After reading all the great reviews here (plus a solid tip from a local vendor who is friends with one of the captains) we KNEW this a must see item. You have your choice of three trips:. 60 minutes, 90 minutes, or 2 hours. We opted for the two trip. We left South Beach Marina at approximately 4:15 in the afternoon with Captain SCOTT. Captain Scott did an outstanding job of not only getting us to the right spots, but he was extremely informative on anything and everything pertinent to our trip and Hilton Head in general. You could not ask for a better guide. Captain Scott took the 5 of us (the max is 6) first to a sand bar to search for shells and sand dollars and such. He drops you off and gives you about 45 minutes to wander about. I'm guessing between my wife and the other 3 ladies on the boat they collected at least 50-60 sand dollars. (If that's what you're in to.) Next we cruise out to see the dolphins. There was an abundance of these dolphins swimming in pods. Captain Scott did an awesome job discussing all types of interesting tidbits about the dolphins. Very interesting. We even saw a very, very large leatherback turtle. Supposedly this very rare sighting. But you see plenty of dolphins! Lastly we cruised to a little inlet/river area where the eco system is vastly different than the ocean. You are more likely to see more birds here and maybe dolphins. We did not see any dolphins here. Oh well. It was a great trip. Captain Scott was a super guide. read more

Booked the two hour excursion to see dolphins and explore an exposed sandbar. Our captain was Todd and he was fantastic. He was both knowledgeable and professional. The day we went out or evening rather (5:30-7:30) the sea was quite choppy and we got thrown around quite a bit. Todd said that the water was abnormally choppy. The boat itself is a little rubber boat with 95hp motor. We had a single seat on board and everyone else was to sit on the side of the boat and hold on to the attached rope. I have seen some reviews complaining about this feature. Well let me tell you I absolutely loved it. It was a small adventure being tossed around, something I needed in our vacation. Now unfortunately we didn't see any dolphins on this excursion, but getting to the sandbar to explore and walk around was great. We got to see some different sea life and collect some shells. I even had cell phone coverage out there, just unbelievable, got some great pictures with the wife. I would definitely recommend and hopefully someday when we return to Hilton Head we can meet up with captain Todd and do t again! 5 stars!! read more

Took the 2 hour Salt Marsh Discovery tour at 10am with Captain Leilani. It was amazing and I'm so glad I booked this particular company. We saw so many dolphins and Shell Island was beautiful. However it was Captain Leilani that made the experience so wonderful. She really knows Hilton Head, both past and present. She also told us a lot about the wildlife. She was also a big help in keeping my kids entertained, since I was there with them by myself. I'm so glad I went with Commander Zodiac for this experience over other companies, since we were able to tailor the time spent to what we wanted to do and were interested in. And traveling on this type of boat was an experience in and of itself. This is a must do experience for anyone on Hilton Head Island. read more

We wanted to see some dolphins and Captain Scott did not disappoint! He took us to not one but two different pods, then let us walk along a very thin, soft beach strand where we found horseshoe crab shells and all sorts of interesting "nature". He also gave us lots of commentary on the islands, history, other places we might want to go check out, and even restaurant recommendations. This is a great option for someone who wants to get up close with the wildlife but can't handle a kayak or other physically demanding craft, or just wants to keep the whole group together. Oh and when we returned to the dock we saw another dolphin, got all excited, and the captain just casually said "oh yeah that's Gary" like it's normal. Really fun afternoon. read more

Highly recommend! Our tour guide Graham was great! My husband and I and our two young kids (ages 3 & 4) signed up for the Sandbar/Dolphin adventure. The tides didn't allow us to see the sandbar but Graham knew of plenty of other things we could see. We saw a shrimp boat and a ton of dolphins, close enough to practically touch! If that wasn't enough Graham introduced us to strand feeding. We saw a group of dolphins do this 3 times! This is very rare and was a special treat (google it!). We were able to get off the boat and collect oyster shells. It was perfect to be able to go at our own pace, especially with young kids. This tour was by far the highlight of our trip to Hilton Head! Big thanks to Graham and Commander Zodiac!! read more

We have historically used Commander Zodiac throughout the years for water sports and dolphin tours via South Beach Marina and they did not disappoint in this new location--which is much easier to get to if you're coming from the mainland (we came from Bluffton area). We enjoy the small private size tours on the zodiac boats for a more personalized and less commercialized experience. The captains are always knowledgeable about all things specific to HHI and how to respectfully navigate through the waters and wildlife habitats. Graham was also very patient and encouraging with our 6 and 4 year old when it came to asking questions and sharing fun facts. We highly recommend! read more

I absolutely loved this! My cute little sister is terrified of the ocean but had a great time. Tom, our captain, was super chill and knowledgeable. As the idiot tourists we are, we forgot to bring proper clothes, and Tom let us use a few of his. We got right up to the dolphins, and a few swam under our boat!!! The boat was super fast, and the wind wasn't even bothersome. We passed by some cute little dolphins later on, and they started slapping their tails in the water. We saw a cool dolphin statue and yelled "look at the dolphin!" So some guy on the dock yelled back "where?!" So my dad yelled "on your lawn!" All in all, this was an excellent trip, well worth the money. read more

