Best Time to See Dolphins on Hilton Head
Wondering when to book your guided dolphin tour on Hilton Head Island? Chances are, you’ll want to take dolphin watching into account!
Luckily, there’s no bad time to see dolphins in the Hilton Head area. With a resident population of wild Atlantic bottlenose dolphins that call our waters home year-round, the choice is up to you!
Dolphin Season on Hilton Head
Most bottlenose dolphins are migratory, and pods of them travel north and south along the Atlantic coast as the seasons change. Many dolphins spend their winters in more southerly locales like coastal Florida, and head northward toward the Carolinas as the waters warm along the coast.
But the Lowcountry of South Carolina is different, offering a mild climate with temperatures that dolphins find agreeable all year long. It is estimated that a population of about 170 dolphins resides in the Hilton Head area year-round.
That’s why our area is famous for offering dolphin sightings in every season. If getting to experience dolphins up close is your goal, there simply isn’t a bad time to take a dolphin tour on Hilton Head.
Summer Dolphin Migration
While dumplings are a year-round presence on Hilton Head, summer offers an extra special opportunity. This is the season when migratory dolphins arrive in our neck of the woods, joining our local residents and more than doubling the number of dolphins in Lowcountry waters at any given time.
Starting around June, hundreds of bottlenose dolphins from areas farther south arrive in the Hilton Head area. During the summer months, more dolphins are spotted in our local bays, beaches, inlets and estuaries than at any other time of year.
Dolphins are highly social creatures, and they commonly travel in pods of 4 to 8 individuals (sometimes many more). So if you spot one dolphin on Hilton Head, keep your eyes open, as there are almost certainly more nearby!
Best Time of Day to See Dolphins
You can spot dolphins on Hilton Head any time of day. There isn’t a specific time or tide during which they’re most visible, so feel free to book a dolphin tour during whatever time of day works for you.
That said, many people prefer to go out around sunrise and sunset. Temperatures are mildest early and late in the day (especially in summer), and the scenery on Hilton Head is even more beautiful as the sun is rising and sinking close to the horizon. Sunset is also a great time to find a shrimp boat anchoring up, which usually attracts feeding dolphins.
Dolphins do move around a lot over the course of the day, and their movements are often based on tidal shifts. High tides, for example, allow dolphins to hunt in shallows that they wouldn’t ordinarily be able to reach, providing some action-packed days of dolphin viewing close to shore.
Another unique activity you might witness is known as “strand feeding,” and it takes place at low tide. Dolphins in Lowcountry tidal creeks and marshes have learned that low tides allow them to strand schools of mullet and other prey fish on sand bars and mud banks at low tide.
Doing so allows them to take advantage of an easy meal, but it’s also quite a spectacle of frenzied splashing! Check a tide chart and plan your dolphin tour within an hour or two of low tide on any given day for the best likelihood of observing this phenomenon.
Best Season to take a Boat Tour on Hilton Head
Hilton Head is truly a year-round destination, and since you can see dolphins any time of year, you can plan your trip based on whatever season you’d like to visit! There really isn’t a wrong time.
Summer is certainly the busiest season, and for good reason. The warm weather makes it a fantastic time for activities like boating, fishing, swimming and wildlife watching. Our local beaches and watering holes are buzzing with activity this time of year. But if you prefer to beat the crowds, there are other options.
Spring and fall are a little less busy, and the milder weather makes these great seasons to explore Hilton Head. Late spring and early fall are still plenty warm enough to go swimming, and you’re still more than likely to see dolphins and other wildlife on Hilton Head.
Fewer visitors also mean that many amenities are cheaper during the off-season, including lodging. Even winter is a great time to explore the waters of the Lowcountry!
While some might find it a little chilly, most winter days have highs in the 60s, making it a great time to be on the water. Some days, it might feel like you have the water all to yourself! And you can rest assured that resident dolphin friends will be here to say hello.
Can You Swim with Dolphins on Hilton Head?
In short, you cannot. Dolphins are highly intelligent wild creatures, and the best way to see them is in their natural environment, which includes South Carolina’s beautiful saltmarshes, tidal creeks and beaches, not in captivity.
Harassing dolphins in the wild is illegal in South Carolina, and that includes swimming up to them, feeding and touching dolphins, as well as approaching and following them in boats. We always take care to avoid forcing interactions with dolphins. We let them decide when they’re ready to approach us, not the other way around.
Luckily, dolphins are often more than happy to do just that. In addition to being highly intelligent, dolphins are also inquisitive and playful animals, and they commonly approach boats out of curiosity.