Hilton Head Island Dolphin Watching Nature Cruise

Overview

Experience the beauty of low-country on this 90-minute, narrated Dolphin Nature Cruise aboard the Vagabond! Enjoy a live narration by the Vagabond's naturalist captain, and see some of our local Atlantic Bottlenosed Dolphins! Departing from Harbour Town Yacht Basin just below the icon Lighthouse. Best of all, dolphin sightings are guaranteed!

City: Hilton Head Island

Sun 13 Jul

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $42.35

Make a reservation

Sun 13 Jul

Starting at $42.35

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Adult beverages available for purchase

Spectacular views of the low-country

90-minute sightseeing cruise

Views of the Haig Point Lighthouse

Dolphin sightings

Additional Info

Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Specialized infant seats are available
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Subject to favorable weather conditions. If canceled due to poor weather, you will be given the option of an alternative date or full refund final decision on safe cruise conditions are determined by the vessels Captain at departure time of the cruise
There is no charge for an infant 2-under, but a ticket is still needed to account for them

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (354)

dottyeh

Jan 2020

This is a fairly nice way to spend an afternoon in Hilton Head. The cruise is leisurely and leaves the dock at Harbour Town. You will pay $8 per carload to drive into Sea Pines Resort, which is where Harbour Town is located. Sea Pines is a lovely and exclusive part of the island and your $8 only buys you a day pass. If you are already staying in Sea Pines, no extra required. I recommend getting some money’s worth out of the $8 by driving through Sea Pines and out to South Beach, where you can see the fronts of some of the exclusive homes on that beach. Watch out, as the pathways continue throughout Sea Pines and there are many walkers, joggers, and cyclists crossing the small lanes. The boat tour is good. You travel along South Beach on HHI, then get to a place where the islands open up to the Atlantic. There was a definite change in the air and water when we crossed this area—chillier and windier. Then on to Daufuskie Island. Daufuskie can be reached only by air and water. It’s an exclusive residential community. Read about it on Wikipedia before you go so you know what you are looking at. Daufuskie Island is the famous Yamacraw Island of Pat Conroy novels. During the trip, we did see two or three lone dolphins but no pods. The dolphins surfaced and dove several times as our captain held the boat in place. There is some limited indoor seating at the snack bar. There is high-level seating on top, which was rather windy on my trip day. I enjoyed the entire rear (aft) of the boat to myself and was somewhat sheltered from the wind. Warning: A number of people boarded the boat in shorts, flip flops, no jacket, and children without jackets and in shorts. No matter what is happening on land in January, the water is cold and the wind across the water is very cold. Take a jacket/hoodie, hat and some gloves. Wear shoes, not sandals, if you want to be comfortable and not shiver and shake the whole trip. I especially appreciated the information about oyster beds and shrimping in the area.

Linda B

Dec 2019

Captain of the boat was very knowledgeable about the area and history, it was very interesting. He was also very funny which made the trip more fun. We saw lots of dolphins!

PBrt13

Dec 2019

The afternoon dolphin cruise was OK at best. Pretty environment and we did see several dolphins; sightings of course cannot be guaranteed. But the narrative was very casual and not very enlightening; the mate spent much of her time studying her phone; and the boarding gate in the rail was not properly secured so it swung open for awhile, a hazard that went unnoticed. Also the online vessel description said there was indoor bench seating but indoor seating was limited to two 3-person tables and one 2-person bench by the garbage can, not enough on a cold day.