Consisting of two parts, The Dolphin, Birding and Shelling Tour is a wonderful experience for the whole family and a great introduction to the area. First a dolphin tour to search for dolphins and wading birds on a naturalist-led boating tour. Then a shelling tour to explore an uninhabited barrier island. You will learn about island’s beach dynamics and collect some of the wonderful shells on these remote islands.
Wow, it was a wonderful experience, first time in Marco Island. 10 thousand islands is a must, our tour guide was very knowledgeable, he stopped when we were interested to see something, he was friendly and respectful. Watching the dolphins was the cutest thing and he made sure we did took our pictures and videos, he even recommended us the time to take it while he was driving.
Great tour! Saw dolphins, manatees and tons of birds. Shelling was amazing and guide was extremely knowledgeable and so nice!
Captain Joe was great and the tour was just the perfect thing for our one day around the 10 Thousand Islands. It was just four of us on the boat and everyone was nice and the dolphins were SO cool to see up close :)
Love the tour!! Kim and Joe are excellent guides. The shelling is extraordinary. Found my first ever sandollar out in the wild. Bring a hat and sunscreen!!
We had a great dolphin /shelling (40min.) trip but at the end we run out of time on the 2h trip. It felt kind of a hustle. In my opinion the tour should be 30min. longer to have more time to enjoy the few dolphins we sighted.
We were really looking forward to the boat cruise, shelling and seeing dolphins and manatees. What a great experience! Our guide was Captain Mike. He is very knowledgeable about the history of the area, they types of shells and different marine life and birds of the area. I did the cruise with my 2 sisters. We are from up north and rarely get the chance to go on a boat, so this was so much fun for us! I would definitely do this again when we come back! 10 out of 10 stars to you, Captain Mike!
We were with Captain Clay; he was witty, knowledgable, safe, respectful of the area. He interacted well with the kids and we had a fantastic time. Beautiful area and would love to visit again. Gabe, Ashleigh, Preston, and Kennedy
What a great tour!! Kevin U was the best captain! Very knowledgeable, courteous, and fun! We got to see things in the ten thousand islands first hand and the dolphins surfing with us was priceless. Five dolphins behind the boat surfing was amazing. The shelling was great! When we come back we are requesting Captain Kevin! Bring mosquito spray for the wait in the parking lot!!
Ed was awesome! He was very nice and knowledgeable. We had a great time. Saw dolphins, manatees, birds and got some great shells. Would definitely recommend
We were warmly welcomed at our meeting location by Captain Kevin and First Mate Chris. We had a terrific time seeing all the nature and wildlife Capt. Kevin pointed out. There were dolphins, osprey, pelicans and various mangroves. The open boat allowed us to capture many photos. We stopped for 30 minutes at a sandbar to go searching for seashells. Capt. Kevin happily identifiedmany of the shells and answered all our questions. There were only 6 adults and 1 small child on our tour, which made the experience very personalized! We all had a great time. If you have a choice between this tour and another, this is the one you should choose!! This was a 2 hour boat tour. Arriving 30 minutes prior to leaving sped up the check in process so we could all leave on time for the tour. Be sure to bring your own water and a towel.
Wonderful, educational and rewarding excursion with Captain Kevin. Kevin told us about the Osprey that inhabit the Goodland Marina area and how they migrated but will return to the same nest next year. We found a pod of dolphin swimming and enjoyed taking pictures of the dolphins swimming and jumping in the wake of Kevin’s boat. We then went shelling at a quiet island. I was so excited to find a sand dollar! My husband and I enjoyed Kevin’s knowledgeable comments about the homes and eco system that make up Marco Island. We definitely recommend this trip with Kevin when you are on Marco Island
We couldn’t have asked for a better experience on our dolphin, shelling, and birding tour. We took the 8:00 AM trip, and it turned out to be the perfect time for shelling—the beach on the tour was loaded with shells due to a SW wind.The highlight of the day was definitely the wildlife. We were lucky enough to spot a mother and baby dolphin right near the boat; seeing the little one nursing was a once-in-a-lifetime moment. To top it all off, we actually saw a manta ray leap completely out of the water! It was truly a breathtaking, once-in-a-lifetime sight.The crew was top-notch. Our Captain and the guides were incredibly knowledgeable, patiently answering every single question we had about the local ecosystem and the birds we spotted.The shelling lived up to the hype, too! We found some great treasures, and it was a nice touch that we were able to keep our shelling bags as a souvenir. With perfect weather and expert guides, this was a fantastic trip from start to finish. Highly recommended!
