South Padre Island Dolphin Research & Sealife Nature Center

This is a short review to rave about how cool, informative, and genuinely interesting Capt. George was. His tour was awesome and the attention to detail he has when doing the tours is bar none. If you’re on vacation to SPI and want to dolphin watch, skip the big double decker school trip-​esque boats and go with the more fun, good hearted, and personal experience.

This was the best part of our trip! Got to see lots of Dolphins and they came right to the boat. Loved the tour because it was only 6 people and it was very informative! I’m glad I didn’t go on the big boats

I must if you are in south Padre island. The Dolphins were amazing. Came right up to the boat.

Very small, but essentially free, but please donate! It’s a cute little spot. You can see cool turtles very close up. The have 3 legged turtles with prostheses! So cool!

Looking for a personalized, friendly, knowledgeable dolphin tour? The tour provided by George and Scarlet and their dolphin dog Gorgi are the best. My family of four toured with one other person on board a pontoon boat to see lots of dolphins in the Port Isabel Harbor and Intracoastal Waterway. Fantastic trip! Don’t miss this unique opportunity.

THE NATURE CENTER: The other reviews pretty much describe the experience. The nature center itself is run by donations only so don’t expect a polished museum. It looks like a colorful classroom (a positive for kids) with the names of creatures in each tank, drawings and eco-​information cards on all the creatures. There is a little educational video you can watch also. The cashier is very informative and there are a few touch tanks for the kids (wash hands in buckets first please). As older adults we still enjoyed looking at all the sea life and reading the information cards AND we got to feed the land turtle that was roaming around the place lettuce-​on-​a-​stick which was fun. Scarlet told us they have kind of become a rescue center for other critters people bring in (cats, birds, iguanas, etc) too so obviously they have big hearts for all creatures. There are some birds outside and an iguana too. If I had more money I would give it (like for a few new bathrooms!).
DOLPHIN TOUR: $ 25 per person — call about 7:30 or 8:00 the morning you want to go. Be PREPARED to hop in your car and meet her within the hour. Scarlet and her husband George both take out a boat about 3 times per day. Small boat — pontoon boat — seats 6 — so it is so much better than the big boats. There is a little shade (depending on time of day) in part of the boat but wear sunscreen and a hat. It is a little pricey but you get closer to dolphins with people that know them and the area. We had 2 dolphin dogs on board that were hilarious — alerted us by barking every time a dolphin was spotted. We went early morning which was cooler and with calmer waters. It’s much easier to get a few good pictures if you put your phone on video. June 2015

This review is mainly for the dolphin watch tour. Unlike the big commercial watch tours that has 30+ people on a boat, this tour is much more intimate. We were on a very clean small boat (Comfortable leather seats) and our captain was Scarlett. Scarlett cares about dolphins and we didn’t feel that she was running this just as a business. She spent time talking to us about the dolphins and educating the kids about some sea life. My wife and I had our two kids (7yrs and 4 yrs) on board. They were both provided life jackets by the captain before we took off. The tour itself was outstanding. We saw too many dolphins. They some times come up close to the boat as if they’re coming to say hello to Scarlett their friend. Everyone had a great time. Yes, you pay more money than the big commercial boats, but it’s definitely worth it. Another plus was visiting the nature center for a few minutes while we waited for our tour time. The center is small, but a fun place with some fish, turtles, crabs, etc. Thanks for an amazing time. Will definitely come back.

Went on this tour in January. Very informative and personal. It was funny seeing the big dolphin tour companies trying to follow our little boat around because Dolphin Lady actually knows what she is doing. Worth every penny and is the best activity at SPI.

Such an amazing experience!!! The Dolphins came very close to the boat. So we were able to get some great pictures and video. Scarlet was an excellent guide. She was very knowledgable and made the experience a lot of fun. Being a big dog lover I enjoyed the fact that she brought her dogs along on the boat ride as well! I would highly recommend this tour. Definitely worth the money!

Loved hanging out with Scarlet, George, and Rozzi today! The dolphin tour was simultaneously relaxing and exciting; Scarlet’s boat was very nice, and what was more impressive was her connection with the «tribe» of dolphins that we got to see. You could tell that the dolphins knew and trusted her, which meant that we got to see the babies too!
It was a truly special experience for us in South Padre Island. Affordable and heart-​warming.

