Dolphin and Whale Watching Tour in Drake Bay as seen on National Geographic

An amazing dolphin experience

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our experience with Divine Dolphin on January 8. Katie the naturalist was very friendly, answering my questions and providing tons of insight on dolphins and the Osa marine environment. Dennis was a great captain, and the owner Sierra was very gracious. We stopped several times to check out spotted dolphins, saw a couple of turtles, lots of sea birds, and after heading out into deeper water for 30 mins or so where very fortunate to spend quality time with hundreds of spinner dolphins, sea birds and scared tuna jumping like crazy. Snack time and lunch were very tasty, and we also appreciated taking a dip in the water to cool off thinking it was intriguing that there was 3000+ ft of water below us. I’d recommend this experience for solo travellers, couples, or those with families, anyone that loves a day out on the water and the chance to see a variety of dolphins and other marine life.

Best five hour marine eco tour in the world probably. Divine Dolphin videos can be seen on youtube , Instagram and face

Four times I have taken this tour and four tim3es we found mega pods of dolphins visible almost nowhere else in the world, plus some whales, pods of tuna, manta rays and turtles. The sea is usually calm and the guides are great, Katie especially.

Very misleading description of the tour

It was ok if you want to see dolphins but I felt that the description about this tour is very misleading. First of all it says that they have a hydrophone so you can hear the sounds. We had no such thing on our boat. We did hear a lot of music from the captains speakerboxes though. Secondly there should be an expert telling us about the whales and dolphins with 25 years of experience. Most of the time no one said anything and they didn’t seem to have a clue where to find the animals. Most of the time we were aimlessly going rounds with the boat to see if we maybe would run into dolphins. And we did. Great, but I didn’t pay this amount to only go rounds with a boat to see dolphins. The more accurate description would be dolphin tour with a speed boat.

Once in a Lifetime!

Our family of 3 did this tour twice, and it was excellent both times. We saw spotted dolphins and Olive Ridley turtles the first day, and then on the second tour we were able to spend multiple hours in the middle of a massive pod of spinner dolphins! Sierra, Katie, and Capitan Denis were amazing. Highly recommend this for anyone in Drake Bay!

Great experience!

The crew was knowledgeable and passionate about the dolphins and whales in the area. Communication prior to our tour was clear and we knew exactly where to find our boat. We were able to see a large group consisting of multiple pods of dolphins feeding.

Great experience!

Had a chance to see two different pods of spotted dolphins. Beautiful Trip is described very well and the Katie and Serena (?) were incredibly sweet and showed an amazing passion for the animals.

Over the Top - Just Do It!

OMG - We were so lucky - a total peak experience for our 9 year old Grandson and for my husband and myself and the other adults in our little group. We spent over an hour in the midst of a mega pod of at least 2,000 "common" dolphins. They were anything but common...like ann olympic Level synchronized swim and diving tea we were treated to many hundreds of their joyous displays. Our Grandson who had never before seen a Dolphin said "Don't they just take your breath away" and that he was going to "remember this forever" and will tell his Children and Grandchildren about it. Clearly these amazing beings know how to have fun and it is contagious. Sierra has been guiding these trips for over 25 years and she knows what she is doing. Her track record is excellent though she is clear that we are not in control and one never knows. A good life lesson anyhow so we just decided to enjoy whatever happened or didn't happen! We are so glad we found her - it was beyond worth it. We are very moved by the activism Sierra and others are involved in to protect the dolphins, whales, and other wild life and the viability of the sea floor through legislative channels. There was no "ask" or selling the need for funds) Sierra simply gave us information about the huge damage being done via international commercial fishing industry and we are going to add our support.

Really awesome tour!

As one of the previous reviews, we too had whale watching tours in different places around the world and we too think that this is really <> (we quote that review because we agree). Also what they say on the Divine Dolphin website is true: every day is different. We knew that from our previous experiences, so we booked in advance the same tour in two different days (the second day three days after the first one). For sure we don't regret our choice: the two experiences were really different, with the first one being excellent and the second one being ... better! We saw whales doing any sort of things (males jumping out of the water, males fighting, males chasing females, mothers with calves..). We also heard male whales crying and singing. However note that not every month is the same (we were there in "peak season") so you can't always expect that extreme abundance of whales we enjoyed on our two tours. We also saw dolphins and turtles. The guide was a Mexican marine biologist and was really perfect: apart from spotting a lot of whales he was very knowledgeable, informative, passionate with whales and marine life in general, strongly committed in the effort for conservation.

