South Padre Island

South Padre Island trip ideas

Private Historical Wildlife and Dolphin Cruise South Padre Island

Name: Private Historical Wildlife and Dolphin Cruise South Padre Island
Brand: SPI Excursions
SKU: 67525P5
Price: 269.00 USD
Rating: 4.5 (52 reviews)

Badge of ExcellenceSouth Padre Island, USA

From $269.00

per group (up to 1)

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

1 hour 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Share the Gulf of Mexico waters with bottlenose dolphins, pelicans, and more on a private 90-minute boat tour from South Padre Island. The 26-foot catamaran has space for up to six passengers, which makes it an ideal experience for families or friend groups. Between wildlife encounters, learn the storied past of the area. Discover the history of the native Karankawa tribe, local shipwrecks, and more.

Enjoy the personalized experience of a private tour
Get up close to bottlenose dolphins in Texas
Take a break from the large tourist crowds
Learn about the history of South Padre Island

What's Included

All taxes, fees
Bottled water
Local professional guide

Food and drinks (available to purchase at departure location)
Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase at departure location)
Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

204 Palm St, South Padre Island, TX 78597, USA
Check in 15 min prior to departure time. Check in location next to Lobo Del Mar Cafe. Look for sign SPI EXCURSIONS

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

SPI Excursions

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
A maximum of 6 people per booking

Most travelers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Operated by SPI Excursions

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

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Q:Is the price per person for the Private Historical Wildlife and Dolphin Cruise South Padre Island?

A:No - the price is per group. Please make one reservation for your total group (up to 6 guests.) Be sure to notate how many people will be joining in the "Special Requirements" box at checkout.

May 2021

Q:What kind of boat is used during the Private Historical Wildlife and Dolphin Cruise South Padre Island?

A:The vessel is a 26 ft Leisure Catamaran with a bimini cover for shade.

May 2021

Q:Are there restrooms available on the boat during the Private Historical Wildlife and Dolphin Cruise South Padre Island?

A:Yes, there is a restroom onboard the catamaran.

May 2021

Q:Can I bring food and/or drinks with me on the Private Historical Wildlife and Dolphin Cruise South Padre Island?

A:Absolutely! Please no glass bottles. You may also purchase food and drink from the on-site restaurant at the departure location. (Restaurant opens at 7 am.)

May 2021

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

52 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 52 reviews

Would recommend

Cathy_H, Apr 2024

Captain Brady was great. Knew lots about the territory. And explained natural weather phenomenons and the effect on fishes and turtles. Saw dolphins. Brady explained the bond between mother and baby dolphins

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Glad you enjoyed your tour with Captain Brady.

Lame

Deborah_O, Mar 2024

First boat trip I ever took where I was given zero safety instructions. As someone who’s been in a boating accident, that was very discerning. We were given minimal amounts of historical information. Boat broke down and there was a giant barge heading straight for us. Trip was cut short pretty much in half by The boat breaking down. Guide was not informative and a little cocky.

Great wildlife !

Pam_A, Nov 2022

Other than the weather we had a great time. Dolphins and pelicans a plenty our capt was knowledgeable about the local history and sites . Got a foggy glimpse of space X. Thank you for a great time.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thank you for the review, hopefully next time we will have better weather.

Awesome tour

Brandy_B, Jul 2022

Awesome tour with a great captain who gave a lot of information about the island. We saw many dolphins, including some baby dolphins.

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Thank you Brandy for the review! So glad you enjoyed our beautiful island and your guide.

Best part of our SPI trip

Gabriela_A, Jul 2022

Beautiful view. Saw many dolphins. Guide was great. Worth every penny. Best memory of our SPI trip. Highly recommended.

Tour Great/Viator Bad

Chris_C, Jul 2022

Tour was awesome - booking through viator was bad. Next time we will cut out the middle man and book directly.

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Awesome! Glad you had a wonderful time. Thank you for the review ❤

We enjoyed the tour with...

