Best Place to Swim with Wild Dolphins in New Zealand

Swimming with wild dolphins in New Zealand is an experience unlike any other.

I’ve got on dolphin watching trips before. I’ve even swum with dolphins in Mexico (in captivity – before I understood sustainable tourism).

But neither could compare to swimming with wild dolphins in Kaikoura, New Zealand.

To be honest, I nearly didn’t go on the dolphin swim tour. I didn’t think it’d be worth it. I pictured some sad SeaWorld experience that would cost me hundreds of dollars and further animal cruelty.

Until I learned the truth: swimming with dolphins in New Zealand is sustainable and half of the money from tours goes back into research to protect the animals.

Companies are granted special tourism licenses to take small groups of tourists out to pods of wild dolphins and allow them to swim amongst them. There are strict practises in place to ensure the safety of the dolphins – and the humans.

If you’re debating whether or not to swim with dolphins in New Zealand, or you’re trying to find the best place for a tour, this guide will help convince you.

🐬 I recommend this dolphin swimming tour!

Where to See Wild Dolphins in New Zealand

New Zealand is famous for its incredibly diverse wildlife. You can visit the world’s smallest blue penguins in Dunedin, spot the only alpine parrot in Milford Sound, and view whales from most coasts of the nation.

Dolphins are one of the marvels of New Zealand’s wildlife tourism. You can spot them from boats and ferries to neighbouring islands, from your backyard in certain coastal towns, or head out to see to look for them.

Some of the best spots to see dolphins are:

• Bay of Islands for bottlenose dolphins
• Kaikoura for dusky dolphins
• Akaroa for hector’s dolphins
• Marlborough Sounds region for bottlenose and common dolphins, and orcas
• Hauraki Gulf near Auckland
• Tauranga coast
• On the ferry crossing from Wellington to Picton

🐬 I recommend this dolphin swimming tour!

Are you Allowed to Swim With Dolphins in New Zealand?

Swimming with wild dolphins is an epic New Zealand bucket list activity. Travellers have flocked to the North and South Islands to get an opportunity to participate in this marvelous wildlife experience.

However, in recent years, the Bay of Islands in the North Island has had to stop this practice. This is due to the declining number of Bottlenose dolphins, the species of dolphins that visit the northern area of New Zealand.

Swimming with wild dolphins is still allowed and thriving in the South Island, where you swim with Hector’s or dusky dolphins – two different species that have high numbers in the area. In fact, tour companies are working to ensure their protection with wildlife researchers, partially funded by your dolphin swim experience. 

So if you’re looking to swim with dolphins in New Zealand, visit the South Island. 

For more tips on adventure in the South Island, check out my Ultimate Guide to New Zealand’s South Island. 

🐬 I recommend this dolphin swimming tour!

Is it safe to swim with wild dolphins?

It is completely safe to swim with dolphins in New Zealand. Special restrictions are in place from animal conservancies to ensure the protection of the dolphins and their habitats. 

These ensure that swimming with wild dolphin tours are safe for the animals.

In fact, before your swim, you’ll be taught how to safely interact with the dolphins. It’s a big no-no to disobey the rules as they can scare off the entire pod of dolphins.

It’s also a safe activity for humans. Swimming with wild dolphins is easy and mostly-risk free. Dolphins are peaceful, gentle creatures. They fear you more than you do them.

I jumped in the water with a fur seal among the pod. They quickly drove it away, protecting our group of swimmers from a potentially nasty bite of a scared seal.

🐬 I recommend this dolphin swimming tour!

Are There Sharks?

This was my sister’s first question when I told her I was going swimming with wild dolphins in the middle of the ocean.

The answer is, thankfully, no. There aren’t sharks in the region, as dolphins dislike sharks. Since the tours follow dolphin pods specifically, it’s incredibly rare that you would ever encounter a shark on a dolphin swim. Tours in the South Island have gone decades without any shark sightings on their dolphin encounters. 

When sharks are out, the dolphins go away, and you won’t be getting in the water.

Where is the Best Place to Swim With Dolphins in New Zealand?

KAIKOURA

Kaikoura is one of the best places in New Zealand to observe wildlife, due to the deep Hikurangi Trench that lies just off its shores. The nutrients and currents from this trench attract wildlife, such as sperm whales and albatrosses. A fur seal colony lives on the edge of town. And dusky dolphins are in abundance.