Great day on the water!

Manuel was our guide! He did a great job of educating us on the ocean and the sea life! The captain Denis was awesome, made sure everyone could see. It was just a fantastic day.

Amazing experience !

Very nice crew! We learnt a lot from them about the whales. They also tried to show as a lot as possible but also with the respect to the animals. Tasty food on the boat :) highly recommended!!

Impressive whale show

Very good tour, friendly, but most of all, informative staff. We saw a lot, and yes that includes a long show with whales. We could make a lot of pictures, movies and memories!

Would not recommend....

Would not recommend. Advertising was not accurate at all. We only got to swim for about 5 minutes and did not see much.

Go see Sierra and the whales and dolphins!

Sierra and her crew are awesome! We saw a mother and calf whale and a single whale later in the trip. We also saw many, many dolphins, some were so close you could almost touch them.

Wonderful experience!

Wonderful experience. We saw dolphins, and sea turtles. We also got to see cuviers beaked whale. The captain let us swim in the warm crystal clear water. Best part? The birds catching a ride on the turtles. Very worthwhile.

Great enough to go again and again

We booked one day and by the end of our trip, we had gone three times. Each day out had amazing encounters. One day was with a humpback whale in the off season and pseudo orcas. One day was full of hundreds of spinner dolphins. One day we also had the chance to snorkel with a sea turtle who was very friendly. Mother Nature dictates the experience but each day was amazing.

Divine, truly!

The Divine Dolphine is exactly that, Divine! Sierra organized our staycation in Drake Bay and every activity she arranged was 5 stars! Sierra’s Dolphin tour was incredible, amazing and all those photos she shares on her site are for real, no filters, the watercolor out there on the ocean is a gorgeous sapphire, and those dolphin pods, yep, for real! I was mesmerized by the colors of the ocean, and suddenly we come to a full stop and dolphins start coming to the surface. Not just a few, but mega pods, like thousands and thousands of dolphins surround the boat on all sides. I shared a few photos, but I wanted to stay present to appreciate this natural beauty all around me. On our 2nd day Sierra arranged for us to have massages with Yariela Rios and I highly recommend Yariela! She’s a sweet older woman and although she be tiny, she be fierce! I felt like jelly after she was finished, and she will come to your hotel, making it even better. And on our 3rd day, Sierra organized our trip on the “Drake Pirate Catamaran” out to snorkel on Cano and again, Sierra is Divine! This was a 5-star trip and I’ve done about 20 Cano snorkeling trips over the years ( I live in Uvita CR), I highly recommend this tour and you can read my review of that experience on their website. My only regret, I did not let Sierra arrange my hotel, I made that mistake all by myself. I highly recommend Sierra and her tours! I think I loved swimming in those crystal blue waters almost as much as I loved the dolphins. All around 5 star experience, Thanks Sierra!

Amazing

It was a beautiful trip! Saw many Dolphins and a sea turtle❤️. Got to take a swim, had a lovely homemade lunch! Highly recommend.

Beautiful day with Dolphins

A lovely day on the water with Sierra seeing Dolphins. A fun, friendly and informative tour plus a delicious lunch! We saw hundreds and hundreds of dolphins both common and spotted and they were wonderful to watch. No whales this time but you really cannot control what Mother Nature decides to do and when! We had a wonderful day. Thanks again Sierra :)

Bryde's Whale sighting

My friend and I enjoyed our day out on the Divine Dolphin. The staff on board were very good in searching for whales and dolphins. The boat was comfortable and sturdy. We had some rough weather but we continued to search and saw an interesting Brydes whale that hung at the surface for a few minutes. It was mostly a beautiful day and the home made lunch was most appreciated. :)

Ok experience

I got to see some dolphins which was amazing. The weather became bad and the water was rough. I understand you can’t help that but then we had a boat full of children and a restless family who didn’t follow instructions so they turned the boat in early without consulting everyone else on the boat. They didn’t give us the option to snorkel closer to Cano island with bad weather out in the sea. There was no snorkeling due to bad weather or actual bathroom stops. All the hours are spent on the boat. And to use the bathroom you have to jump in the ocean which at the time was a little turbulent. Overall, the staff was nice but they don’t actually have a way to track the animals. They just have a few areas where they know the animals frequent.

