Get ready to enjoy an incredible experience in Akaroa, swimming with some of the world’s smallest, friendliest and rarest dolphins. Hector’s Dolphins are protected in Akaroa Harbour by a marine mammal sanctuary and our cruise gives you the chance to see these beautiful marine mammals close up.
All our crew are highly trained on safety and how to maximise your dolphin swimming experience. This means that you’ll get a great briefing on how to interact with the dolphins and what to expect prior to your journey. They’ll also give you safety instructions and other information to allow you to enjoy your experience. If you are new to snorkelling and using a wetsuit, your crew will be on hand to help you out.
This incredible experience allows only 12 swimmers per vessel, so you will have more chances to come face-to-face with the dolphins. Swimming with the dolphins in an aquarium type environment is one great thing, but swimming with them in their natural environment is a whole other amazing experience that you will never forget!
Locations
Available Dates
Akaroa Harbour
Available
Quantity:
Available Options:Add 1 Adult (16+ yrs) $139 Add 1 Child (8-15yrs) $115 Add 2 Children (8-15yrs) $230
Only $139.00
Gifting this experience.
This Experience is perfect as a gift to a loved one, friend or colleague.
Top 3 facts on Gift Vouchers:
Gift Vouchers are valid for 6 months from date of purchase
You don’t have to pick a date straight away you can leave it open dated so the recipient can choose their own date.
Gift Vouchers can be delivered via an instant email voucher (free) or a beautifully presented Gift Box (additional $15 incl express post)
Additional Info
Customers must have a basic skill level of swimming ability. Obviously the water is over your head and a degree of confidence in swimming is required.
A basic level of fitness is required. You will be floating in the water and will be required to swim to and from the boat - distances up to 50 metres (150 feet) at a time.
Swimming with dolphins is not available for children under 8 years old. A fit and confident child aged 8 and above is able to swim with dolphins.
Customers should have some knowledge of English, so you can understand safety instructions and emergency procedures. If you do not speak English, you should be able to read and understand the foreign language safety instructions and be confident that you can communicate with crew using the pre-agreed hand signals in the event of an emergency.
The water temperature in Akaroa Harbour ranges from 11C (52F) in the winter to 17C (67F) in the summer.
Customers must not be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Duration
Please allow three hours for your Swim with the Dolphins Experience. Please allow half an hour before departing for a full briefing, about two hours on the water (of which up to an hour is spent with the dolphins) and half an hour afterwards for showering.
Dress Code
Bring your swimming costume and a towel. Everything else is provided for you including wetsuit, mask, snorkel, booties, gloves and a hood if necessary. During the low season months of May to September we provide dry suits. With a dry suit you can wear normal clothes underneath and remain 100% dry. Note you should wear warm clothes suitable for a cool day, so a polar fleece, polypropylene underwear, woollen socks and trousers are recommended. Jeans are not suitable
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I touch the dolphins? A: No. These dolphins have extremely sensitive skin and a slight touch may bruise or hurt the dolphin. A nail may scratch the surface of their skin causing infections.
Q: Do we feed the dolphins? A: No absolutely not.
Q: Are there sharks? A: We have been operating dolphin swimming for 20 years now and have never had a problem with sharks. Generally if there are sharks around then the dolphins will be nowhere to be seen.
Q: How cold is the water? A: In the summer the water temperature is around 17 degrees Celsius, in winter this usually decreases to around 11 degrees. We have very good quality thick wetsuits which keep you warm in the water. We also have booties, gloves and hoodies. In the winter months from May to September we use dry suits.
Q: Are the dolphins wild? A: Yes these dolphins are completely wild.
Gifting this experience.
Available
