Loved the sunset dolphin watch tour of the bay. You can bring your own beverages and enjoy a great…read morelittle cruise for a very reasonable price.

We needed to see dolphins and that's exactly what we got (and more). Captain Murphy's Isla Tours is…read morea great activity for fun lovers to do in SPI. It's pretty cheap and you get an hour and a half out on the bay searching for dolphins and taking in the views. Parking is pretty accessible and you ride on Murphy's Law out to the bay. The boat is a bit older but clean and cared for. The captain narrates portions of the cruise to stay interactive but the workers make all the difference. They are extremely friendly and do a great job during the portion where they show off the wildlife they caught earlier that day. One of the biggest pros for us is that they were dog friendly, we couldn't believe it (our dog couldn't either but had a great time). We saw a few pods of dolphins, some in twos, others in fours. They don't stay above the water for long so we recommend being very ready to snap photos as soon as they break the surface. The workers will also go around asking if you would like them to take your photo which is a nice plus as well. Altogether, the experience was very fun. The only slight downside is that the heat really can get to you but prepare accordingly and you should be all set. You can also byob so that's pretty important to note. Definitely a tour we'd recommend checking out if you're in SPI.

Hands down best dolphin tour on the island. Prices were amazing at $16/person for the morning tour…read more Just walk up. First part of the tour they towed in sea creatures to touch and look at: starfish, stingray, blue crab, moon jellies. We saw a dolphin mom and her baby. Saw Starbase. Got to go under the bridge. Headed out closer to the ocean where it's very windy and it gets rough. Saw dolphins feeding on the fish that were hiding in the murky water. Wonderful adventure to do on the island. (Do not try their competitor CM to the right of them. CM said they would text me instructions and address and they didn't. On the morning of the appt I called them 20x for that info and their phone kept hanging up. Then when I got thru they told me the tour was cancelled. It almost ruined our last day's plans.)

Very reasonable pricing at like $20 per person. Staff is great. It's about 3 hours and make sure…read moreyou understand there is no Guarantee that you will see dolphins, so make sure you set expectations ahead of time. You can't bring any disposable drinks etc on board but if you have a reusable container they will let you bring that on board. Depending on time of day and weather I suggest a hat because 3 hours in the sun uncovered is a little rough. We did end up seeing dolphins like the last 30 minutes which was very cool and I just love being on the water so that is always great.

We had a BLAST with SPI Excursions! We did the Dolphin Cruise and learned a lot. It was amazing…read moreseeing them play in their natural habitat. SPI Excursions is a family ran business with experienced captains. We felt completely safe and can't wait to go back. We had so much fun parasailing.

We had such an amazing time on our private dolphin tour! Captain Brady was fantastic ~ so…read moreknowledgeable, friendly, and even had great restaurant recommendations. We especially loved how dog-friendly the experience was; our pup had the best time too! We were able to get incredibly close to the dolphins during their feeding time. We also stopped at a small beach to explore, run around, and collect seashells. The boat was super comfortable, bottled water was provided, and the whole experience felt seamless. Highly recommend this excursion!

We had an amazing time on the Southern Wave sunset cruise in South Padre Island! We went to…read morecelebrate our anniversary, and even though it was cloudy and the sun didn't really make an appearance, it was still such a beautiful and memorable evening. The atmosphere was relaxing, and there was a guy playing guitar and singing, which made the whole experience even better. The dinner was amazing. They started us off with shrimp, then served chicken and beef fajitas, grilled fish, and fruit cups for dessert. Everything was delicious. I also loved that it was BYOB, so we were able to bring our own drinks and enjoy the evening our way. Such a fun and special experience. I would definitely recommend Southern Wave, especially for a celebration or special occasion!

The cruise was relaxing, the meal was fabulous, and the music was enchanting. We were grateful that…read morethe wind and rain from earlier in the day had subsided. Although the clouds blocked the sunset, the idyllic experience was memorable.

Our experience with Breakaway Cruises was terrible and completely unprofessional…read more We arrived at 2:00 PM to schedule and pay for a 4:00 PM jet ski reservation for three jet skis for our group of six. We spent about 20 minutes completing paperwork and talking with Coral, who told us to be back by 3:45 PM. We left to change and returned at 3:35 PM, ready for our ride. Instead, Coral told us the 3:00 PM group had "just arrived late" and we'd now have to wait until 5:00 PM. That's completely unacceptable. Even if her story was true and they really were the 3:00 PM group, they were late. Breakaway Cruises should have canceled or delayed them--not us, who showed up on time and followed every instruction. On top of that, I overheard Coral speaking with the other group, and it didn't sound like they were late at all. It felt more like Breakaway Cruises was overbooking to make extra money and shifting people around to cover it up. I even heard Coral asking another group whether they had evening plans--more evidence of double-booking (her knowing they would make them wait past their scheduled time). We asked Coral to let us go as scheduled or cancel the other party. She claimed to agree with us but did nothing. She refused to let us speak with a manager. Instead, she offered us "inventory" jet skis that had been sitting in storage. Why should we get older, potentially less safe equipment when we did everything right? The other group should have been inconvenienced, not us (that is if they were really "late"). We ultimately left without riding because we didn't feel safe using equipment that might not have been recently serviced. Breakaway Cruises clearly doesn't care about customers' time, safety, or money. They're unethical, careless, and willing to lie or overbook to boost profits. I would absolutely not recommend them.