Incredible experience spending time with whales

Fantastic trip! Highlight of our stay in Costa Rica. Whale and dolphin watching was one of the main reasons for travelling and this trip did not disappoint. Although we did not see any dolphins, we saw plenty of humpback whales. Mamas and babies, and males, in heat run, chasing a female, thrashing around. All pretty spectacular. But it was the time we spent with the whales that was really special. Not just racing around, seeing a whale and then racing off again. We spent time watching these incredible animals, with respect and love. Sierra's knowledge and passion is second to know. Thank you. We will be back!

FOUR DAYS COMMUNING WITH WHALES, DOLPHINS, TURTLES, THE SEA AND THE HUMAN'S WHO LOVE THEM

WONDER, HEART OPENING, INTELLIGENT, COMPASSIONATE, FUN, LOVING, THRILLING.....REALLY BEYOND WORDS. IT CONTINUES TO BLESS AND FILL ME UP, EVEN WITH THOUSANDS OF MILE BETWEEN US.

Very special experience ✨🐳

I loved this tour, we saw many animals in the water. 2 different species of Manta rays, turtles, dolphins and many whales with their calfs , but the most awesome part was that we were able to jump in the water to listen to a male whale singing, omg this was so amazing we could hear him very loud and clear you could feel the vibrations of the sound in the water! Unforgettable experience 🥰 we also loved the crew, the biologist on board Manuel and Julieta were awesome and shared a lot of knowledge with us about all the animals we saw specially the whales 🐳. The owner Sierra is a sweet host and she def have a special connection with the whales and dolphins and knew exactly were to direct the boat to find them. This was a great tour and I would def recommend 🤩

A Drake Bay, Costa Rica ocean experience.

A beautiful day on the ocean with our interesting hostess/owner, Sierra Goodman, and her crew. The two marine biologists, Julieta and Manuel, were delightful; a wealth of knowledge, passionate about their work and very patient with our questions. The boat’s pilot was a true professional; wish I remembered his name as his expertise in onboarding/off boarding his passengers was remarkable. Ms. Goodman, dressed all in blue and reigning from her center seat on the boat, was a bit of an enigma, one moment communing with the ocean, the next uttering a pithy comment about her perceived lack of interest on the part of her guests. She would be an interesting dinner companion! We went out on the smaller of the company’s two boats as there were only 4 of us (interesting tidbit, we were all from Virginia) and were somewhat disappointed as “the ocean was very quiet that day” according to Sierra and the crew, especially since two days prior, they experienced a multitude of sea animals. But that’s nature, not a command performance. We were privileged to see several humpback whales with their calves from a distance but absolutely no dolphins or other sea life except for a yellow butterfly that somehow made its way out to the middle of the ocean. Quite a letdown but, again, not the fault of Divine Dolphin or the crew. I would recommend this tour.

We saw lots of humpback...

We saw lots of humpback whales, It was so beautiful! The members of the ship are very prepared, they gives lots of information on whales and they are very passionate about them. Great experience!

Perfect Whale and Dolphin tour!

Our family of 4 did this tour this week on august 8, at 8:00 am from Drake at our last day in Corcovado. We had already seen the whales on our previous snorkling tour to Cano island, but wanted a better experience. We sailed with a small boat with 7 tourists and staff of 4. We came soon in a megapod of about 200 spotted dolphins, what was amazing. Somewhat later we saw a mother and calf Humbackwhale, relaxing at the surface of the ocean just before Canu island. We stayed a very nice long time with them. When the weather changed from sunshine to rain and thunder, the babywhale became joyfull and jumped 3 times to the sky: WoW! All the time Julieta and Manuel told us so much facts and details about all the animals we saw. It was really interesting! We got a small nice lunch and some snacks. We where about 5 hrs on the ocean what was so cool. (we managed to drive afterwards back from Drake to Uvita before darkness). It was somewhat more expensive than the regular tours of about 3 hrs from Uvita, but so worth it! Thank you Sierra, also for the good contact before sailing by email!

