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All 24 Port Aransas Attractions »

Dolphin Encounters

Deep Sea Headquarters, 416 W. Cotter, Port Aransas, TX
361 779 3188
Ranked #3 of 13 tours in Port Aransas
4.0 of 5 stars 25 Reviews
Type: Tours
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25 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    12
    7
    3
    1
    2
Date Rating
Texas
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 12 April 2012
1
person found this review helpful

Wonderful crew and such a delight for the kids. Great pirate adventure and the 1st mate drug a net and taught the kiddos (and adult kiddos) what the creatures caught in the net were!! Will definately do again and again!! Wonderful dolphin experience as they followed the boat and swam right next to us several times!! More

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See 2 more reviews by TexasRobyn for Port Aransas
New York, NY
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 February 2012
2
people found this review helpful

This is a great tour for kids and adults alike. The staff was very friendly. Tour was an hour and a half and we saw at least 50 dolphins if not more during the tour. They also put out the fishing net and caught some shrimp, crabs and stingrays for the kids to play with on the boat (in a... More

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Houston
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 November 2011
1
person found this review helpful

This was--as most reviewers suggested--a worthwhile experience. We saw plenty of dolphins, though Gary seemed a little disappointed. The sound system could have been better; he was hard to hear at times. Nice boat, and they kept it to a good number to ensure that it wasn't overcrowded. I would recommend it. More

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See 7 more reviews by KLWHouston for Port Aransas
Wichita, Kansas
Reviewer
5 reviews 5 reviews
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 28 September 2011
1
person found this review helpful

My family and I hired Captain Bruce Staffel of the Port Aransas Boatman Private Boat Charters to take us on a dolphin-watching tour. He has a catamaran boat, which was perfect for being up close to the dolphins as they gracefully swam right next to us. We enjoyed Bruce's extensive knowledge of Port A and its history too. A very... More

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See 4 more reviews by Kris K for Port Aransas
dallas texas
Senior Contributor
34 reviews 34 reviews
Reviews in 24 cities Reviews in 24 cities
20 helpful votes 20 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 22 September 2011

We did this Dolphin boat tour with Captains Captains Gary and Sue. This one cost $22 a person and was scheduled through Captain Kelly's Deep Sea Headquarters. . You boarded a small flat bottom boat which also had a small second deck above you. Captain Gary was fabulous. Friendly, funny, knowledgeable. He slowed down anytime he would see dolphins, even... More

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See 2 more reviews by nancyadams for Port Aransas
Leander, Texas
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
13 helpful votes 13 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 29 June 2011
11
people found this review helpful

It was a nice tour, we saw lots of dolphins. I liked the smaller boat...less people...I'm not one for crowds. It started off rough when we were told to arrive 30 minutes early, which we did...and then the cruise started 15 minutes late because they were waiting on more people on the ferry. 45 minutes is a long time to... More

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See 2 more reviews by 2littleones for Port Aransas
Clovis, NM
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 June 2011
4
people found this review helpful

We took our small girls on the dolphin encounter. It was pretty neat. Didn't see a ton of dolphins, but did see some and they were pretty amazing. Not bad priced and had a great time! More

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See 6 more reviews by BarbaraClovisNM for Port Aransas
2 reviews
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 18 June 2011
6
people found this review helpful

I took my children aged 5 to 19. All had a great time being out on the boat. We did see dolphins. The trip could have been much more interesting if it had guided more. The captain/ guide didn't seem very interested in giving more than a few basic facts about the area. When asked questions, he seemed irritated and... More

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Austin, Texas
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 22 May 2011
7
people found this review helpful

Before actually going on this tour, the people I communicated with over the phone were not super friendly or helpful. Beyond that, the tour was fairly enjoyable. Our Captain was friendly, knowledgable, and helpful. Unfortunately, because we went at the 12:30 tour, there were not as many dolphins as we had hoped for. Go in the morning (10:30) if you... More

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See 2 more reviews by CourtneyOh for Port Aransas
Austin, Texas
Senior Contributor
29 reviews 29 reviews
Reviews in 15 cities Reviews in 15 cities
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 12 February 2011
1
person found this review helpful

Its not like you have to ride on this tour to see dolphins in Port A, but it was a lot of fun. The captain was very knowledgable about the area and helped us find all the dolphins. More

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