Kathy_M, Jun 2022

We enjoyed the tour with Brady as our guide. We were looking for wildlife to photo. He was very knowledgeable as to finding the dolphins and Roseate Spoonbills. Beautiful afternoon on the bayside and a good experience all around. Will do this again.

Amazing!! Saw tons of...

Tabitha_B, May 2022

Amazing!! Saw tons of dolphins and Brady was an Amazing captain we will for sure come back!! Best experience so far!!

Brady and The Eco Tour

Linda_S, Apr 2022

Brady is an excellent boat captain and guide! He was very knowledgeable of water fowl habitat and took us right to an area where multiple dolphin pots were! Excellent excursion!

Amazing Day!

Sheri_Z, Mar 2022

Dolphin excursion was great! Captain Brady was very professional & knowledgeable. We had an amazing experience seeing the dolphins & enjoyed the pleasant ride out to the dolphin site. Thank you, we’ll be back again!

Dolphin Adventure

James_K, Mar 2022

Personalized service in a small boat is the way to go!! Excellent guide with good knowledge of the area

A Bit Disapointing.

Diana_S, Jan 2022

The guide was very nice and answered all questions. Unfortunately, it took us forever to find the dolphins. The biggest surprise was the size of the dolphins. They are very small (not normal size dolphins). It was explained that because they live in the small bay area, their growth is actually stunted. I would not have booked this trip, had I known. I lOVE using Viator and am rarely disapointed. Sadly this excurtion was disappointing and definitely not worth the money.

Response from Host, Feb 2022

Hi Diana, glad your guide was professional and was able to answer all of your questions. I have never thought about customers being disappointed in the size of our dolphins....... Honestly, that's nature and that matter is out of our hands.

Personal Touch experience

Helen_G, Nov 2021

Our guide Brady was knowledgeable and personable. He knew the area and best places to see dolphins and turtles. We had a wonderful time. Thank you

Response from Host, Nov 2021

Captain Brady is really knowledgeable about so many things! I live here and there was stuff I didn't even know. Thank you for joining us :)

Wonderful

Crystal_R, Aug 2021

My husband and I had a wonderful experience. This was my first boat rides d it was amazing. I recommend this to a group of 6 or just you and your spouse.

Response from Host, Sep 2021

Thank you for the review. Our boat holds a total of 6 passengers so if you would like it private, 6 seats would need to be purchased. :)

Incredible experience

Maya, Aug 2021

We had the most amazing experience on this tour. Our tour guide Brady was great and seeing the dolphins up close was incredible. I do plan on booking this trip again when we return to SPI.

Private dolphin tour

Tim, Jul 2021

Brady was an excellent guide. My kids really enjoyed the whole experience. Would highly recommend to anyone.

Response from Host, Jul 2021

Thanks, Time for the review.

Epic experience

Karen_G, Jul 2021

Thank you for a memorable experience me and my family enjoyed seeing the dolphins we will forever remember it!!

Response from Host, Jul 2021

Thank you Karen for joining us! So glad to hear you had a wonderful wildlife cruise 😁

Great time

Lisa_B, Jul 2021

Was a great trip, but be aware there is no binime as described in the what to expect section so be prepared for sun the entire ride

Beautiful tour with our guide Brady

Ray_S, Jul 2021

The most memorable part of the tour was the guide Brady and his knowledge of the island. He made us feel comfortable and showed us around the dolphins, took us near Boca Beach where my children collected several clam shells and then made our afternoon by sharing the local spots to eat, which were on mark. Definitely taking more tours with them and will put a special request for Brady.

Response from Host, Jul 2021

Fun! Sounds like Captain Brady adding in some special time for shelling. Thank you for sharring

We can’t wait to go again!

Mandy_W, Jul 2021

Brady, our tour captain was great! We had the best time! He told us all kinds of interesting things about SPI and knew exactly where to go for the best dolphins experience. There were SO many dolphins that came right up to the boat. We will definitely do this private tour again!

Response from Host, Jul 2021

Captain Brady might just be the dolphin whisperer! LOL Thank you for the review!