The Original Dolphin Watch Tour

You know that old saying, You get what you pay for? It’s true. Basically a nice boat ride for 2 hours and it’s $ 10 per person. You can bring your own drinks and snacks, alcohol too. They do sell sodas, chips and candy on board.
They pack up the boat right but don’t get too upset if you don’t get to sit on top because once at sea all the people shift seating. We sat on bottom at the beginning and had great seats above the last hour.
Will you see Dolphins? Probably but they are animals and not performers. We did in fact see Dolphins several times. The guide talks now and then and gives you info about the island. They play lots of music (they really like Michael Jackson).
The operators were nice. Weather was perfect for February.

I’m from IOWA and came down to Texas for a vacation with my friends in Donna, Tx. This was my first time on the water with a tour. It was THE most AMAZING I’ve ever been a part of. The guys were VERY knowledgeable about each fish, bird or animal we came across. They were some of the most respectful young men I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. The boat was clean and comfortable. Seeing the dolphins in person made me speechless!
I doubt you’ll EVER find more knowledgeable, respectful, and caring guys around!
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND A TRIP WITH THE ORIGINAL DOLPHIN WATCH TOUR… YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!!!

Saw dolphins. Got great SPI views. Perfect day. Brought our own cooler of brews aboard. Full 90 minutes. Loved it!

I am going to be a tougher critic than most. I’ve done a gazillion of these tours in many different places.
PROS
Boat crew was nice.
The guy who did the eco tour portion was knowledgeable and friendly.
The boat was clean.
Price was decent, although there are cheaper places.
You will see lots of dolphins. And pelicans and maybe sea turtles.
If you want snacks, they have them for sale, as well as drinks. But you can bring your own.
CONS
The girls at the ticket counter at Sea Ranch weren’t very friendly or helpful.
They allow a ton of people on the boat. If you are looking for intimate, not your place.
The sound system on the boat isn’t great, you can barely hear what the staff are saying.
They don’t go over safety tips with passengers. I spent half the tour wondering which child I would be diving into the ocean for.
The guys did a good job and I didn’t see one person tip them other than myself.
The ecotour portion is done in a bucket. There are other boats, for example in Port Aransas, that use a trough, so everyone can see everything at the same time. This is the first tour I’ve ever done that used a bucket.
I would recommend if you have kids. Sit downstairs and keep them close to you.

We saw two very large pods of Dolphins! It was amazing! The crew was very informative and let us take pictures and spend a good amount of time watching the Dolphins play. They were very easy to understand and it was definitely worth the time spent on the water.

Went for the first run. Have to say the boat was clean. The crew was informative. We left on time and came back on time. Def. Got to see a bunch of dolphins. Worth the money would do it again

We had a good time. The boat is clean and well maintained. We did the dolphin tour which was at 10:30 am, $ 13 per and is about an hour and a half out and back. They take you out to where the dolphins are and sure enough, there they are frolicking in the sea. They will speed up the boat to get the dolphins to swim alongside the boat. Apparently they get a kick out of riding the wake of the boat. So you can get a very close look at em and some good pics and video. They’ll keep sailing around and you’ll get a few more sightings and then its back to shore in time for lunch. All in all this was a great little experience and even without the dolphin sightings it was cool to go out on a boat for a little ride.

What a wonderful experience! A boat cruise AND an ecological education experience all wrapped into to one? Sign me up!
The reasonably-​priced tour takes you through the beautiful blue waters of the Laguna Madre. Half of the adventure is getting there, but then there’s more. About midway through the trip, the Captain stops the boat in the middle of the water, and the staff scoops up a collection of the marine creatures. You’re then treated to an interactive and very educational show-​and-​tell of the creatures, and if you want, you can pick up some of them, touch them, and pose for pictures. Personally, being the germaphobe that I am, that wasn’t for me, but my boyfriend quite enjoyed it.
The staff then sends the creatures back to the water, and the boat continues on its way. Next stop is to farther waters to see some dolphins! When we got there, the dolphins were a little far, and possibly hard to see for some. But, I came to realize why the Captain chose that spot: everywhere you turned, there was a dolphin! Here a dolphin, there a dolphin, everywhere a– No? Okay. Moving on.
The experience was so lovely, especially if you’ve not seen any dolphins in their natural habitats!
My only complaint? They took us out to REALLY choppy waters on the way back, and it seemed rather pointless to take this route. I took a Dramamine or two before the trip, and it was still pretty rough. Hopefully, they’ve found another return route since I was there last spring.
The whole experience lasts about an hour and a half to two hours, so make sure you allot enough time. Trust me, it’ll be worth it!

Fun time on the sunset cruise. Crew was awesome and we saw several dolphins. 5 star rating because just before we got on the boat one of my daughters became ill. Staff refunded the ticket for her and my husband — wow! Thank you!

This was by far on of the highlights of our week stay at South Padre Island. The price was very reasonable and the scenery was beautiful.
The tour consist of a two or one and a half hour tour in a boat within the Gulf. They release a drag net to the ocean floor for a while and then bring up on the deck a variety of sea organisms.
They then take out each organism one at a time and do a little presentation of facts about each one. The kids and adults loved this part. After returning the Gulf creatures back they continue the tour finding dolphins.
We had a blast ad were very satisfied and would recommend it to anyone. We had so much fun the two hour tour went by super fast.
The only warning I might give is to people who get motion sickness like my wife. There were moments along the tour when the boat rocked back and forth.

After being cancelled last minute 3 times from one of their competitors. We booked a sunset cruise same day with The Original Dolphin Tour. When my husband called, he was told there was a coupon for $ 3 off an adult ticket so we took advantage of the savings. Although, we were determined to go on a dolphin cruise. Once the boat departs you are able to walk around and get closer to the water. My family and I sat in the very front of the boat. We saw plenty of dolphins and enjoyed the ride. It was a first for my kids and they loved it! Would highly recommend! Next time we’ll do an Eco-​tour.

My wife and I came to Padre for the weekend and signed up for the Original Dolphin Watch fireworks cruise. They helped us out by taking payment over the phone since we wouldn’t be on the island in time to purchase them there. Unfortunately, we were not able to make it to the cruise (we were getting married the next morning!), but they were so accommodating and actually refunded our tickets.
Absolutely fantastic service. And we look forward to the Dolphin Watch next time we are in town!

Anyone can buy a boat and take people out to see dolphins. The crew at the Original Dolphin Watch make this much more of an event. I’ve spent the better part of the past seven summers on the island and everyone I have sent there has raved about the experience.

I would give it 5 stars if I was absolutely positive I have the right operation. But I’m pretty sure this was it.
We took their eco-​tour with 4 adults and 7 kids. It was great. (despite the fact that I got seasick when I was on the top level of the boat). We saw dolphins and followed them. We hauled up a bucket of «sea life» and they gave the kids a great demonstration of how to respect sea life. Some of the animals they could touch, others they couldn’t and it was all about how it would affect the animals, not how it would affect us. Also, the «hauling up» was done in a way to respect the animals and return them to the sea without having too negative of an impact on their lives. That was a great way to teach the kids. I was really impressed.
It’s been a year since that visit and the kids (age 6 to 20) have really great memories of it.
Also, I got sunburned and they pointed me to a product (available at all the local surf-​stores) that was the best product I’ve ever used for sunburn. When I find the bottle I brought home I’ll right a review of it somewhere. I wish I’d had it years ago!