain!

Worth it! Knowledgeable staff. They provided details of what we saw. We saw an Eagle, pelican, and other birds. We saw several dolphin and we were lucky enough to see them leaping out of the water. We stopped on a sand bar and collected lots of flat shells.

The captain of our boat was very knowledgeable and knew how to attract the dolphins to play. My only negative comment is that I wish we had a few more minutes for shelling.

Captain Ed was awesome! So knowledgeable. He made sure we would see dolphins, and we sure did. He knew exactly how to get them to play. Even helped us find shells. So worth it!!

It was so much fun, the tour guide was very knowledgeable and gave us a great experience! We definitely recommend this tour.

Whenever we're on Marco Island (frequently) we always book the two-hour dolphin/shelling/birding tour with Everglades Area Tours. The guides are great and know the area and its wildlife very well. We were lucky to book a tour with our favorite guide, Ed, when we visited in April 2024. There were a lot of people on this tour but it didn't seem crowded. We tried to book near low tide, which is better for birding and shelling, too. We had several very close dolphin encounters, with mature and immature dolphins; very cool. Eventually Ed beached us on Kice Island for birding and shelling. We're really into birding so we were looking forward to this. There were plenty of Black Skimmers, Royal Terns, Least Terns, Black-bellied and Wilson's Plovers, Brown Pelicans (the White Pelicans had all migrated north by this time) and at least one American Avocet. But the coolest thing by far was the immature Northern Gannet that Ed spotted, a bird very seldom seen in SW Florida (or anywhere else in North America besides Maine). I have a poor photo of it taken with my smartphone, but it was unmistakable; like a Brown Pelican with a very different head. Ed and the other guides were all very excited, and I was grateful to be able to add this bird to my life list. Ed is an excellent guide; very aware of the flora and fauna of the area and stand-up guy, too. We very much enjoyed our trip and look forward to the next one. Afterwards, we had our traditional post-trip lunch at Crabby Lady in Goodland, which was also memorable.

We really enjoyed the tour! Our guide was super nice and knowledgeable, and succeeded finding and showing us dolphines, birds of many kinds, manatees. He even managed to make one of the dolphine play with us! It was a wonderful experience, very much recommended!

We had a wonderful experience with Captain Kate. I’ve been on many dolphin tours and this was the best experience I’ve had. They were jumping in the surf behind the boat and it was amazing. My daughter loved the shelling part of the tour as well and collected a lot of pretty shells to bring home. Kate was knowledgeable, friendly and accommodating. She shared a lot of knowledge about the local wildlife, landscape and lunch recommendations. Would definitely go again and would recommend.

Captain Ed was amazing. Great guild. Made it all a good trip Dolphins, birds and the seashells were all beautiful and interesting

We really enjoyed our excursion. The group that was signed up for the the tour was a larger one, so we were put on a smaller 6 person boat - which was great! Our captain/guide was very knowledgeable and shared many interesting facts about the area and it's wildlife. The shelling portion of the tour was really great. Only issue is that our tour was a shorter than expected (perhaps reducing the time we could have spent on the island shelling/swimming) because one group showed up late and we waited over 20 minutes for them. This seems to be happening more and more. Folks show up late, with a story about traffic or a longer wait at the restaurant, don't apologize, and the people that planned accordingly/ left early because there might be traffic have to wait or get their tour shortened.

We had a great tour! Captain Kevin was very nice and knowledgable. We have seen surfing dolphins. The shelling was awesome. The scenery is beautiful. Would definitively do the tour again!

Captains Ed & Ryan found us dolphins to sort with the boat, pointed out a loggerhead turtle, various birds, a red egret, and fed osprey for us for a photo op.

Captain Ed and Maddy were excellent tour guides. Shared great information about dolphins and the area. Highly recommend this tour!