Oct 3, 2024
Great experience for the whole family! - Best boat tour we have been on!
Very family friendly. We are visiting Marco with our 2 young kids for a family vacation. We saw so much wildlife and the island was filled with beautiful seashells! We even got to see a small octopus! The dolphins were so close. They caught a ride in the boats wake, and jumped a few times for us. The whole family loved it and it was just the right amount of time! Highly recommend this tour!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 22, 2024
Very knowledgeable, easygoing, and safe tour. Will definitely choose them again. - Stop looking. This is the tour you want.
We had a great tour with Captain RJ and Caitlyn. Both are so insanely knowledgeable of the water, the ecosystem, as well as the birds and animals you will encounter.
I'm a native Floridian, I live in Naples, so I already know a lot about the area and the animals/birds that live here. That's why I think this would be a FANTASTIC trip for anyone who isn't as familiar with the region. One of the things I really enjoyed was the fact that Captain RJ and Caitlyn *also* know about many of the individual dolphins you'll find along the route (especially near Helen's Key). Not just the species in general (which they know), but they're able to identify many of the actual individual dolphins based on the dorsal fin. It appears that all of the captains back here all know about them, and they can tell if they've not seen one for awhile, or if one shows up and there's now a calf in tow. We saw quite a few dolphins, including calves. One was so young that you could still the stripes that calves have when they are born. I think Captain RJ estimated this one to be about three weeks old. I have a feeling that RJ and Caitlyn are Florida Master Naturalists; if they're not, they could be with all of the information they give you.
We stopped at Dickman's Island for shelling. Easily picked up many conchs, pear and lightning whelks, tulips, sunray venus, olives, augers, a shark's eye, one alphabet cone, and two different kind of murex. I've never picked up two perfect murex before.
Piloted through Caxambas Pass and looked at where the high water mark was from Hurricane Ian at the Belize at Cape Marco condos at the southern tip of Marco Island. Even if you lived here during Ian (I did), it's still just unreal to see where the water hit certain places.
We saw a lot of spectacular birds on the way out and back, including some Roseate Spoonbills.
I felt very safe with Captain RJ. It's important that you have someone who knows the waters, who know the area, and understands how quickly things can change. Our weather was great, but I have no doubt that if the weather had changed while we were out, we were in very capable hands.
We look forward to doing the jetski tour with our college-age son at some point in the future. Very glad we chose this tour operator.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 14, 2024
Vacation - Our tour guide Colleen was so knowledgeable and friendly. She knew every shell and all the history. The reservation was easy and location was good
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 12, 2024
Fabulous Tour with Captain Colleen! - Outstanding!! Captain Colleen was awesome - so knowledgeable and fun to be with. She is expert in her navigation of the water, marine life, and shells, shells, shells! Learning about the dolphins, birds, mangrove trees, history of the islands, preservation and ecosystem... it was fantastic! Thank you for a truly special adventure!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 11, 2024
Highly recommend - We had such a great time on the Kayak tour we called for this tour. The owner called us back immediately to ensure we had our reservation.
RJ was a great tour! He was knowledgeable about the area and dolphins. We saw and safely followed so many dolphins. It was such a fun tour. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 1, 2024
Amazing Adventure! - This was such a fun adventure! We saw lots of wildlife, and the dolphins following the boat were truly a treat. Shelling on Dickman’s Island was quite impressive!! We didn’t expect to find so many different kinds of shells. The guides, Colleen and Katie, were knowledgeable and very friendly! Definitely worth your time and money to go on this trip.
Review provided by Viator
Sep 1, 2024
A very relaxing way to spend a couple hours - My wife and I signed up for this tour, we were looking for a relaxing way to spend a couple (morning) hours and being on the water was perfect. Considering we went during the offseason, (read: Very HOT/HUMID) we ended up with a private tour and so we spent a little extra time on the water. Our guide was very personable, knowledgeable and made us feel completely safe on the boat. They pack extra (free) water which was a nice perk. We saw many dolphins, manatee and got up close to the mangroves. The tour stopped on a beautiful sand bar and we picked up a few shells and then made our way back. We highly recommend this company and would easily sign up again. If you're looking to get away (12min drive) from the commercialized hustle-bustle of Marco Island and want see the area (and the everglades) from a different perspective, this is the way. Loved it. @FLA_ADV #FLA_ADV
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aug 21, 2024
Great Anniversary trip! - This was a fantastic boat ride through the 10,000 islands! We had a great captain. She was so informative and helpful. We loved the shelling. This was something we had never done before. It was a great time and we'll worth the price!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aug 18, 2024
Not Your Typical Tourist Boat Tour - Initially I thought it was going to be cheesy tourist thing to do but it turned out to be a wonderful time. There were 5 of us on the boat and our guide, Colleen, knew her stuff. She was very personable and incredibly knowledgeable. We saw dolphins, manatees, sting rays and a ton of birds. Our guide knew how to interact with the dolphins, she got a small pod to chase our boat which was exciting. We stopped at a small island and my wife collected 2 bags of shells. We gave the tour and Collen 5 stars. Thank you, Collen and Maria, for making it a fantastic outing! We will do it again.
Dale & Michele
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aug 17, 2024
Awesome morning on the water! - Great trip. Captain Marco was awesome, very informative and friendly. We found shells and tons of dolphins and a manatee.
Review provided by Viator