Kaikoura is the best place to go swimming with wild dolphins on the West Coast of the South Island. It’s an easy addition to any New Zealand itinerary from Queenstown to Wellington. 

Unfortunately, like the rest of New Zealand, the weather in Kaikoura is unpredictable. My friend, Molly, tried to go whale watching for three days a few years ago, but the weather was never good enough. High winds and large swells can cancel any excursion that’s water based.

I knocked on wood for a week hoping for clear skies for my dolphin swim and got very lucky that it was a stunning day.

🐬 I recommend this dolphin swimming tour!

DUSKY DOLPHINS

Dusky dolphins are small to medium dolphins that live in the Southern Hemisphere. They have dark grey or black backs with light grey or white bellies. A light grey line runs from their eyes to a short, dark grey nose.

The dusky dolphins stay off the coast of Kaikoura all year round. In the summer, they move closer inland so the boat ride to get to them is a bit shorter.

Dusky dolphins are known for their acrobatics. Like other dolphins, they leap and slap their tails. They are unique and best known for their somersaults. They flip in the air and flash their white belly towards the sun before slipping back into the ocean.

It’s a stunning sight, especially if you’ve just been twirling in the water alongside them.

Akaroa

Akaroa is a historic French Village on the South Island of New Zealand. The harbour of the village is a flooded volcanic crater surrounded by towering volcanic mountains that make it a stunning location for visitors. These volcanic structures shelter the harbour, making it a safe haven for one of the rarest species of dolphins in the world. 

Akaroa is on the West Coast of the South Island, about 84km from Christchurch along the highway. 

Akaroa is the best place to swim with a rare species of dolphin.

🐬 I recommend this Akaroa dolphin swim tour

Hector’s Dolphins

According to the World Wildlife Organization, Hector’s Dolphins are the smallest and rarest marine dolphins in the world.  They are an endangered species with only about 7,000 left in existence.

You can swim with these 4-foot long dolphins in the sheltered harbour of Akaroa, where they love to spend their time. They love the shallow waters along New Zealand’s coast. 

Hector’s dolphins are known for their short, stocky bodies compared to their lankier cousins. You can spot them from their Mickey Mouse ear-shaped dorsal fin that is much rounder than other dolphins’. They have black facial markings that are reminiscent of an orca whale in some cases.

There is a subspecies of these dolphins called Maui’s dolphins, which only have 55 remaining in the wild. 

If you go on a swimming with dolphins tour in Akaroa, 50% of the funds are dedicated to protecting and researching ways to save Hector’s dolphin from extinction. 

How to Swim with Dolphins in Kaikoura, New Zealand

What to Expect

Before your swim, Dolphin Encounter Kaikoura gives you some tips on how to interact with the dusky dolphins.

When you hop in the ocean, you’re in their environment. It’s important that you work to make them comfortable.

Slide into the water so you don’t jar the dolphins.

Don’t try to reach out and touch them. This usually scares them away. Keep your hands at your sides and try to swim “like a dolphin” (for me this meant awkwardly pelvic thrusting and not really getting anywhere).

Dolphins live in a world of sound. The best way to get their attention is to make noise. The guide recommended singing your favourite song or making squeaking noises.

The videos they showed of wet suit clad figures trying to hum through their snorkels were hilarious. Why would anyone want to embarrass themselves like that?

Oh, right: dolphins!

Dolphins are intrigued by people that dive down below the surface and will often circle or dive with you. I’m not a very strong swimmer, so I opted to avoid that option.

You can also spin with the dolphins. Simply look them in the eye, keep your hands at your side and turn in a circle. The dolphins will usually follow you. After a spin or two, they tend to get bored and speed up to see if you can keep pace.

You definitely can’t. These things are speedy!

They gave us lots of warnings to not be disappointed if the dolphins don’t feel like interacting with us. Some days they just aren’t in the mood to hang out with sixteen strangers. The dolphins are wild, so they can’t predict their behaviour.

I was getting worried that we might not even see a dolphin. I kept getting flashbacks to a whale watching tour I took with my mom in San Francisco that yielded no whales and a lot of sea sickness.

🐬 I recommend this dolphin swimming tour!

Are You Guaranteed to See Dolphins

You aren’t guaranteed to see dolphins on any dolphin tour, whether it’s a dolphin-watching expedition or a swimming tour.

