Established in 1999, Encounters With Dolphins has been safely providing guests the opportunity to view dolphins, learn about Clearwater and enjoy the sand and sun on Compass Island and maybe even take a dip on the island! We are a small business founded on the principal of wanting our guests to have the same experiences we would want to have on our own vacation. We’re also proud of the fact that almost all of our staff are either marine biologist, conservationist or experts in marine wildlife. All of us work tirelessly to ensure that all of our customers have an enjoyable and relaxing time with us!
In demand: 68 of the next 180 departures are already sold out.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 7.
Come join us on a fun filled, narrated sightseeing tour of Clearwater’s harbor. Enjoy a relaxing ride while you learn about our abundant wildlife, and view the area’s dolphins in their natural environment. Every trip stops at Compass Island where you can collect shells, swim and the kids can even hunt for treasure! Excursions depart from the Clearwater Beach Marina multiple times every day. Spend an hour and a half to an hour and forty five minutes with our highly trained crew in the Clearwater Harbor on board our brand new 40 foot Coast Guard inspected excursion boat. For twenty to thirty minutes during your trip, the boat will stop at Compass Island where you will have the opportunity to shell hunt through thousands of shells, swim and enjoy the island.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Excurgo comparison of 130 Viator tours, recalculated daily.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Clearwater Encounters with Dolphins Tour lasts about 1h 30min. The itinerary has 1 stop.
Prices start at $36 per person for this Clearwater experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs every day, starting at 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM, 5:00 PM, 6:45 PM, and 7:00 PM.
Children aged 3–11 pay from $24, adults from $36. Infants go free.
It can: 68 of the next 180 departures are already sold out, so booking ahead is a good idea.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
The meeting point is We are at the Clearwater Beach Marina. The check in location is near slip 52, we have a lime green and teal booth with a metal roof. Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.
The experience is available in EN.
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 38 participants.
Specialized infant seats are available
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
We had a wonderful tour this morning on the Encounters with Dolphins boat. We saw dolphins and had a visit to the tiny island. A special thanks to Sierra and Kaitlin who were a wonder captain and first mate. We would highly recommend it.
So glad you had a great trip with us! Thanks for coming!
Amazing experience, the crew are very friendly and we were gifted a wake wave from another boat to encourage the dolphins to give us a show and boy did they!! My first dolphin experience and it did not disappoint
SO happy our crew and the dolphins were able to deliver for your first dolphin experience, how awesome! Thanks for joining us!
We had a great time on our 5 pm departure dolphin excursion. Saw a group of dolphins very quickly and very close. Enjoyed spending some time on the island. Our captain and guide were very friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommend Encounters with Dolphins Tour.
Thank you for joining us and for the great review! Hope to welcome you back on board in the future!
We just finished the 5pm ride with Clint, Caitlin and Sierra and it was the perfect tour. We saw SO MANY dolphins within the first 30 mins. The team was fun, relaxed and personable. Highly recommend!
Sounds like a great trip! Thanks for joining us!
Captain Clint & Kaitlyn were very knowledgeable, nice & interactive with our group ! We enjoyed our boat ride very much.
So happy to hear you had a great trip with us! Thanks for joining!
Encounters with Dolphins was a top-rated dolphin tour on Trip Advisor, so we booked our group of 6 through Trip Advisor, easy-peezy. Parking at the marina this time of year was very easy and the tour group offered a discount code if paying at the keyosk. Check-in was quick then we boarded the boat 10 minutes before departure time. Mikayla and Sienna were fantastic tour guides and we saw quite a few dolphin 'shows'! They stayed in contact with another tour group to be sure we didn't miss any of the dolphins. We arrived at seashell island during high-tide, so the island was very tiny, but plenty of shells to sift through and a nice chance to cool off in the water. I recommend having swim suits on! The ride back to the marina was peaceful and Mikayla told us all about the mansions we rode by. Overall great, relaxing experience!
Thanks for such a thoughtful review, we’re so happy you had a great trip! Thanks for joining us!
Had a great time ,saw a lot of dolphins and a beautiful sunset. Sierra and Clunt were great and friendly.
So happy you had a great trip, thanks for joining us!
Great boat ride even though we didn’t see dolphins. Crew was very nice. Get to come back for free whenever since we didn’t get to see any dolphins. Highly recommend.
Thank you so much for understanding and still leaving an awesome review despite not seeing any dolphins. It’s rare but unfortunately it happens sometimes, which is why we offer the free ride to make sure you get a great trip! I’m wishing the dolphins are plentiful for you next time!
Was a beautiful day for sightseeing on the water and though the guides were great and captain was excellent we didn’t see any dolphins.
We’re so sorry the dolphins weren’t out and about that trip, that’s always a bummer, even for us! While it is very uncommon that we don’t see any, it does happen from time to time unfortunately. But that’s why we offer the free re-ride to make sure we can get you a good sighting. Make sure you utilize that in the future and I hope the dolphins are plentiful for you next time!
Great time and excellent value. Captain Zack and First Mate Kaitlyn were very knowledgeable and did a great job pointing out points of interest and wildlife. We saw manatees and several pods of dolphins. At least 20 to 30 dolphins in total, including a baby. Captain Zack then coordinated with other tour boats and got the dolphins to put on a show. It was unreal.
Woah sounds like an awesome trip with dolphins, manatees & a show! Glad you had a great trip, thanks for joining us!
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearwater Encounters with Dolphins Tour | 1h 30min | 4.8 (2,284) | $36 | |
 Little Toot Dolphin Adventure at Clearwater Beach | 1h 15min | 4.9 (5,880) | $31 | View |
 Guaranteed Dolphin Sighting Tour on Tropics Boat Tours | 1h 30min | 4.5 (992) | $32 | View |
 Mega Bite Dolphin Tour Boat in Clearwater Beach | 1 hour | 4.7 (655) | $28 | View |
 Sea Screamer Clearwater's Only Speed Boat Dolphin Watching | 1 hour | 4.9 (401) | $40 | View |
 !! Flippers Fun Boat !! Dolphin Adventure Clearwater Beach! | 1h 30min–1h 45min | 4.9 (321) | $32 | View |
 Clearwater Beach Private Boat Tours: Islands, Shelling & Dolphins | 4 hours | 5.0 (128) | $600 | View |