Captain Derek’s Dolphin Adventure

We saw dolphins playing in the creek before we even got on the boat! The first mate, Buddy, joked, «There’s the dolphins! Tour’s over!» So you’ll definitely see dolphins and you’ll get quite the dolphin education along the way.
The cruise also includes awesome sightseeing. There’s the historical sights: the Cockspur Island Lighthouse, Ft. Pulaski, Tybee Lighthouse and North Beach… and there are also fun modern day sights, like the set built for a new Adam Sandler movie and Sandra Bullock’s house.
They have complimentary sunscreen, if you need it. And they have cold bottles of water for $ 1. You’re also allowed to bring your own drinks and food, though (but no alcohol).
In addition to telling you about dolphins and the history of Savannah and Tybee Island and about movies filmed on the island (our first mate was an extra in «Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter»), they also talk about other fish and wildlife in the area. A giant megalodon tooth found nearby in the river is passed around. It’s pretty cool to hold something in your hands that is millions and millions of years old.
Not a bad way to spend $ 15.

Purpose of the tour… see Dolphins! And we did! Right away there were five or six right by the boat. Loved the stories especially the waving girl of Savannah! Would have personally enjoyed a little more Eco system commentary, but again did not disappoint with the Dolphins. Also first mate, Ashley told some funny (and clean of course) pirate jokes which my 6 year old keeps repeating! They also accommodated our stroller for the baby. Definitely recommend Capt. Derek’s!

Went on the tour in July. The boat has no canopy and it was super hot. We left late even though they tell customers to arrive 15 minutes early — they really need the cash. Tour itself was pretty good. They charge for water and expect a tip.

Crew was great, saw lots of dolphins. Totally worth it.

Great time. Me and the hubs just enjoyed a great 90 minutes with Capt Dereks very nice and informative crew and it was just what we needed. Fresh air, lovely sights and dolphins galore. We recommend!

Dolphins everywhere!!! Must experience!!! Best one in town!!! At Tybee island and very affordable.

It is up to you. You could go with what seems the more professional dolphin tour, Captain Mike and his yellow boats, or go with the underdog, the pirate Captain Derek. Overall the price is no different between the two, and you will see dolphins on both. So the difference is are you a corporate drone or are you a pirate? If you are a pirate, Captain Derek is for you.

This tour was definitely worth the money! I went with family, ages 2 – 40, and this was one of the few things that EVERYONE enjoyed! Capt. Derek seemed very knowledgable and laid back, and he knew exactly when and where to go to see Dolphins. I was amazed at how close they got to the boat, especially when they rode the waves!
I would recommend using the bathroom before arriving. The «bathroom» is a bucket with a toilet seat in a tiny room on the boat. It got the job done, but may not be everyone’s ideal bathroom experience.
I will definitely be coming back next time I visit the beach!

Well done. They knew where to go to find dolphins, and they knew to wait for a container ship to come in to see leaping dolphins. We saw lots. Well worth the reasonable price. The boat we took is nice for its limited purpose – nothing fancy – just benches. We would definitely take the tour again.

Had a great time! The crew were very nice and knowledgable. We saw plenty of dolphins. The pointed out little landmarks and gave some tips about places to go and things to see around the island.
I would strongly recommend putting on sunscreen prior to going out on the boat, as there is only a small covered area. It’s only an hour or so long tour, but bring your own beverages!!! They are also okay with small coolers and alcoholic beverages as well.

We decided late in the afternoon to take a dolphin cruise and were able to make reservations for evening sunset cruise. I am so glad we did– the sunset was so pretty! We saw so many dolphins– we didn’t know where to look first. The tidbits of history we gained on the cruise made it a little more interesting when things were slow. We will do this again when we return for sure! For the money we spent — it was a must do again and again!

This was a fun adventure. We did the night tour and had a blast. Not only did we see a lot of dolphins but we got some great photos of the sunset and of both the Tybee lighthouse and the cockspur lighthouse.
The price was great and the added touches of history were fun.

Would have been better had we viewed more dolphins, the timing was bad. Good price, fun ride and learned a little about the area while out on the boat.

1^st mate was a great tour guide. The boat goes very fast so the dolphins «chased“us. We got a little tour of the area between the two light houses and some history of the area including a little celebrity gossip. Great tour! And cheaper than the others. I would definitely recommend them.

We really enjoyed our dolphin tour, and the narrative provided by the captain. We saw quite a few dolphins playing around the boat, and just enjoyed spending an hour+ out on the water. There was plenty of space to move around on the boat, so you could get a good view. Best $ 15 I’ve spent all week!

We went on the 6:30 tour last night and really enjoyed it. They recommend reservations at this time of year, so we called a few hours ahead. You are supposed to arrive 15 minutes early, then you line up on the dock for a few minutes. As others have mentioned, Derek’s is the smaller of the two dolphin tours in Tybee but this turned out to be a good thing. Because the boat wasn’t as crowded, the 20+ of us were able to move back and forth freely on both sides of the boat. Standing is very easy on the boat; although, it is recommended to hold on when they accelerate. (very similar to standing on a bus/​train) Derek’s boats also have a bathroom onboard. Children have to wear life vests, but thankfully they hold on to the adults’ for them.
We first went to see an old lighthouse, and then quickly found a group of 6+ dolphins within 10 minutes. We went around on the marsh, then out by the island. The dolphins were jumping and frolicking around, but as we soon learned dolphins are very hard to photograph. They jump in and out of the water so fast, plus it’s hard to predict just where they will pop out next. As someone else stated about being disappointed that the trip was only an hour, both companies have this policy. The length of the trip depends entirely on how far they have to drive to find the dolphins. Because they found dolphins so fast on our trip, it turned out to be around an hour also. We thought that an hour seemed like an ample amount of time to be out.
I am very glad we chose Derek’s and would definitely recommend them. Our boat consisted of people of all ages, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

When I was on my honeymoon in Savannah, one of the only things I REALLY wanted to do was go on a dolpin boat tour. Being from New England, I have been on many whale watches in my life, but had never seen a dolphin. I was really excited and researched which were the best and most affordable places to go. We ended up getting a lot of rain the week we were in Savannah, and on the one semi-​nice day, we called up Captain Dereks and were told the only time the boat goes out was at 2pm. We were a little annoyed by that, but booked our reservation anyway. We arrived shortly before two and pulled up a dirt road to a tiny dock filled with old looking fishing boats. I was a little hesitant to board a boat that looked like it could only hold maybe 10 – 15 people. Weird to me. However, once the tour started I forgot my worries. The boatride was smooth and once out on the Atlantic, we truly saw a ton of dolphins. The captain of the boat followed the packs and circled around them in an attempt to get them to follow the boat, and it works! A few dolphins followed our wake and jumped and played in the waves behind the boat. It was awesome! I got some great pictures. My only complaint was that there could have been a touch more narration going on. And also that we were only out on the water for 1 hour even though the website said the tours were an hour and a half. Oh well, it was still great, and we saw a lot of dolphins!

Spent a wonder hour + out on the ocean watching the dolphins play! Loved the fact that the boat was not packed, like the other company leaving from the same dock. This allowed us lots of room to get great views and photos of the dolphins. Also had a great bit of knowledge about the local sights. oh, and great value too!