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Island Explorer

101 Marshland Road, Hilton Head, SC 29926
843-785-2100
Website
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Ranked #10 of 96 activities in Hilton Head
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 older children, Activities for young children
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227 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    193
    21
    9
    3
    1
Date Rating
Chicago, Illinois
Contributor
13 reviews 13 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 20, 2013 NEW

We had a great trip with Island Explorer. We did a late afternoon trip to Vanishing Island. Total trip was about three hours. The skipper had some interesting tidbits about the Island and the wildlife we would see for the trip. Speaking of wildlife, we saw dolphins, a shark and plenty of birds. Weather conditions included some high winds which... More

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See 4 more reviews by srussell71 for Hilton Head
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
5 attraction reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed April 29, 2013

This was a spur of the moment decision to do a Dolphin Cruise; we had originally planned to spend the day in Savannah but had car trouble that required us to leave our vehicle at the dealer who was kind enough to give us a loaner but with mileage limitations. My wife found Island Explorer on Trip Advisor and called... More

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See 3 more reviews by Patrick S for Hilton Head
connecticut
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews 9 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed April 19, 2013

We had a special 2 hour ride with Captain Kathy and Joe around the beautiful waters of Hilton Head. Kathy was so well informed, and catered the trip to meet our families needs. I have 3 small boys. She was very hands on, and kept them interested. Our oldest was able to steer the boat, and my youngest, at 4,... More

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Schoolcraft, Michigan
1 review
5 of 5 stars Reviewed April 16, 2013

We were booked for a boat trip well in advance of knowing the tide conditions (and had a limited time schedule), so when the low tide vanishing island trip was not an option, Kathy was great (and very personable) about helping us find an alternate experience. We took the 3-hour low country boat trip with Captain Jim who was super... More

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Minneapolis, Minnesota
Senior Contributor
40 reviews 40 reviews
19 attraction reviews
Reviews in 17 cities Reviews in 17 cities
18 helpful votes 18 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed April 6, 2013

It was so fun to see dolphins out in their natural habitat. I'm not an advocate of dolphins in captivity after seeing the movie "The Cove" so this was the perfect tour. It was a super chilly and windy day but Captain Jim gave us blankets and we got through it. We had booked a month in advance and didn't... More

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See 6 more reviews by Luv2trvl41 for Hilton Head
Minneapolis
Senior Contributor
35 reviews 35 reviews
7 attraction reviews
Reviews in 19 cities Reviews in 19 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed April 4, 2013

Our family of four took a two-hour dolphin cruise with Captain Sam. He was very nice, knowledgeable and our kids (10 and 6) had a wonderful time. We had hoped to see more dolphins, but a storm was coming in and water was choppy. Highly recommended!

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See 6 more reviews by jlf2349 for Hilton Head
Chicago, Illinois
Contributor
13 reviews 13 reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed March 31, 2013

We went out last June (2012) with Captain Dave. He was an awesome tour guide! Not only was he personable and great with our kids, he was patient and wanted to make sure our experience was enjoyable! The other great thing that I noticed was he made you feel like this was his first excursion too - he didn't seem... More

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Traverse City, Michigan
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed March 29, 2013

We went out with Captain Kathy on a cool March day. She took us through many types of waterways and knew so much about them. I have never seen such oyster beds. They became visible as the tide went out. Kathy knew a lot about them and about the landmarks on the island. The dolphins were absolutely amazing. They played... More

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Chicago, Illinois
1 review
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed March 15, 2013

My sister and I took a tour in early February this year and were not sure what to expect. It's typically not the most popular time to see dolphins in this area. However, Captain Dave was amazing! We not only saw many dolphins, but because it was a slow time of year and we were the only ones on the... More

Was this review helpful? Yes 1
Cleveland, Ohio
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
3 attraction reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
2 of 5 stars Reviewed March 11, 2013

We have not actually been on the island explorer adventure yet! But we have been trying to book it since mid-January. I have talked to Kate on several occasions. She was to call us end of February or early march when that didn't happen I decided to call again. I got the voicemail for 3 days in a row, then... More

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See 3 more reviews by Lori2424 for Hilton Head
dolphins4u2, Front Office Manager at Island Explorer, responded to this review
March 15, 2013

Dear Lori, First allow me to sincerely apologize for any frustration or upset. My job at Island Explorer is solely communications and bookings, and I do take it extremely personally when I have a customer who is unhappy. I strive for customer excellence. I am human and acknowledge that I unfortunately do make errors. I always feel that given the... More

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