Since the companies are sustainable tourism organizations, they don’t control or coral the dolphins for tours. Instead, they go out every morning and search for them. Other ships give them tips, hoping to direct them to a friendly pod ready to play.

Some days, there just aren’t any around though. While it’s disappointing, it’s important to remember that these are wild animals, not some trapped animal at SeaWorld. They have the whole ocean to explore. The fact that you don’t get to see them matters a lot less than them getting to have their freedom

🐬 I recommend this dolphin swimming tour!

How Long is the Dolphin Swim Tour?

I don’t know how long we were out there. Looking back, it felt like minutes. When I was in the water, it felt like hours. Swims usually range from 20-40 minutes, depending on the dolphins. Ours was probably somewhere in there.

🐬 I recommend this dolphin swimming tour!

How Cold is the Water?

Water temperatures vary throughout the year and depending on the time of day of your swim. In summer, the temperature can get as high as 18C. It will feel cooler in the morning before the sun has warmed the surface of the water.

In winter, the temperatures drop to 8C. Tours will provide additional gear to keep you warm, like gloves and booties.

I visited between the seasons in spring and honestly I can’t imagine getting in that water if it was any colder. As it was, my fingers were painfully cold (literally, they physically hurt). Even with the booties and the flippers, I could feel the cold seeping into my toes and ankles.

While it is exceptionally cold, it’s worth it. You are swimming around, focussed on the dolphins. I only noticed the cold when I was still or had to come up to adjust my snorkel. 

🐬 I recommend this dolphin swimming tour!

Do They Give You a Wetsuit?

At Dolphin Encounter Kaikoura, we were given a full kit of snorkelling gear: a snorkel and mask, fins, an insulated wetsuit, a wetsuit hood and a wetsuit jacket. The guides glanced at us and tossed us a set in our size (which they were surprisingly good at guessing).

The wet suit was as buoyant as a life jacket apparently. I asked for a kick board or a pool noodle, just in case, but never ended up needing it.

Unlike the Waitomo Glowworm Caves, this wetsuit was dry. (Thank God. I don’t think I could have survived a damp wet suit at 5:30 a.m.)

We had to put on our gear before heading onto the boat. Sixteen people bouncing around on one leg on a moving vessel was likely to end in disaster. As it was, I nearly fell over trying to tug the wetsuit over my feet in the change room.

No one could keep a straight face when we pulled our hoods on. Bits of hair stuck down into our face. The fabric seemed to smoosh your chin and cheeks closer to your nose.

At least it kept us warm!

🐬 I recommend this dolphin swimming tour!

Tips to Avoid Seasickness

I get massively seasick on any type of water vessel. So I know the drill: get some dramamine or gravol in your system stat!

I took a pill before we got going and never had any issues on the boat. Either the tablet really worked or my adrenaline was so intense that it was preventing me from feeling sea-sick (I’m inclined to believe the adrenaline, as I was almost shaking the rest of the day – much like after my skydive in Taupo, New Zealand.).

If you’re worried about seasickness, try these tips:

• Buy an anti-nausea medicine and take it 30 minutes before the start of your tour
• Have some ginger tea or ginger biscuits on hand, as they’ll calm your stomach
• If you’re not going in the water, put a slice of fresh ginger between your lip and your teeth (it really works! I used this method for weeks on a catamaran in the British Virgin Islands)
• Look at the horizon when on the boat. Stay in the open air and don’t go down into the interior of the boat – this will make the rocking feeling much worse
• Drink small sips of water

Swimming with the Wild Dusky Dolphins

Our First Swim

Close to 6 a.m., our tour group piled into a van to head to the boat. We tucked away our dry clothes and snorkels to relax until we found the dolphins.

I was practically buzzing with excitement. The nervous butterfly-belly feeling you get before an exam? I had that sitting on this boat searching for dorsal fins in the waves.

We were sitting on the back of the boat, staring at the water when, suddenly, a fin appeared. A dusky dolphin!

Soon there was another. Then another!

One somersaulted into the air and my breath actually caught in my throat. My camera was still in my lap, turned off, as I marvelled. (I just saw a dusky dolphin doing its acrobatics! Who cares if I got a photo for the ‘gram?)

It seemed like a second later when we were sitting on the back of the boat with our fins dragging in the icy water, preparing to slide in. I noticed a seal swimming to the right of the boat and kept pointing it out, oblivious to the guide telling us to hop in. Flailing, I slid in after the others and froze.