No Toilet and no rain protection

No Toilette on board and no rain protection. First the good: The staff was friendly and full of information about Dolphins. The Captain was great in manoeuvring through the light waves and found the Dolphins. Hence 2 Stars. Negative: First, no Toilette on board and we were supposed to be 6 hours on it... kinda rough but the small boat doesn't have space for one so... as the team said: "The ocean is our Toilette." Then we were unlucky with the weather and when the rain came pouring down, there was absolutely no protection as there was only a small roof but nothing to protect us from the side. The guests were completely soaked quickly and as we thought snorkeling is an option and not a must do, we didn't wear swimming clothes but normal clothes. The Team kept following the Dolphins and even turned the boat in a circular drive so we got the rain from all sides. It was extremely uncomfortable and the cold wind didn't help either. After a while the Lady Boss asked if we want to continue staying with the Dolphins or go back to Drakes Bay. We all agreed that we want to go back. After a while we made it through the rain into sunnier territory and then they suddenly stopped in some bay nearby to give us to eat the lunch they prepared. Unfortunately though, the rain caught up on us and the wind as well. As we were completely soaked, it was really not enjoyable at all. When we arrived back, everyone just jumped off the boat and searched for shelter to change into dryer clothes. Unfortunately we didn't have any. So we had to drive 1,5 hours back to our hotel completely wet. I know this was kinda bad luck. So I want to end with some suggestions. For the Crew: I would suggest to upgrade the boat with foldable side windows, which you can roll up and fixate on the roof when you don't need them but quickly can get down to protect the passengers. Then you can sit the rain out, roll them back up and continue the excursion dry and happy. For Customers: Wear swimming clothes even if you don't want to snorkel and bring a waterproof backpack with dry clothes and a rain jacket!!!!

Experienced guide, brand new boat!

We were lucky enough to be on the first trip in the new boat! What a great set up Sierra (proprietor and guide) has! Very competent staff helped us board the boat in the surf and Nelson, the Skipper handles the boat really well, safely and comfortably. (I train Powerboat skippers for a living: good staff, good boat, safe!) We saw a lot of dolphins, and I was really impressed by Sierra's situational awareness. She guided us among a pod of dolphins while also talking about others in the distance, explaining how they were converging as we followed them. We also saw turtles, flying fish (!) and towards the end, some humpbacks with new calves although it was early in the season. Very careful and sensitive in tracking these and we didn't harass them. The hydrophone was used to listen for male whales but we didn't hear any. It would have been fun to listen to the dolphins - my only regret! Simple but plentiful food - pasta, onion salad, fruit and cookies! Water also provided. Sierra was very friendly with us, and with her staff and a lovely atmosphere prevailed on the boat.

More Than I Expected

Mind blowing. After about 45 minutes or an hour, Sierra found an enormous pod of dolphins. There must of been more than 100. They surfed on the wake of our boat and leapt into the air all around us. We followed along with them for at least an hour. I can't describe how happy it made us.

wonderful tour and experience

I don't know how to express my gratitude for this experience, the welcoming nature of Sierra has really allowed me to have a very hassle free, easy time here in Drake Bay. I realize from the beginning I was totally winging this part of my trip, out of my comfort zone as a 1st time solo traveler and Sierra was magic and made it all possible. I will forever be grateful. The experience seeing the pods has planted something inside me, something so deep and beautiful and I look forward to what that is. The Capitan was super, lunch was fantastic, and mother nature and Sierra did not disappoint with the experience with the dolphins. Would recommend, and I would go again and again.

Must do dolphin excursion!

We were thrilled to finally be able to visit Drake Bay & go out on Sierra's boat to experience the dolphins. She is truly the Dolphin Whisperer--there were sooo many dolphins in 4 different sitings--& all the various behaviors...resting...playing and leaping...seemingly interacting with our boat...feeding. My husband--a seasoned scuba diver & boat person--had never before experienced so many dolphins in 1 day. Sierra is the best--& promotes conservation. HIGHY RECOMMEND!

BEST dolphin tour ever!