Wonderful Dolphin boat tour by a knowledgeable and very nice and fun guide. We saw 12 — 15 dolphins, playing, leaping and riding the front of the shrimp boats! Scarlett was great, worth the money and great information including identifying cool birds for us. Loved it!!!

Do it this way. Forget the big boats. They have no class. This was worth every penny, and then some. Captain Jim was great, and I’m sure Scarlett would be awesome too!!! Scheduling is awkward but fun to book on the fly! We had 30 min notice (which is plenty of time) and only four of us on the boat. Fantastic!!! 5+ stars!

Wonderful dolphin tour! Well spent 25 per person! The woman captain was very knowledgeable, and loved what she did! Rozzi was an unexpected surprise and he was making us all laugh with how he barked at the dolphins! We saw a ton of dolphins and the tour was very intimate and the highlight of our trip!!!

WOW! Scarlet was rude!!! I didn’t even get past the phone call. I called to make a reservation and she cut me off after my 3^rd word saying «i tell you what I tell you what, you can call back later or call and listen to my message because I don’t have time for questions» …well Scarlet, how is one supposed to book a tour??? I’m still laughing at getting caught off guard, it has great reviews. They must be fake???

Intimate dolphin tour. This small boat tour was awesome!!!
We went out with George and saw dolphins right away. We saw a mother and baby and some bottlenose along with others. They had just caught a Sheepshead fish and were playing with it and eating at the surface by the causeway.
George is very knowledgeable of the dolphins, marine life, the bay, and the island. He is super enthusiastic about what he does and makes me jealous that he gets to do what he loves every single day.
Please do not miss the opportunity to share this experience. It was recommend by a local and did not disappoint.

The kids love it here. Suggested donation is $ 3 per person. The touch tank is a unique experience and lots of information. The staff is passionate and informed, the center wants to educate the public about the dangers sea life is put through by humans. The animals are put first here and that means alot to my girls who want to be vets one day. The real attractions is a dolphin tour with Scarlet or her hubby George. It’s $ 25 per person and I have paid it gladly two years in a row. We did a tour on on a double decker boat a few years back and thought waves were fins along with some sea sickness. Scarlett gets you so close to Dolphins she has to tell you not to touch them! She loves them so much. There is a great video at the center that shows how their relationship developed. People say you must call at the certain time but one year we walked up the next Scarlet fit us in. Easy easy and so worth it!

You MUST do the Dolphin tour to fully enjoy this place. This tour is seriously the highlight of my weekend. It is $ 25 per person, 6 person max per boat, I believe they have 6 hours, two tours at 10AM, 11:30 AM and 1:00PM. You have to call on the same day to schedule.
Just a «warning», one the owners, Scarlet (Her husband, George, is the other captain), is a hippie, really fun to be around with, bit crazy, but I adore her.
Rozzi, the dolphin dog, is the star of the boat, he is 12 years old and very active.
The pig, I forgot her name, like to chew on dog’s hair, so if you have a dog that doesn’t like that, you can ask Scarlet to tie the pig up.
The trip is so much fun with Scarlet, Rozzi and the pig. All I know is this, we bumped into one of those big tour boats with like 60 people, and they envy us.
This is a MUST do when you are in SPI.

What a great experience! Had an amazing time. This is my third time here on vacation and can’t believe I haven’t been here. The animals, the stories and the people that run this organization are just fabulous!

Ok. First off, nearly everybody will be tempted to sign up for a larger cruise with 40 other people, where you go out on the water and see dolphins in the distance. Forget that!
Check out this place, instead. 6 people. Small pontoon boat and SCARLETT!
What a hoot! She talks to the dolphins and they endlessly circle, flip, and play. She knows their names… And they react and know her dog! Fantastic trip that will be a highlight of our SPI stay.

For a donation of $ 3 how can you not rate this place at least A-​OK. This place is similar to walking through a pet store… aquariums with fish and reptiles, cages with birds. There are a few cool things to look at though. They have a small octopus which was mesmerizing. They also have a tank of seahorses. And they have some stingray swimming around in a large tank at the entrance.
Obviously the place is set up for young kids. If you are with youngins, this place is a good stop. They have a touch tank where the kids can pick up some harmless sea creatures. As an adult without kids, I was bored with the place in short time, but found no problem donating $ 3 to enter.