Joe was a great guide. He was knowledgeable. Saw dolphins and found lots of shells. It was a wonderful experience
Great tour with Captain Kevin and first mate Jewels. Highly recommended! They are informative. Had Dolphin sightings, great shelling
We booked this tour after scanning the multitude of options, and this tour became the highlight of our week in Marco Island. • Excellent communication from booking through post-tour follow-up. • Honored the time offered, even tho only 2 of us booked it, they just turned it into a private tour for 2! • Good boat safety, comfort, and sailing etiquette. • Listens to what customers are seeking and adapted the tour to give us what we had hoped for. • Above and beyond service and kindness. Our Trip - 11am (low tide) on a week day Two customers (aunt and neice) We wanted to see dolphins and birds, and were partial about the shelling. So Captain Kevin stopped at various bird sightings, and took us to where dolphins usually hang out at low tide. It ended up being phenomenal as a pod of dolphins were showing us ALL their antics. The dolphins do seem familiar with the captains and when he said “come on guys!” and started a wake in the water they were so excited to come play! They got super close before one of the pod who was further back, began breaching (jumping out of the water) and seemed to be calling the ones who had been porpoising behind the boat to go back. Captain Kevin kindly turned the boat around to lead them back to their family and then the pod seemed to set off for their lunch at a sandbar nearby. We went off to a barrier island and got to see Sandpipers and Black Skimmers and picked up a couple of stunning shells, but we wanted to see the dolphins again! Captain Kevin said he was pretty sure we could see them again, and set off back. Sure enough they had just left the sandbar and a couple other boats were enjoying seeing the pod. The three captains set about gently moving with the pod at respectful distances, as we watched a mama dolphin teaching its calf how to porpoise, while the older dolphins darted under and around, popping up very close to the boats to get the free ride on the wake. A pelican flew in to join the entourage, and it was just everything Florida promised to be! Absolutely the highlight of our visit to South West Florida!
Very nice and friendly crew. Seeing the dolphins were amazing. Found lots of cool shells. Reasonable price. Could have been a bit longer. Great amount of people. Best for everyone, maybe not a wheel chair.
We saw tons of dolphins, birds, and found some cool shells. The water was beautiful and it was a good experience.
Knowledgeable captain that maximized the fun and educational factor by telling stories from his experience. Beautiful tour, a very playful dolphin, and some sweet shelling was seen.
Captain Kevin was a wonderful guide, very knowledgeable and great with my kids! Next time we are in Marco we will definitely book again!
Captain Ed was great! The tour hour tour doesn't leave a ton of time for shelling, but it's a great length for kids. We had dolphins playing in our wake twice and they were great with our kids. Really nice time and appreciated the kids rate to make it more affordable for families.
A very enjoyable trip with Captain Ryan who made sure we had a fantastic trip exploring the mangroves, the wildlife and the beautiful 10K islands. Will definitely go back again.
Great experience! It was foggy at our original reservation time but Captain Kevin rebooked us for a later time and Captain Joe and First Mate Jules were amazing hosts. We saw dolphins frolicking in the water between the mangroves. We saw amazing birds and finished our tour with finding sand dollars and seashells on a remote island. 100% recommend!
The tour was less than we expected for the price, and the boat captain was in a big hurry to rush us back to the starting point at 60 mph, while Ignoring our protests
It was a chilly day but Ryan our captain was really great! We had a nice ride to the island and found some amazing shells. We saw a dolphin and he was able to get it to follow our wake for a while.
This was an OUTSTANDING experience. It's 2 hours so not an all day thing. We got the coolest dolphin experience and the shelling was so fun. Our captain did talk, but while enjoying the boat ride it was quiet, just the wind in your hair and the sound of the water! Literally could not have picked a better activity.
Had a fabulous time! Captain Kevin was very knowledgeable about the birds, the area and its history. We saw a pod of 6 dolphins and 4 of them followed our boat and played in the wake for a full 15 minutes. The shelling was great and we found 3 perfect sand dollars. Two hours was the perfect amount of time. Highly recommend.