I’m not talking about not moving. I mean, every part of my body was suddenly twenty degrees colder. Or it felt like it was.

The ocean water flooded my wet suit, spreading the chill through the thick fabric. How cold must it be without the wet suit? I wondered.

I thought about turning back. My hands were already stiff by my sides. I realized I hadn’t even put my snorkel in my mouth. No wonder I was struggling to breathe underwater.

Then I saw it streak past me: a dusky dolphin.

I shoved my snorkel in my mouth and plunged my face into the water, worries forgotten.

The dolphin seemed close enough to touch, but when I lifted my head to watch it crest, I realized it was further away than I’d thought. Being underwater totally distorted my already questionable spatial reasoning.

I didn’t see the seal again. Maybe it swam off. Or maybe I was just too focussed on the three dolphins I could see drifting beneath our group.

I could hear a strange mix of humming and squeaking. 

Who was making that horrible noise? Oh my god. It was me! Unbidden, this strange sound was coming from my mouth and echoing through my snorkel as I tried to catch a dolphin’s eye.

It took a few tries before I found a dolphin who wanted to turn with me. I caught its eye and spun in a tight circle, flippers flapping about behind me. It was probably the least graceful thing I’ve ever done. But I didn’t care. Because the dolphin followed!

We were spinning together in the freezing ocean at 6:30 in the morning.

I drifted away from our group a couple times, swimming aimlessly in search of dolphins that would rise from the blue nothingness below me or pop up at my feet. Occasionally, people would swim into me or I would swim into them, our eyes so focussed beneath us that we didn’t notice black blobs and bright yellow Go Pros rapidly approaching.

The few times I raised my head, I could hear a cacophony of humming, squeaking and singing. Someone was trying to perform the Indiana Jones theme song. I kept making Dory-esque whale noises, somehow so stunned by the dolphins that I forgot they actually were dolphins and not whales.

Eventually, the dolphins swam away until only a couple would flit in and out of sight.

The guide blasted a horn and got us back on the boat. I had been minutes away from bailing and returning to the vessel. My hands were so cold they actually hurt and I was pretty sure I’d never feel my ears again (can you actually feel your ears?).

We piled onto the back of the boat, but were told not to take off our wetsuits. They were taking us to another spot.

I considered peeling off my hood and demanding they serve me my weight in hot chocolate, but something told me not to. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. When was I ever going to get to swim with wild dolphins again? (Part of me wanted to say “never” if it was going to be this cold.)

So, I bore the cold. I flexed my overly white fingers and watched for dorsal fins.

🐬 I recommend this dolphin swimming tour!

OUR SECOND SWIM

Our guide came around and told us to pull our masks down, so we’d be ready. I fumbled with mine, trying to get wet hair out of my face with fingers that seemed as helpful as marshmallows.

The horn blared and we were back in the water.

Although I was prepared for the cold, that didn’t change the fact that it was really cold. Can you get brain freeze just from being in cold water? If so, I had it.

Five dolphins swam in front of me. Three adults and two smaller ones that must have been babies. I gaped at them, accidentally filling my mouth with salt water. (Note to self: mentally gape when snorkelling.)

Our new spot had more wild dolphins that were eager to play with us. Grey streaks kept flitting past me, swimming so fast I nearly missed them.

A few swimmers dove down, drawing the dusky dolphins closer to them. I was a bit jealous. If I’d known that swimming lessons would have helped me play with dolphins, I probably would have tried harder as a kid.

My mangled whale song started again. I kept trying to turn it into a real song or squeaks, but Dory had clearly invaded my head. The dolphins did seem interested in whatever the sound was and drifted towards me.

I spun with a few of them until I was dizzy and had managed to kick myself in the face with my flippers.

We swam for a shorter time at our second stop. The dolphins were plentiful, but we weren’t allowed to stay too long. The boat needed to get back and the dolphins needed a break from curious tourists.

🐬 I recommend this dolphin swimming tour!

After the Swim

The boat had two hot hoses that we lined up to shove inside of our wetsuits. Steam rose as we filled our suits with the gloriously hot water. My clumsy fingers could barely hold the tap as I tried to warm them.

Hopping out of a soaking wet suit on a moving boat filled with other people is not an easy feat. My fingers seemed incapable of gripping or bending. Pulling on yoga pants with immobile fingers may be one of my greatest accomplishments to date – especially when I was still damp. 

