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All 132 Hilton Head Attractions »

Island Explorer

101 Marshland Road, Hilton Head, SC 29926
Ranked #5 of 51 tours in Hilton Head
5.0 of 5 stars 171 Reviews
Type: Tours
Owner description: With over 30 years experience in dolphin and nature cruises around Hilton Head Island, Capt. Jim Harkins and Island Explorer offers unique and... more » Owner description: With over 30 years experience in dolphin and nature cruises around Hilton Head Island, Capt. Jim Harkins and Island Explorer offers unique and memorable tours. With both 12-passenger and 6-passenger boats, Island Explorer can accommodate large families or groups and still offer initmate experiences.You may choose a 1-Hour Introductory Tour, a 2-Hour Dolphin and Nature Excursion, or one of our 3-Hour and 3.5-Hour Expeditions. On our popular expedition to "Vanishing Island" you'll view the dolphins, cross the Calibogue Sound, and have the opportunity to disembark on a secluded sandbar to search for sand dollars at the low tide. We offer Lowcountry Backwater tours and even a special Nature Photography tour guided by a professional photographer. Evening Sunset Cruises will bring you to beauty of the Hilton Head sunsets along with scenic views of the marshlands, birds, and dolphins that make the Lowcountry special. During the summer months join us for a Tuesday night Fireworks Cruise. Our captains are experienced, friendly, and informative. Our mid-island location is convenient to every resort on Hilton Head. Parking is always free, and there are no gate fees. Our boats are docked at the popular island restaurant, The Old Oyster Factory Restaurant at 101 Marshland Road. With years of experience on Hilton Head Island and variety of unique cruises, Island Explorer will treat you to a memorable experience for your family or group. « less
Useful Information: Activities for young children, Activities for older children
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171 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    146
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    2
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Date Rating
Murfreesboro, TN
2 reviews
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 28 May 2012 NEW

We had such a great time on the 2 hour Island Explorer Dolphin Tour. I like Captain Dave's relaxed manor. He provided us with lots of information about the island and its inhabitants. We saw many forms of wildlife, including an eret nest way on top of a pole with the baby erets heads peaking out the top. The eco... More

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Farmington, Maine
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 May 2012 NEW

Our family booked a tour with Captain Dave, who is very nice and funny. He talked to us about the area, including the environmental, historical, and consumer histories of Hilton Head and Daufuskie islands. We saw dolphins, and one came up right to the boat. It's as if the dolphin knew Dave. We saw stingrays, egrets, ospreys nesting, herons, and... More

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See 4 more reviews by 1_Picky_Traveler_11 for Hilton Head
South Jersey
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews 9 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 24 May 2012

My husband and I just returned from our own private dolphin cruise with Capt. Dave. We were scheduled to go out yesterday, but they called us in the morning to say they didn't have enough people, so we rescheduled for today, not realizing there was no one else signed up for today either. In any case, they didn't want to... More

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1 review
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 16 May 2012

We had a blast on this tour. There were 12 of us in our group and everyone really enjoyed themselves. We were able to see pods of dolphins the whole ride amongst so much other wildlife. Captain Dave was super friendly and informative. I would reccomend this tour to anyone. It was relaxing, entertaining and simply fun for everybody of... More

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Brockton, Massachusetts, United States
1 review
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 23 April 2012

Capty Dave took our family of 2 adults and 4 kids (8,8,8,10) to Vanishing Island. He is very knowledgeable and personable. Laid back and fun, but also safe. He told us a great deal about the local flora and fauna, the ecosystem, Broad River and Calibogue Sound while on our way. He let kids 'steer' the boat under his watchful... More

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Cincinnati, Ohio
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 18 April 2012

An excellent trip to see dolphins and the vanishing island. Captain Dave was extremely knowledgable about the history of the area and the wildlife (i.e. dolphins, birds, fish etc). It was great fun. Our daughter got to drive the boat twice and she loved it. Plus, it was a great photo op. We were the only group on the vanishing... More

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Philadelphia
1 review
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 17 April 2012

I was on vacation with my 16 year old son who is interested in Photography. The 3 hour tour with Captain John Bracket was the highlight of his trip. We started at 7AM with a magnificent sunrise and then spent the next few hours taking awesome pictures of the scenery, wildlife, and seeing the dolphins within feet of the boat... More

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1 review
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 5 April 2012

While on vacation, we decided to take a one hour boat tour. The tour was a lot offun and we were able to see a lot of dolphins. Our tour guide was very informative, which also added to our great experience. I would definitely recommend this to others.

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Atlanta
Senior Contributor
43 reviews 43 reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
42 helpful votes 42 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 5 April 2012

This was our second time doing a tour with island explorer. We did the three hour vanishing island tour with our 2 kids and it was well worth it. We got to see dolphin and exploring the vanishing island was a fun experience. Highly recommend and bring your sunscreen.

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See 7 more reviews by Egan4569 for Hilton Head
1 review
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 3 April 2012

The Three Hour Beach Combing Tour to Vanishing Island was our favorite activity in Hilton Head! Captain Jimmy was obviously an experienced guide and extremely knowledgable, which made the excursion even more interesting! A local since 1972, he is very passionate about the local eco-system. We saw too many dolphins to count, and Captain Jimmy never hesitated to personalize his... More

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