Last week we were fortunate to join Divine Dolphin on a most memorable day spent on the ocean. I have made over 20 trips on the ocean for whale and dolphin sightings since 2004 when we bought our property here in Uvita, but this day was magical, magnificent, and just left me in awe! Sierra knew just where to find them and we were miles past Cano Island in majestic crystal clear blue waters when they started jumping! There were hundreds of dolphins, 4 species flipping through the air, flying and swimming on all sides of our boat and it was absolutely the best dolphin tour I’ve ever been on in my 19 years here! I'll be back for sure! Thank you to Divine Dolphin, Sierra Goodman and Sherri Mack for memorable day on the water.

Not to be missed!!!

Sierra & The Divine Dolphin tours are not to be missed!! We all know no one can control the ocean, the sea life, the weather… But despite all that, Sierra has a special gift of finding the sea creatures around Drake Bay. She’s been here a long time & has so much knowledge. I truly enjoyed watching her follow her practiced instincts on where the “regulars” were, as well as keeping a sharp eye out for anything else showing up. She has a ton of knowledge, experience, & you can definitely tell she has a great passion for preservation of this area of extraordinary beauty & diversity of wildlife. On our tour we got to see spotted dolphins, sea turtles, a crazy lookin sea snake! & lots of amazing birds. I couldn’t recommend the tour more!

You don’t get what it says on the website

We were quite disappointed after the “best whale watching tour in Costa Rica”, which it says on the website for one simple reason: you don’t get what you pay for and what it says on the website. We did not see whales or Mega pods of dolphins, we only saw around 10-20 dolphins of only two kinds twice; both which are sad but I know you cannot control. But you can control the following things all listed on the websites: -Snorkeling gear was not provided and we did not stop to swim along the way with the animals. We made a quick getting into the water break, but the website makes it seem like snorkeling is part of the adventure, which it wasn’t. - On-board hydrophone to hear the sounds of the dolphins and whales: Sierra did not bring it or decided not to use it, which was not understandable, since the water was clear and calm, and you could’ve definitely heard some dolphins, which we would’ve loved. - We returned at 1:30pm, (it says anytime between 1:00 pm and 2:30 pm depending on what we see, how far we go out and the weather). we have been far out but had no great luck with the animals (as I said, we’ve seen a few dolphins, which was great and definitely nice if this is the only part you would expect, but definitely not worth 120$pP) and Sierra just acted like we’ve seen enough and returned straight to the beach without really looking for whales or megapods anymore (we drove fast and straight back, so no, there was not much looking around involved after 12pm, just driving). In case you don’t see whales at all, did not snorkel and did not use the hydrophone, in my opinion you should definitely not be an hour early back home! That just feels like a rip off. - the “experienced guide for the last 25 years” is Sierra. I wouldn’t be able to tell if she’s experienced, since she didn’t really do a guided tour. She didn’t tell us about marine life / dolphins / whales or the area. The only thing she mentioned was the names of the dolphins, but that’s it. Whenever I asked a question, the answer was very short and not informative. We book those tours to get to know the area and the animals not only by seeing them, but also by hearing them or hearing facts about them. All which Sierra says she offers, but then doesn’t. I’m not sure if she understands what people expect of a guided tour, but this really wasn’t one. And we’ve been traveling around all Costa Rica and had way more informative guides that really made an effort to find the animals for the full time. She only told us that she just built her house the beach, where she got off the boat even earlier than all of us on the way back (we were driven Back by the skipper, which is not a problem but kinda captures her behavior on this tour, which was in our opinion a “just doing the minimum” guide), she did not ask for our names or if everything was good with the tour. This is just not good communication and not the expertise we payed for - you do have to keep in mind that these tours around here aren’t cheap and don’t have to be. But there was just no effort at all. I wouldn’t do another tour with Sierra, since the whole experience stand or falls with the guide. And looking now at the other critical reviews at google and TripAdvisor and her long defensive answers… I think I’m not the only customer feeling this way.

Nice day out

We were very lucky to see some false killer whales, spotted dolphins and a turtle. Stopping for lunch in a picturesque place was really nice. However, I was surprised by the lack of enthusiasm on behalf of our guide who hardly shared any information about the wildlife we came across. I appreciate that my opinion is based on comparisons with similar experiences in the past. I still enjoyed the day.

