Educational Activities
Bring your binoculars and cameras to enjoy the unique habitat that draws wildlife of all kinds. South Padre Island’s mild year-round temperatures make for an inviting natural learning environment. Explore our waters to view bottlenose dolphins, interact with sea turtles, and learn about native birds and rare butterflies.
Art Classes
SPI Art Space
spiartspace.com
956.761.2112
Golf Lessons
SPI Golf Club
spigolf.com
956.943.5678
Kiteboarding and Kayak Lessons
Windsurf the Boatyard
windsurftheboatyard.com
956.561.4189
Kiteboarding Lessons
Prokite South Padre
prokitesouthpadre.com
541.490.6872
Kiteboarding, Surfing, Flyboarding and Paddle Boarding Lessons
South Padre Island Water Sports
southpadreislandwatersports.com
956.299.9463
Sailing Lessons
Time for Sailing
timeforsailing.com
956.451.8113
Sand Castle Lessons
Andy Hancock
sandcastlelessons.com
956.433.9948
Scuba Diving and Snorkeling Lessons
American Diving
divesouthpadre.com
956.761.2030
Surf Lessons, Surf Camps, Surf Rentals
SPI Sessions Surf & Lessons
2000 Gulf Blvd. (Beach Access 4) * Beachside Location
spisessions.com
956.455.5238
Watersports - Jetskis, Kayak, Paddle Boards, Surf Rentals and Equipment Sales
SPI Sessions Watersports
5717 Padre Blvd *Bayside Location
www.spisessionswatersports.com
956.455.5238
Windsurfing, Kiteboarding, Surfboarding, Wakeboarding and Tubing Lessons
Windsurf Inc. South Padre Island
southpadre-kiteboarding.com
956.761.1434
1.800.880.JIBE
Eco-Tourism
Sea Turtle Inc
https://seaturtleinc.org/
956.761.4511
Horse Riding Lessons and Instructional Classes
The Stables
spistables.com
956.761.7743
Kiteboarding and Paddle Boarding Lessons
SPI Kiteboarding & SUP
spikiteboarding.com
956.772.1098
Kiteboarding Lessons
Red Dog Kiteboarding
reddogkiteboarding.com
956.433.9116
Kiteboarding, Surfing, Kayaking, Stand Up Paddle Boarding and Wakeboarding Lessons
Air Padre Kiteboarding
airpadrekiteboarding.com
956.299.9463
Sand Castle Lessons
Sandy Feet Sandcastle Services (Lucinda Wierenga)
sandyfeet.com
956.459.2928
Stand Up Paddle Boarding Lessons
Eh Brah SUP.com
ehbrahsup.com
956.433.9116
Surf Lessons and Surf Camps
South Padre Surf Company
southpadresurfcompany.com
956.772.7272
South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center
Daily Guided Bird Walks
One of nine World Birding Center sites in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, the Nature Center provides one-of-a-kind birding opportunities, coupled with interpretive tours on site. Visitors will learn about birds on the Island, as well as the diversity of fish, dolphins, plants and more.
spibirding.com
956.761.6801
Captain Murphy’s/Isla Tour
Isla Tours’ Eco Tour and Dolphin Watch
Visitors will enjoy a 90-minute dolphin watch and eco-tour aboard Murphy’s Law. The crew nets sea life from the ocean floor and brings it aboard for an interactive presentation. The excursion also gives visitors a chance to view the diversity of local and migratory birds.
islatours.com
Fishing Trips 956.761.2764
Isla Tours 956.761.4752
The Original Dolphin Watch
Dolphin Watch and Ecology Tour
This exciting, interactive tour begins with the crew of the Double Sunshine netting live specimens of marine life. The animals are then transported into a living, saltwater laboratory where visitors can experience an up-close presentation given by one of the crew. Once the sea life is safely returned to the water, the Double Sunshine continues the excursion, following dolphin pods along the Devil’s Elbow.
theoriginaldolphinwatch.net
956.761.4243
Fins 2 Feathers
Dolphin & Birding Tours
Captain Scarlet Colley, a renowned “dolphin whisperer,” offers tours to view the area’s many dolphins up close. The tour is perfect for birders, photographers, and nature enthusiasts who want to get up close with the abundant and
diverse birdlife.
fin2feather.com
956.299.0629
Sea Turtle Inc.
Turtle Talks
The primary mission of Sea Turtle, Inc. is to educate the general public about the Island’s endangered sea turtles and their marine environments. Visitors can participate in a “Turtle Talk,” which are given multiple times a day. They can also visit the turtles that are being rehabilitated here for return to the wild. Sea Turtle, Inc. also offers school field trips, which include an interactive presentation and a tour of the facility.
seaturtleinc.org
956.761.6801
Osprey Cruises
Sea Life Safari
This sightseeing tour gives visitors a close look at dolphins and other local marine life. The tour, which guarantees dolphin sightings during daylight, includes an eco tour, a history of the local area and its geology, bird watching, and close observation of living sea life.
ospreycruises.com
956.761.6655 or 956.943.6283
Breakaway Cruises
Dolphin Watch and Eco Cruise
This enjoyable and informative two-hour cruise gives visitors the chance to see some of the area’s abundant Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins. Visitors will also experience exceptional bird watching and abundant sea life, carefully brought up from the depths for up close viewing and education.
breakawaycruises.com
956.761.2212
UTRGV Coastal Studies Lab
Discovery Cruise & Floating Classroom
The Coastal Studies Laboratory located on South Padre Island was established in 1973, and is dedicated to providing educational opportunities, enhancing research, engaging in public service, and providing community outreach related to coastal and marine concerns in the Gulf of Mexico with special emphasis on the South Texas region.
https://www.utrgv.edu/csl/
956-761-2644
Educational Resources
Sea Turtle Inc.
Morning Munch!
Sunday, March 29, 2020
Watch as the staff from Sea Turtle Inc. feed their resident turtles every morning.
Sea Turtle Patient Enrichment
Saturday, April 4, 2020
Learn more about the mission of Sea Turtle Inc. as the staff feeds and engages with resident turtles.
Catch up with Let’s Talk Turtles!
SPI Birding, Nature, and Alligator Sanctuary
Pectoral Sandpiper
Our gardens and wetlands are very important rest stops for migratory birds like this Pectoral Sandpiper…
Spotted Sandpiper
Check out this Spotted Sandpiper darting around and looking sharp with it’s rich spots on for breeding season!
The Wilson’s Snipe
Today’s Nature Minute features another migratory shorebird, the Wilson’s Snipe.
Reddish Egret
A Reddish Egret, one of our specialty birds, perched near bird blind.
Marbled Godwits
Lots of shorebirds migrating through on their way to northern breeding grounds at the moment. Though we see these Marbled Godwits…
Ocean acidification — Here’s what happens when seawater is forced to absorb too much carbon dioxide