Very knowledgeable staff Boat captain brought us around to view a few dolphins. Did get to see Knuckles a special one Parking can be an issue
This was a fun educational experience for children and adults. We learned a lot about dolphins and the local birds. Hunting for seashells was fun and relaxing. Great memories were made!
Captain K and Jules were excellent hosts and the birding, shelling, dolphin hunting was phenomenal. A wonderful trip!
Our trip was fabulous and our captain an excellent historian for the local history and wildlife! We found awesome shells and enjoyed the scenery! Highly recommend!
We had a great morning seeing a lot of dolphins playing and swimming around us! We then went to a beach with so many amazing shells! The captains were friendly, knowledgeable, and safe! A great activity for kids and adults!
Outstanding excursion! Well worth it!
Loved seeing the dolphins and the shelling was more than I expected. Would recommend this adventure.
What an amazing day! Captain Mike and First Mate Kim had so much knowledge and safety First for the younger kids on the boat! What A PERFECT dolphin, birding and shelling excursion!! ❤️
Exceeded our expectations! Ed taught us a lot about the are and the wildlife. And the dolphin experience was something we'll remember forever. Priceless!
Ed and Kim are familiar with the dolphins and their behaviors. They added to experience with shell facts/information to make this a learning experience. We appreciated their time.
Small boat with no bathroom do plan accordingly Great trip with very knowledgeable captain and first mate zKim
Very good trip. Thoroughly enjoyed our guide. We took my 10 month old granddaughter, which she loved the boat ride.
The captain and first mate were extremely knowledgeable and very nice. We had an Awesome time on our excursion!
Excellent tour, boat, and guide. Highly recommend.
Our guide, Ryan, was amazing!! Very knowledgeable and skilled, which made us feel comfortable and secure. We had a great time and would recommend it to anyone looking for fun adventures!! Also, the dolphins did not disappoint!! 🐬
Once again we were amazed at the tour run by Bob mcconville and the dolphin boat ride this past Friday, january30th. Our captain , James,and his companion ,naturalist ,Jennifer, led us on the tour and brought so much energy and excitement (and knowledge) that we were super impressed. We have been on several of these tours and this one was the best. We quickly ran into a group of dolphins that Jennifer identified as moms and their sibs and told us how their markings gave them away. Then we went east of the jolly bridge on Marco river and saw some teenager dolphins that hitched a ride onto our waves.How thrilling. We finished our tour shelling on the tip of sand dollar pit and even I an addicted shelter was able to find some rare beauties while my wife found some smaller sand dollars that just washed up. Finally, while boating back to dock at the rose marina, James , our spectacular captain kept us safe from other boats, Jennifer brought out a skull of a dolphin and explained how they breathe,eat,hear and communicate . Enjoy yourself, you can’t go wrong on this one and it’s for a good cause.
A fun experience! We saw several dolphins, some birds and got some cool shells. The guides were knowledgeable and provided a great experience.
Fantastic tour with Captain John! Saw dolphins up close and right on the side of the boat! Captain John was very informative and helpful. Totally recommend this tour!
Captain Glen was great tour guide. He was very knowledgeable and friendly. We all enjoyed the tour so much and would definitely go again.
Good experience with captain Mike. We loved second chance Island and found many great shells.
We had the most joyful half day with this tour during our family trip to Naples. The tour included about 1.5 hour on boat for dolphin watching and half hour on a quiet island for shelling. The boat was not fancy but the tour was really exciting. The smaller boat actually works better to get close to dolphins. We saw 5-6 groups of dolphins, 2 to 6 in a group, young and older ones. You can also see different birds along the way. Shelling on the island is really fun, and we all hoped staying for longer time. Our captain Mike was very experience and led a wonderful tour. Had a really nice meal at the nearby restaurant Crabby Lady after the tour is another surprising bonus.
Captain Glen had just the right amount of interactions with my mom and I! He tailored the experience to what we were interested in. We got to see lots of dolphins and two of them followed us back in to the dock.
Captain Mike was wonderful. We loved the trip. Great wildlife. Great shelling. Coming again with all my guests.
It was the perfect amount of time for an outing with a 10 month old. The Captain and assistant were both very friendly and knowledgeable. It was a great time with lots of shells and great memories!
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