An amazing day with the whales

We had a wonderful time and an amazing experience with The Divine Dolphin. We decided to visit Drake Bay after talking with the ex-pat couple, Steve and Ruby, that operated the Airbnb we stayed at in Dominical. We mentioned that we were volunteering with an organization in Playa Blanca and they said that if we were going to be in the Osa Peninsula we should really check out Drake Bay. Specifically, the whale and dolphin tour(s) offered by The Divine Dolphin. Steve, who has spent much time in the ocean, and seen many a dolphin along the way, took The Divine Dolphins tour and said he was blown away. We contacted Sierra, the owner of The Divine Dolphin, to see if we could arrange something on very short notice. She was very helpful, and accommodating, and made it work! We had a similarly unbelievable experience. The Divine Dolphin picked us up right outside the hotel where we stayed, along the beach. We went to pick up the remaining folks that were to join us on the tour and, after a short de-briefing regarding rules, lunch, plan, etc., were off! It was truly amazing how Sierra knew exactly where to go to find these beautiful creatures. She is truly a whale and dolphin whisperer! Almost immediately upon getting to the spot where she thought some whales might be, having seen some a few days earlier, we spotted the blows of what seemed to be 6-7 whales near our position. As we approached, we were rewarded with an amazing sight. We had found a group of 8-10 Humpback Whales on their migration from the North in what Sierra thought might be a “heat run”. Shortly thereafter a small group of rough-tooth dolphins joined the party! We were the only boat there for a bit, until a couple of the other captains saw our boat, and the ongoing blows, and joined us. We followed along with these whales and dolphins for about three hours, and it was indescribable. The whales remained very close to us and our boat, and put on quite the show for us. The visibility of the water was such that we could clearly see the outlines of the whole whales, and sometimes make out very specific features, as they would go near and under our boat before surfacing. At other times, the whole group would move along the surface for long periods, almost close enough to touch. Though we were not allowed to get in the water with the whales, since swimming with the whales is prohibited, it was, nonetheless, a breathtaking sight. These gentle giants were unbelievable to spend time with, and are as majestic as you imagine them to be. While I have been on other whale tours, none of them can compare to what I saw with Sierra and The Divine Dolphin! It was a once in a lifetime experience, and one you won’t soon forget.

Fun, safe, real tour from professional, passionate operator

Highly professional operation by passionate, caring, expert owner that is known in the area for making important contributions to conservation efforts. As this is dealing with real world nature there are no guarantees of course but we got pretty lucky: dolphins and a group of whales within the first hour! Recommended.

An orchestra of marine wildlife off Drake Bay!

Summary review A chance to see 2 heat runs, dolphins and turtles I hadn't seen before and to hear the sounds emitting from the humpback whales both above and below the surface of the sea Longer version What an experience! Initially watched pantropical spotted dolphins fishing, closely followed by a turtle (not able to remember if Olive Ridley or Green as we saw both species during our boat trip) and Manta ray. It wasn't long before we felt surrounded near and far by humpback whales, as folks on the boat were shouting out "12 o'clock, 4 o'clock, 9 o'clock". They were spouting or surfacing on their own or in a pod as they competed for females' attention. Their incredible inhalation sounds of frustration above the surface was a first for me as was the two heat runs we watched. Later we heard the sounds of whales for miles around using a hydrophone. At one point we had turtle, dolphins, whales, flying fish and white boobies all within metres of us and a rare chance to get that all in one photo if you weren't so mesmerised by the flurry of activity. The dolphins of 3 different species including rough-toothed and bottlenose loved racing up front, in and around the wake of whales or our boat. Was intense watching as they switched directions coming towards the boat then guessing where they'd appear next and when. All going on whilst listening to some great tunes which I'd love a copy of! A boat full of all ages and abilities, a chance for a quick dip to cool off if we wanted, snacks were offered and lunch was by a waterfall cascading into the sea. The team were helpful getting us on and off the boat. Thank you for a memorable time and hope that the Costa Rican Congress make the right decision about ensuring marine wildlife can continue their seasonal routines off Costa Rica's Coast.

Whales, and dolphins, and turtles, oh my!

