Dixon's Zodiac Seafari
Dixon's Zodiac Seafari
4.5
Boat ToursDolphin & Whale WatchingNature & Wildlife Tours
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About
Nestled in the northeast corner of Cape Breton Island lies the quaint fishing village of Neil’s Harbour. Just two minutes off of the Cabot Trail, let the lighthouse guide you to Dixon's Zodiac Seafari. Prepare to have a smooth, exhilarating ride aboard the "733 Hurricane", the same type of vessel used by the Canadian Coast Guard. This is where your coastal, whale and marine life adventure will begin.
Neil's Harbor, Nova Scotia, Canada
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Dixon's Zodiac Seafari
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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4.5
45 reviews
Excellent
36
Very good
4
Average
4
Poor
0
Terrible
1
Meredith G.
Fair Oaks, CA20 contributions
Jul. 2022 • Solo
Saw lots of pilot whales amidst a lovely narration of the area by Lowell. It was also cool to see the lobster fisherman bringing in their boats to the harbor. He was a good captain and made the boat ride enjoyable and safe!
Written July 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rob Dickson
Ottawa, Canada3 contributions
Jul. 2022
My son and I took a zodiac tour with Captain Lowell Dixon this past weekend as part of our Canada-Day long weekend adventure tour of Cape Breton. It was fantastic!!! The zodiac boat is the way to do it, with some "wildness" (eg. spray of the waves, and quick nimble turns), but still with the feeling of stability. We were able to see a large whale (or shark) breach the water close to us. Captain Lowell was very diligent is searching the best spots for whale sightings, and was also very responsive to our many questions. The length of the tour, at just a bit under two hours, was perfect. Make sure you listen to the advice that Captain Lowell gives about what to wear on the boat. He made a point of checking our attire before we boarded. While we may have doubted the need to wear a rain/wind jacket due to how warm it felt on shore, he was bang on what the conditions would be once we got out on the water. And safety was top of mind - making sure life preservers were worn, and giving a clear safety briefing before boarding.
Also, all communications before and after the trip were prompt and professional. And we even got tips on good places in the area to get a great seafood lunch after the tour was over.
Thanks, Dixon Zodiac Seafari, for a superb whale watching adventure that we will remember!
Also, all communications before and after the trip were prompt and professional. And we even got tips on good places in the area to get a great seafood lunch after the tour was over.
Thanks, Dixon Zodiac Seafari, for a superb whale watching adventure that we will remember!
Written July 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Oranje2012
Fredericton, Canada148 contributions
Sep. 2021 • Couples
Captain Lowell Dixon is professional, extremely knowledgable and a real great tour guide. We called about 3 days in advance and we kept communicating to find out the right time to go. The weather in Cape Breton can turn in seconds, and it is apparent that safety is paramount and he will only go in good conditions. We weren't sure if we were going to get out, but he found a window, called us and said you have 30 minutes to get here, we were there and got out just in time. When we came back the seas were getting to 1 to 1.5 meters high. We enjoyed the trip very much. He wouldn't go out the rest of the day due to higher seas and the wind picking up. We saw a pod of about 10-12 pilot whales. Once we found them, he could almost predict where and when they were going to pop up. Going in the zodiac made the trip so successful in tracking the pod. Lots of great photos, videos and memories. Thanks very much.
Written September 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cathy T
2 contributions
Sep. 2021
This trip was a bucket list trip and Lowell was an excellent captain. Other than not seeing any whales (possibly due to an impending hurricane) it was an exhilarating and lovely day on the water. Lowell took the time to explain things and answer questions. There were sea birds and we possibly saw some seals but due to the swells we could not go to close to shore. Thank you Lowell.
Written September 11, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Monica
Porters Lake, Canada8 contributions
Aug. 2019
We did enjoy our excursion, the captain was very good, the zodiac more comfortable then the previous 1 we were on in Brier Island (although many more whales there) , and the coastal scenery was so beautiful. our kids were disappointed in the product,although we did see a Minke whale, although not easy to watch or get a photo of, and some beautiful scenery.
