Where to Go: the 10 Best Brisbane Dolphin Watching Tours

1.Tangalooma Snorkeling Tour & Dolphin Feeding

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 216 reviews · 1 day · from $172Our pick

Spend a full day at Tangalooma Island Resort with a 75-minute ferry ride from Brisbane, a guided snorkel at the 15-vessel wreck site, lunch, pools, and sunset dolphin feeding. Guides such as Charlotte, James, Ivy, and Jess have been praised for patient instruction, though snorkel time is limited to about 30 to 35 minutes.

“Overall we had a great trip to Moreton Island! The ferry ran smoothly and there was a member of the team to meet us the other end. Everything was well run and the island itself was beautiful with lots of activities to choose from. The snorkelling was the only negative, which was a shame as there was so much potential. We arrived to the snorkel area on time, but had to wait for around an hour for other people to arrive and get ready. We were split into smaller groups, and unfortunately most of our group couldn't swim! They were screaming for most of the snorkelling time and the guide…”

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2.Tangalooma ATV Quad Bike & Dolphin Feeding

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 145 reviews · 1 day · from $172

Take a 75-minute boat from Brisbane to Tangalooma Island Resort, then spend the day using the pools, beach, cafés, and shaded areas. Your $25 lunch voucher, guided 45-minute ATV ride, and evening wild dolphin feeding are included. Expect a relaxed resort day with one lively burst of sand and bush riding.

“The whole day from start to finish was amazing - the resort island itself is stunning with beautiful views - I booked the ATV and Dolphin feeding - I enjoyed the ATV more than I thought I would as never done it before. Then free time to do what ever you like spent some time by/in the pool and beach - headed for food just before 6 so was able to watch the beautiful sunset. The dolphin feeding is very well organised such an amazing experience make sure to book it as you won’t want to miss this - staff made you feel safe at all times.”

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3.Tangalooma Desert Safari and Dolphin Feeding

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 103 reviews · 1 day · from $162

Sail 75 minutes from Brisbane to Tangalooma Island Resort for a full day of beach time, lunch, sand tobogganing and wild dolphin feeding. You’ll ride a 4WD bus into the dunes, use a $25 lunch voucher and return by ferry after sunset. Bring goggles for the sand and clothes that can get wet.

“The whole day was fantastic. Directions to the terminal were clear. All of the instructions on where to meet for activities were clear. If it did it again, I would bring goggles for the sand activity, as we all ended up with sand in our eyes. We bought the photos, which include all photos that were taken during the day. I would have booked a sunset photo session if I had known that. We booked quad ATVs once we got there, which was really fun. It was a fun day. We loved feeding the dolphins. It was a great experience.”

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4.Tangalooma Snorkelling with Dolphin Viewing

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 63 reviews · 1 day · from $157

Cruise 75 minutes from Brisbane to Tangalooma for guided wreck snorkelling, a $25 lunch voucher, pool and beach time, and a sunset cocktail. Lauren is one named guide from recent outings. The day ends with wild dolphin viewing from the jetty before the evening ferry home.

“Para sailing with my daughters was fun. The smiley yellow parashutte and friendly staff were a great experience. The trip included a lounge access with coffee or tea and spacious seatings made trip comfortable. Cocktail at the bar coupon was a nice one, too.”

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5.Tangalooma Whale Watching & Dolphin Feeding

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 57 reviews · 1 day · from $162

You’ll take a 75-minute ferry from Brisbane to Tangalooma, enjoy resort facilities, then join a three-hour whale-watching cruise with lunch and commentary from Eco Rangers. At sunset, you can hand-feed a wild bottlenose dolphin under strict care guidelines. Allow a long day, and bring clothes that can get wet.

“Moreton Island was a beautiful place. The whale watching was one of the best tours, according to our guide - the whales even swam up to our boat to show off! The dolphins were adorable, too. The feeding only lasted a few seconds, just giving them a fish, but it was such a unique experience to be that close to them.”

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6.Desert Safari Tour & Dolphin Viewing

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 49 reviews · 1 day · from $147Best value

Spend a full day at Tangalooma Island Resort with return boat transfers from Brisbane, a $25 adult lunch voucher, pool and beach access, a bumpy 4WD ride to the desert, optional sand tobogganing, and a sunset dolphin viewing session. The day ends with a cocktail or mocktail before the evening boat back to Brisbane.

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7.Tangalooma ATV Quad Bike and Dolphin Viewing

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 46 reviews · 1 day · from $157

From Brisbane’s Holt Street, you’ll cruise 75 minutes to Tangalooma Island Resort for a guided 45-minute ATV ride through sand and bushland, lunch, pools, a sunset cocktail, and wild dolphin viewing from the jetty. Closed shoes are required, and the ATV activity is for ages 10 and up.

“Activity is good but dolphin watching time was not provided in the itinerary”

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8.Marine Discovery Cruise & Dolphin Feeding

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 22 reviews · 1 day · from $162

Spend a full day at Tangalooma Island Resort on Moreton Island, with a 75-minute ferry ride from Brisbane, lunch credit, pools, a Marine Discovery Cruise, and a sunset wild dolphin feeding session. You will watch dolphins under Eco Ranger guidance, but sightings, feeding conditions, and the exact return time depend on weather, tides, and dolphin attendance.

“The dolphin feeding was the highlight of the day, such an amazing experience feeding wild dolphins in the bay! Make sure you get down there before the listed feeding time to see the dolphins playing in the bay before it gets dark. The marine tour was a little underwhelming, our guide didn’t have a great deal of information to give us and when asked questions didn’t necessarily know the answers. It was also difficult to hear them over the boat sound as there was no microphone/speaker system on the boat. Nevertheless, the dolphin feeding made up for the day and is why we booked this excursion in the first place!”

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9.Marine Discovery Cruise & Dolphin Viewing

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 12 reviews · 1 day · from $147

Travel 75 minutes from Brisbane to Tangalooma Island Resort for a Marine Discovery Cruise, beach and pool time, a $25 adult lunch voucher, Eco Ranger activities, and sunset dolphin viewing. Your day ends with a cocktail or mocktail at B&B bar before the evening boat returns to Brisbane.

“Disappointing in that we did not see a greater variety of wildlife, fish and marine animals, understandable as they do not appear to order, but I had expected to see more varieties of fish near the wreck. We did have a good view of the fish that came to feed on the fish food given to them, so better that than nothing. The view of the land from the water was lovely and the ride a nice way to spend time on the water.”

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10.Tangalooma Whale Watching & Dolphin Viewing

★★★★★★★★★★3.1 · 7 reviews · 1 day · from $147

Take a 75-minute ferry from Brisbane to Tangalooma, spend three hours watching humpback whales with onboard commentary and lunch, then enjoy a cocktail, resort facilities, and a sunset visit to the wild dolphin feeding area. Dolphin attendance depends on weather, tides, and the animals themselves.

“Well organized and the amenities were better than expected (real cocktail, good lunch box …)”

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