I've had the great pleasure of volunteering at Divine Dolphin during whale season this summer. I've been on almost 20 tours, and we've seen whales on every one (though Sierra is careful to remind everyone there are no guarantees, because, well, it's nature). It's quite humbling to see the grace and beauty of these enormous creatures. Babies can be so playful floating on their backs and waving their fins, flipping their tales, and breaching over and over, joyfully exploring what their bodies can do. One baby breached 5 ft from our bow delighting us all and giving two young boys sitting in the front a memory they'll never forget. And a heat run with 5 or 6 males chasing a single female with bottlenose and rough-tooth dolphins playing in their wake must be witnessed to fully understand the feelings of AWE and WONDER these creatures invoke. In addition to whales, we've seen a variety of dolphins, Olive Ripley sea turtles, manta rays, magnificent frigate birds, brown boobies, flying fish...oh and a big pod of pseudo orcas! Every tour is different. All the food served is vegan and made with organic ingredients whenever possible. From the inside, it's clear that a lot of energy and love is put into each and every tour. Sierra works hard to ensure her guests see and experience something special! I highly recommend this tour for anyone hoping for a divine experience on the waters of Drake Bay, Costa Rica!

We saw whales but…

So we were very excited to go. My wife, our 9 year son, and myself. We did see a couple dolphins and 2 whales. Everyone on the FULL boat wanted to get closer than 100yards. She let everyone know it wasn’t possible because we didn’t have the National park tickets which were only $14 extra, no big deal to purchase. The catered lunch was garbage. The so called guide was super grumpy! She told us 3 or 4 facts and then was her grumpy self the rest of the tour. I asked her about the microphone, which her tour brags about online. She was very nasty about it, and put it in the water for 3 minutes. When I inquired if she was going to put it in the water, she acted nasty like it was a big too do. I would recommend this if you are at Drakes Bay, Maybe. I have seen more dolphins in Guanacaste. I saw up close unbelievably awesome photos from whale watcing in Uvita. All in all, my family was happy we saw 2 whales, but unbelievably disappointed in the trip experience! So sad

Great trip, but sometimes felt rather like whale chasing than whale watching

We were really lucky and saw many whales, which was absolutely stunning. But unfortunately the boat always went too close, so the whales would stop playing or jumping and we just kept chasing them. Would have been better to stop more far away so we could have watched them longer jumping from the distance. But beside that was a great trip.

Great day with lots of dolphin!

We loved our experience with Divine Dolphin! Sierra helped us understand when the many dolphin were feeding, resting, or playing. They were all around us and we were able to get in the water to hear them too! The weather started to deteriorate so sierra and her captain found a quiet cove for us to have lunch before wrapping up our excursion. We had a great time and loved watching the dolphin all around us!

We would choose a different company next time

We were two small groups together, 7 people in total which was very pleasant. Unfortunately the sea was quite rough in the morning, however after approx. 2 hour we were lucky and we saw groups of dolphins, who were surrounding our boat. However what we did not expect was a sarcasm of the guide, a mature lady. Also the lunch had a value of approx. 5-10 USD, not more. We have begun our tour at 8,30 and ended up at 1pm. I understand the fuel is expensive, however we expected a bit more for such high price.

Amazing trip!

Sierra and crew are amazing. On all 3 excursions we were blessed to be next to the beautiful children of the sea, Tropical Spotted Dolphins. Thank you for a time of a lifetime!

Do it and enjoy

I have never seen so many Dolphins in my life like during this trip. Wow! The crew was cool and found the right spots. Just amazing!

Even better than we could have hoped

My sister, her husband and I decided to treat ourselves to a private whale watching and Dolphin tour and after much research picked Divine Dolphins. We liked the website and write up , as well as Sierra being able to custom make a 3 day itineary for us that included scuba diving, a stay in the national park and of course the dolphins and whale trip. Our expectations were managed as our trip was in mid January but the trip would have exceeded anyone's expectations. We were picked up on the beach near our hotel and the first part of the tour was focused on dolphins, simply because we saw them first. pods and pods of dolphins hanging our after feeding. Sierra did a great job talking through their habits. Whales were our priority and Sierra and her captain worked hard to try and track some down. Track them down they did and found two groups over the next 3 hrs, mothers with their babies, being both protected and harassed by several males. We saw 8 whales and simply hung out with them, one going under our boat, others showing their tails as they dived, and still others breaching causing huge splashes A truly very special day and one we will not forget. As an aside on the scuba trip the following day we saw 3 more whales on our way to the dive site so we were truly blessed. Sierra knows her dolphins and whales, manages expectations as they are wild mammals and sightings and experiences are never guaranteed . I do feel they your chances will always be best with Divine dolphin and I wish you as memorable trip as ours

This is a must do tour!