Captain Todd was outstanding. We booked a day earlier for the last tour of the following day. We have been doing this tour every year for at least the last 6-7 years when we come down. We don't go to HHI without it. We even did a tour one year after we packed and checked out and we're headed home. This year was no exception. Great tour. He put us on the dolphins fast. Got to see them feeding and playing around. He even found us a Bald Eagle! He was very knowledgeable about the area and nature. My kids had lots of questions and he was patient and understanding with each one of them. Looking forward to our next tour. read more

Great experience! Our 5 grandkids (on 2 boats) ages 6-11, were a little unsure about what it would be like, but fell in love with going fast across the water! They were excited to see the dolphins (we saw 15 or 20 total in the 2 hours). The adult parents and grandparents loved being out on the water. Our captains, Mark and Scott, were great, full of info facts and funny. One of grandkids had an ongoing humorous repartee with Captain Mark. They loved Shell Island-the 7 year old filled his cap up with shells and proclaimed it awesome! Would definitely like to try the disappearing island-was sold out all week when we were there! read more

This was one of the most fun things we have ever done on vacation! We are a family with several young kids, and Captain Emmett was great with them. We took the "Disappering Dafuskie Sandbar Tour". Emmett took us to the sandbar for about an hour and then cruised some creeks and checked out local grasses and birds. We went out on a small boat and it was just our family, which made the experience very special. We went fast across open areas of water and our kids loved it! Emmett was an awesome tour guide and I can not stress enough how great this experience was. If you have kids aged 4+ don't hesitate to book this expedition. read more

Commander Zodiac's tours are my favorite part of visiting Hilton Head Island every year. The guides are knowledgeable (and they seem to have AMAZING retention -- we've been with the same captains many times over the years), fun, and experienced. I learn something new every time we go out, and I've seen such beautiful wildlife every time -- dolphins, birds, a sea turtle. The journey is always awe-inspiring. I'm also impressed by the communication and customer service. When the winds were picking up, I received a call with lots of good information about our options. We were greeted with such kindness and helpfulness. read more

This is a fantastic idea for anyone with little kids especially if you are staying in sea pines! Cost is about the same as the slow boats that eat up 3 hours of your day. This team gets you right out fast and works with their other boats to know right where the sea life (mostly dolphins) are. Very knowledgeable staff. Recommend tour guide scott. Knew a lot about the sea life and coast but also the island's history and dafuske's. My girls, 2 and 5, and the adults, 30s and 60s, loved it! Will do it again next year. Left on time, got back on time, and tailored the trip to the customers. read more

Captain Tom was amazing and the whole experience is unique and a must do! We saw tons of dolphins, even a baby one with its mother, was chased by a devil ray, and got to beach it at oyster shell island where you are standing on only oyster shells! I have so many incredible photos and videos. Riding closer to the water level on the zodiac with just our family made the trio that much better because the dolphins are so close to you. My 4 year old did the 2.5 hour tour great and we were all talking about this tour days after it happened. It is unforgettable! read more

We had a great time with Captain Graham. We booked a 2 hour tour and were only able to do a 1 hour tour because of a storm that came in, but Captain Graham let us make the most of it by taking us to the sandbar and making sure we got to see a few dolphins. He let us take our time, making sure each of us saw them as the rain starting coming down before we headed in. And we got a refund for the hour that we weren't able to complete. We had so much fun! I would definitely do it again and I will soon!! Thank you Captain Graham for a fun experience! read more

This was our first trip with Commander Zodiac and we loved it! Everyone was helpful and friendly. I LOVED the private boat! I love that just our family was on the boat so you don't lose that personal quality. We did the nature tour and had the perfect afternoon seeing dolphins, learning about the marine life from Graham, who was very knowledgable, and exploring the marsh and beach. Learned lots about the different locations on the island. A great way to see the island from a different perspective. We will definitely use them again! read more

Highlight of our trip! Graham was very knowledgeable and luck was on our side as we saw 6 different strand feedings which is rare to see apparently. The Zodiac was a fun and safe ride and the captains communicate with each other if there is a good sighting which is nice. Much better choice than a large boat. The zodiac gives you a personal tour with your group up to 6 and we choose to do the 90 minute salt marsh tour which turned out to be perfect choice that day with the dolphins strand feeding. Well worth the money. read more

Well, I know that they can't control the dolphins but we had the most amazing experience! We witnessed strand fishing from the dolphins 3 times. A thrill none of us will soon forget. I failed to mention that the captain of the adventure was James. He was informative, patient and very friendly. We were all very comfortable on the boat which at times was bumpy but so much fun. I would say that as a family James gave us the best adventure of our trip. Kudos to James for finding the dolphins that day! read more

We have used Commander Zodiac many times over the years and they never disappoint. We chose an evening tour to catch the sunset and it was a fantastic night on the water. Captain Mark was very knowledgeable and had lots of great insights into the area. His stories were fun to listen to and he engaged our entire family in conversation. The dolphins were showing off, which always makes the tour more exciting. The staff is always very friendly and welcoming. We highly recommend Commander Zodiac. read more

What a great trip! We did the "disappearing island" trip. Cap'n Todd was incredible and passionate about his role in educating us all. Saw tons of starfish, crab on the island, he went out of his way for us to see 4 different "strand fishing" events, when sets of dolphins corral fish together up on land and the flop themselves on land and feed. I have video Nat geo would love to have! A great trip, a great company, but Cap'n Todd made it exciting, fun and way beyond just a trip out to the water. read more