We changed into dry clothes and wrapped ourselves in blankets to try to warm up. Well, other people did. I wrapped myself in a blanket and ran back out onto the bow, the breeze constantly blowing it from my shoulders. I wanted to watch the dolphin race – when the dolphins coast alongside the bow of the boat.  They swam with us, surfacing in front of us or riding the waves.

In the distance, a few leaped into the air.

We dolphin-watched for a while, excitedly pointing at the massive pod as their fins rose with the waves. Our guide used a hollow sounding microphone to tell us about dusky dolphins, Kaikoura and the company.

I was shocked to learn that the two dolphins I had seen belly-to-belly weren’t just playing; I’d witnessed a dusky dolphin mating. I felt a bit better after learning that my friend, Joe, had watched a dolphin poop. Mating is probably better than pooping, right?

🐬 I recommend this dolphin swimming tour!

Best Time to Swim With Dolphins in Kaikoura

Dolphin Encounter Kaikoura runs three tours daily: 5:30 a.m., 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. They recommend their 5:30 a.m. tour, as the dolphins tend to be most playful in the morning.

Unfortunately, I am least playful at 5:30 in the morning. But you’ve got to work with the dolphins’ schedule.

🐬 I recommend this dolphin swimming tour!

How Much Does it Cost to Swim with Dolphins in New Zealand? 

I booked my wild dolphin swim with Dolphin Encounter Kaikoura through my Kiwi Experience trip.

Dolphin Encounter Kaikoura is a locally owned business that has been running dolphin tours for over thirty years. They have three boats and can run three dolphin swimming trips a day. To protect the wildlife, there is a limit of sixteen swimmers per boat.

I was very excited to find an opportunity to swim with wild dolphins that was ethical and conscious of the environment. For more information on sustainable tourism and why it’s important, check out this great post by the Runaway blog.

Swimming with wild dolphins costs $180 NZD for adults.

If you don’t want to swim with the dolphins, you can go on the boat as a dolphin watcher. This only costs $95 NZD per adult.

For either activity, book ahead to ensure you get a spot.

Dolphin Encounter Kaikoura rents Go Pros for you to use to film your wild dolphin swim if you don’t have your own. I chose not to, as the $69 NZD price point for the camera with a viewing screen seemed like too much. Besides, I wanted to enjoy my wild dolphin swim handsfree.

Instead, my friends Joe and Amy kindly offered to share their pictures and videos with me, as they’d already rented one (thanks, guys!).

🐬 I recommend this dolphin swimming tour!

What to Pack For Your Dolphin Swim

You don’t need to supply your own wetsuit.

Show up with your swimsuit and a towel, and you’re ready to go!

I recommend bringing some extra items to ensure you have the best time on your dolphin swim:

• Go pro or similar waterproof camera
• Camera to take photos from the boat
• Hairbrush for wet hair post-swim
• Dry bag to put your wet items in
• If you have long hair, you may want to bring a second towel
• Flip flops or shoes that can get wet
• Sweater, especially for morning dolphin swims
• Make sure you have travel insurance in case something goes wrong

Where to Stay in Kaikoura

Was It Worth Waking Up at 4am?

While I was swimming, I thought that I’d never want to do it again. The cold water was so intense and part of my brain kept downplaying the fact that I had swum with wild dolphins.

But I had swum with wild dolphins!

Now, I would 100% set my alarm incredibly early, sneak out of a packed hostel room and shove my face into the icy ocean to get to play with some dusky dolphins again.

The best part of the experience was that the dusky dolphins were wild and operating of their own free will. No one forced or enticed them to spend time with us. A few clearly didn’t care for us and swam away. The ones that stayed and spun with me did so because they chose to.

Really, who wouldn’t want to spin with a wild dolphin?

If you’re debating whether the swim is worth it or if it’s worth waking up at 4 am for the experience, trust me: you need to do it. Go for a swim with dolphins in New Zealand in some of the best places to get a unique view of the local wildlife. Bonus: your experience will contribute to the preservation of these beautiful creatures.

What are you waiting for? Go swimming with wild dolphins in the best place in the world when you’re visiting New Zealand in Kaikoura or Akaroa.

🐬 I recommend this dolphin swimming tour!

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Thank you to Amy Wyatt and Joe McCallum for the photos and videos! Any photos or videos underwater came from them. Follow @amy_wyatt_ on Instagram for more of her awesome photos!

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