Written May 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sylvie D
Welland, Canada26 contributions
Jul. 2019 • Couples
Lowell was a great tour guide for this whale watching tour. He does his best to find the whales location so his guests can experience the best sighting possible. We were fortunate to see a Fin Whale today. It was nice being out on the water.
Written July 20, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Adrian E
Newport, UK38 contributions
Jul. 2019 • Couples
Fantastic trip- captain Lowell Dixon worked really hard for the 11 passengers- up and down the bay til he found some Minke whales-4 in all, and some harbour porpoises, some huge seals and seabirds too. Great early season trip, especially positive after a non event elsewhere in Bay St Lawrence the day before. Totally recommend.
Written July 2, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Juju1988420
4 contributions
Jun. 2019 • Couples
My gf and i made the treck up to northern cape breton to sea some whales. What a beautiful drive first of all up the cabot trail but thats another story
We met the couple at the dock who run the exciting whale tour. They are extremely welcoming and friendly. The boat is a 24 foot zodiac . Just the perfect way to rip about the ocean searching for all types of sea animals.
We ended up seeing grey seals, harbour porpoises, blue fin tuna and lots of birds!
Best of all a mink whale showed it self. Not for very long but enough for us to enjoy the moment and beauty of the wild beast!
We enjoyed every minute and couldnt ask for a better company to have dealt with. The captain knows his stuff and openly answers all questions. Cheers to you and also thanks for the great recommendation for route 19! We are sipping a stout as we type this!
Much love for cape breton from london ontario
We met the couple at the dock who run the exciting whale tour. They are extremely welcoming and friendly. The boat is a 24 foot zodiac . Just the perfect way to rip about the ocean searching for all types of sea animals.
We ended up seeing grey seals, harbour porpoises, blue fin tuna and lots of birds!
Best of all a mink whale showed it self. Not for very long but enough for us to enjoy the moment and beauty of the wild beast!
We enjoyed every minute and couldnt ask for a better company to have dealt with. The captain knows his stuff and openly answers all questions. Cheers to you and also thanks for the great recommendation for route 19! We are sipping a stout as we type this!
Much love for cape breton from london ontario
Written June 20, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Happiness498910
Ashford, UK1 contribution
Jul. 2018 • Friends
Lowell and Stacey looked after us really well. I have always been nervous on the open sea but I was seated near to Lowell so he could make sure I was ok. We were taken all round the bay and various places of interest were pointed out. We also had the pleasure of seeing Beluga whales.A very enjoyable trip. I couldn't fault them.
Written August 30, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Laurel Ann S
Golden Lake2 contributions
Aug. 2018 • Family
Although this business was excellent for communication on and off season, it seems that in addition to seals and sea birds, you will likely only see one or two whales if you are lucky. We only saw birds. Our tour was very rough making two of us queasy and it was a bit scary at times. Winds came in a bit earlier than the captain expected. We were unable to locate the whale that was in the area ther previous day likely because of the big waves or it simply moved out of the area. We were unable to go closer to shore to see seals and cliffs. The captain offered to take us out a couple days later when winds were to calm down, but it did not fit into our itinerary as would be the case with most travellers. Overall, a rather disappointing experience.
Written August 21, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
whizzoff
Westmoreland, NH7 contributions
I'm not interested in whales but am interested in fishing, for mackerel, pollock or whatever. Does
this establishment or any other, nearby, offer fishing trips or is fishing allowed from the whale
watch boats? Thanks
Togmeister_Mark
Waterloo, Ontario112 contributions
Fishing during the whale-watching trip is not possible as the captain has to be alert to where the whales etc are surfacing, and then adjust position/location accordingly. The zodiac is a nimble craft for this. On a separate trip, I would imagine that you could charter a vessel for just fishing. It was late in the day when we visited, so we did not have an opportunity to check out possibilities for fishing - we just ate 'em up at the Chowder House!