Our group of 7 went on this tour February 12, 2022. What an experience! We saw a lot of dolphins (spotted and bottle nose). It was so much fun watching them swim along the side of the boat. We were able to watch them swim in unison then jump out of the water. We saw several whales surfacing the water to breathe. We watched a whale and her baby for about 45 minutes. The baby was entertaining us while the mom rested. The captain of the boat did a fantastic job. Sierra was watching for for whales and dolphins in the front of the boat and would just point where she wanted us to go and the captain followed her direction. Sierra was FANTASTIC! She is extremely knowledgeable and shares this with you. Somehow she just knows where the whales and dolphins are. I recommend this tour. We had a magical day! Thank you Sierra!

Dolphins amazing, tour guide not so much. False advertising, they have no sound to amplify the dolphins sounds.

Seeing the dolphins and whales was absolutely amazing. The lady running the tour not so much. She was very rude to many of the guests asking them to get out of her way because she couldn’t see the dolphins. There was no mega phone on the boat to hear the dolphins, in fact she had her own music plying the entire time. When we saw the whales I asked if we would be able to hear them, her answer was just no, I finally asked her to turn off the music so we could hear them breath when they came up, she was offended and snarky when she shut it off. I am so glad we asked we were finally able to hear them coming up for air and find them easier for photos. We did not hear the dolphins at all due to the loud music. There was no amplified sounds as advertised. There seemed to be no experience about the dolphins and whales as we were told nothing about them except what species they were. It’s crazy how such an amazing experience can be brought down by a unfriendly tour guide. In the future I would highly recommend trying to find locals to take you. We learnt more about the whales and dolphins from talking to locals then this tour, every single one of them knew where to go to find them. Of course seeing dolphins and whales is amazing, just be prepared foe zero excitement, zero information, and do not plan on hearing these beautiful creatures on this tour. This was our only transplant tour guide from America, in the future go with locals! 100% more friendly and have way more information. Speak with your air bnb hosts to point you in the right direction.

Unforgettable Experience

Sierra was an absolute joy to hang out with for 6hrs on the open ocean. It was extremely clear from the get go her main aim was for us to see some amazing wildlife and learn about their habitats. Whether you get to see a lot of wildlife or not, Sierra provided an extremely safe and catered tour with lunch, snacks, and extra water. She also had a really cool playlist of songs that fitted the occasion just perfectly. We were lucky with the weather as it was a sunny day and the waters were relatively calm. In the first hour heading out we saw some manta rays and a few small groups of dolphins. We eventually got to see a mega pod of dolphins numbering in their hundreds who were diving in and out of the waves in front of the boat!! This however was slightly overshadowed by the unforgettable encounter we had with a Bryde's Whale. After spotting and boating over to this whale, we realized it was in a playful and social mood which Sierra mentioned is extremely uncommon for this species. Given the circumstances, we were able to SWIM with the whale for about 30 minutes! We stayed close to the boat and watched the whale make several passes. The experience of being in the ocean and watching a creature as magnificent as this one calmly gliding past is one that we will remember for the rest of our lives. Thank you to Sierra, the boat captain, and The Divine Dolphin group for an incredible day. Whether I had this experience or not, I would highly recommend taking this tour!

Dream come true

An incredible experience!! We encountered a bryde's whale that was really interested in us: he came interacting with the boat by itself. While snorkelling, we could even see it passing by in front of us, just a few meters away. We also spotted a really big pod of pantropical spotted dolphins who were very playful: bowriding in front of the boat and jumping out of the water. I never saw so many dolphins aggregated together! Other animals we encountered were olive ridley turtles, green sea turtles, manta rays, flying fish and brown boobies. If you're in Drake Bay, don't miss out on this adventure!