Customer service here was honestly terrible. The lady working the front kept jumping between…read morecustomers without actually finishing with anyone. It was super disorganized and frustrating. She gave me a form to fill out but it had someone else's full information on it, including their ID. That's a huge privacy issue. I asked when I first got there what the requirements were for riding a jet ski and she told me there were no hidden fees. After waiting around 40 minutes and filling out everything, she suddenly tells us we need a boating permit that costs another 10 to 15 dollars. That should have been mentioned from the start. Overall a really unprofessional experience. I wouldn't come back or recommend this place to anyone.

We did a family vacation to South Padre Island in July 2032 and after calling a number of tours…read morethat were booked that day we were able to get a charter with Captain Red Beards. Captain Brandon was easy to communicate with via text and his pricing was very reasonable for two families (6 guests total). While we had a great time and Captain Brandon was highly informative and made sure our two 5 year olds had a blast, i was VERY disappointed in the boat that we had. On the website the photos show a newer boat with "leather" seats and fancy blue lighting. When we got there there were old lawn chairs/patio furniture for seating. This was definitely not my type of accommodations but we had already promised the kids so I tried to keep an open mind. I'm so glad I did because it really was the highlight of the trip as we got to see a few different dolphins and Brandon was kind enough to provide us with restaurant recommendations (which ended up being awesome) and he let the kids drive the boat. Outside of the old boat with the bootlegged seating, I would recommend Captain Red Beards. (Suggestion: update your website photos so people know what they are getting and they can make a fully informed decision prior to booking).

Fantastic dolphin ride! Saw dolphin, sea turtles, and a stingray. My kids had a blast and even went…read moreswimming in the bay. Captain Red beard was a great host!

What a fun and cute thing to do with your kids. They put on a small show and will have kids partake…read morein the show . The crew members all dress up in full pirate costumes, the one draw back is it feel like a short boat ride . But other than that it's fun and silly fun with your kids.

There are boats that will take you to see dolphins. There are boats that do sunsets cruises. The…read moreBlack Dragon Pirate Ship has pirates, interactive fun, a cannon, music, fun for all ages, sight seeing for dolphins, learning about the island and the sunset. We had so much fun! If you can't handle being picked on, don't go aboard. It's all in good fun. I'd go again. HECK! I'd become a pirate if I lived out there!! If you like pirates, book a trip. It's worth the money.

We originally reserved seats on one of the other trips, but cancelled to go on this tour…read moreinstead--this one was recommended by one of the Sea Turtles Inc. guys. Good choice! We saw so many dolphins, and we're so close to them--one pod swam right up to the bow as soon as we left the docks. The captain knew all the birds and gave us a lot of info about the ecosystem and how humans interact with the coastal plains and marine life. We also went by the breakers to see turtles--apparently that's where this captain and others find and rescue any injured or trapped turtles. Why did we cancel the other reservation for this one? This tour respects the animals--no caged or cooler kept animals passed around like show and tell. This tour is eco friendly. As avid scuba divers, it matters to us that businesses don't abuse animals or natural resources for tourist profit. This is a clean operation that supports and defends the wildlife. Totally worth it--and we saw several pods of dolphins--win, win, win!

For the ultimate birding and dolphin experience pick Fins to Feathers! The captain was super…read moreknowledgeable, friendly, and courteous to people and animals alike! He loaned me his zoom lens so I could get some great shots! We did the 2.5 tour and it was the perfect length of time! He was great with kids and is dog friendly!

Amazing crew on the ThunderBird! Captain Roy and Harley were absolutely attentive and helped every…read moreone as quickly as they could. Great fist time for my kids! Truly enjoyed and will be back! And highly recommend!

Great boat ride! Don't expect to catch fish! Only 2 people on our boat catch fish and they…read morebrought their own poles! Young captain David was nice! His helpers were ok just a little unprofessional cursing

Went for the Sunset Dinner cruise with Ka Motion - start to finish this was a 10/10 experience…read more Gorgeous views, relaxing with plenty of space to stretch out and enjoy the view. The food was absolutely delicious and nice that we could BYOB. The staff was so kind and inviting - looking forward to coming back!

My family and I had booked an excursion that was happening around 10 AM days in advance, but was…read morenotified roughly an hour before the trip that it was canceled. While we knew that this was a possibility, all past sailing charters we have used would have notified us the night prior that our trip was canceled. The terrible lack of notice left us scrambling to find alternatives of which there are numerous options. If you are looking for a cheaper guaranteed charter trip that won't cancel at the very last minute, then it might be worth exploring other options. We will not be back.