dolphin tour virginia beach aquarium

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Dolphin Tours & Cruises

Discover Dolphin Tours & Cruises in Virginia Beach. This guide will help you locate a wide range of boat tours and dolphin cruises that are fun and exciting for the whole family. There’s always something new and exciting happening at the beach.

GoKayak! Paddle with a Porpoise!

GoKayak! offers guided kayak nature and dolphin tours from First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach. The First Landing State Park tour launches into beautiful Broad Bay. Guided Kayak Dolphin […]

Surf & Adventure

Surf & Adventure Co. Surf. Paddle. Bike. Explore. Sandbridge is five miles long and less than half a mile wide. This small strip of land separates the Atlantic from Back […]

Virginia Aquarium Boat Tours

As leaders in coastal and marine environmental conservation, research, and preservation, the Virginia Aquarium boat tours bring the ocean to you.

Patriotic Excursions

Enjoy a water tour like only Patriotic Excursions can provide! Experience beautiful Virginia Beach the way it was meant to be seen, from the water. Whether you love military history, […]

Spotting Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins

Here are some tips to spotting dolphins playing and jumping close to the shore in Virginia Beach. Atlantic bottlenose dolphin are most active between 10 am and noon, or especially […]

Live Webcams

Tune into our live webcams and check out the beach activity and weather conditions.

Waterman’s Surfside Grill Boardwalk Webcam

Hampton Inn North Virginia Beach Oceanfront Webcam

Courtyard Virginia Beach Boardwalk Webcam

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The Best of the Bay

Get Up Close on Va. Aquarium’s New Dolphin Tour Boat

This new rigid-hull inflatable tour boat puts you up close with the dolphins. Photo: Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center

If you think it’s a special treat to spot dolphins in the wild, you now have the chance for an even more close-up encounter. The Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach has just added a smaller vessel to their watching fleet, and it’s a big hit. The aquarium has offered dolphin tours for a number of years, but this puts you closer to all the ocean has to offer.

Previously, the aquarium’s dolphin watching tours took place on the Atlantic Explorer . This vessel has restrooms, a snack bar, and even an air conditioned cabin. Trips are a comfortable 90 minutes. The Atlantic Explorer is still operating, if you want to experience the ocean with some creature comforts.   

But if you are up for a little more adventure, the new Atlantic Scout might be the better option. It is a rigid hull inflatable boat designed by Naiad Design of New Zealand. Naiad is known for making high performance Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boats (RHIB)  that are used by tourism, law enforcement, and rescue organizations around the world.  From Naiad Design’s website, “For business and pleasure, for pioneers and professionals, Naiad is for those who operate in the extremes. Naiad handles the ocean like nothing you have ever experienced, which is why rescue and patrol agencies, tour operators, and maritime specialists choose Naiad.”    

The Atlantic Scout is quiet, nimble, and puts you closer to any action in the water. It is a more intimate experience. There is no snack bar, and no air conditioning. But since you are closer to the water, you’ll have a chance to catch a cooling splash. There is a restroom. Led by Rover Cruises, tours last 70 minutes, run every two hours between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and are narrated by aquarium staff. The age limit is 6 and over, and passengers must be able to travel stairs. Tickets are $35.  You can make a reservation at  tickets.virginiaaquarium.com/shows/atlantic%20scout/events .

-Kendall Osborne

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dolphin boat tour - Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center

• United States    
• Virginia (VA)    
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• Virginia Beach - Things to Do    
• Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center

We spend the summer in Virginia Beach, which has an excellent marine science center, so we didn’t... read more

The Aquarium is interesting for adults and children with well-presented exhibits of sharks... read more

dolphin boat tour

Went went a dolphin boat tour via the Virginia aquarium, had a great time. was able to see some dolphins, sting ray and the aquarium rescue/ help a dolphin that was tangled. It was a very enjoyable time, highly recommended on a hot day the ocean wind is great.

My boys (ages 5 & 7) loved the aquarium! The first building was awesome, so much to see and very educational at the same time. The 3D National Geographic Theater was fun and worth the extra $5 (I think). The second building was just okay. All in all a good trip!

We visited with young children when the poor weather kept us from the beach. The aquarium has many exhibits, including our favorite fish, the shark; a movie theater; and a fairly long nature trail. Many of the exhibits were interactive, which pleased our five year-old.

My 4 year-old had that priceless look of amazement and wonder on his face that you never forget as a parent. Spectacular time!

We enjoyed our Dolphin Boat Tour. Everyone was very nice and the crew members were fun and knowledgeable. We saw several dolphins with their babies. It was a nice way to end our stay.

Nice combination of indoor and outdoor attractions. The overhead aquarium was beautiful. The cafe was clean, but highly overpriced. IMax movies are great!

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Whale Watching Virginia Beach  

We like to think that whales enjoy hanging out in our waters during the cooler seasons because it’s their home away from home. When the chill of the polar regions, where they spend a majority of their time during the remaining months of the year, gets to be too much to bear, they come visit us - and who can blame them? You can join in on the fun on one of the many whale-watching cruises offering opportunities to see these magnificent creatures first-hand. You never know what you might see, so make sure that your camera is always ready!

Because whales migrate based on water and air temperatures, it’s difficult to determine the best time for whale-watching. While the prime months for sightings are typically January and February, whales have been spotted in large numbers as early as December. Give the Virginia Aquarium  or Rudee Tours  a call to see if they’ve spotted any whales yet. It’s true that if they’ve already been spotted for the season, you’re more likely to see them on an excursion – they like to hang around with each other!

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