Swimming with Wild Dolphins in Akaroa
Overview
Make a date with the worlds smallest, rarest and friendliest dolphins only on Akaroa Harbour. There is only one place on the planet where you can swim with wild Hector's dolphins, also known as the New Zealand Dolphin, and that is the beautiful destination of Akaroa Harbour.
With only 12 swimmers per vessel this is an intimate wildlife experience. During your briefing and instruction you will learn how to interact responsibly with Hector’s dolphins and what to expect prior to your water adventure. Then don your provided wetsuit and mask and slip into the blue waters to observe these magnificent marine mammals up close.
After your dolphin swim, you can warm up quickly in the heated cabin and enjoy a warm hot chocolate and biscuit onboard, followed by a hot shower when back at the wharf.
There is an option to join this experience as a spectator of the swim experience. This option to watch is only available when booking and travelling with a swimmer.
With only 12 swimmers per vessel this is an intimate wildlife experience. During your briefing and instruction you will learn how to interact responsibly with Hector’s dolphins and what to expect prior to your water adventure. Then don your provided wetsuit and mask and slip into the blue waters to observe these magnificent marine mammals up close.
After your dolphin swim, you can warm up quickly in the heated cabin and enjoy a warm hot chocolate and biscuit onboard, followed by a hot shower when back at the wharf.
There is an option to join this experience as a spectator of the swim experience. This option to watch is only available when booking and travelling with a swimmer.
Inclusions
- 3-hours Including suiting up/showers (2 hrs out on the water)
- Wetsuit and mask (for those swimming)
- Hot Chocolate & biscuit
- Includes a full, live commentary from skipper
- Hot Shower Facilities
- Final Check in is 15 minutes prior to Tour Time
What to expect
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Akaroa Harbour, Canterbury, New Zealand
Akaroa Harbour is a sheltered harbour, a flooded crater of an extinct volcano surrounded by awe-inspiring volcanic cliffs. With a group limit of 12 people per vessel, the Akaroa swimming with dolphins tour means it will be an even more intimate experience.
The 3-hour dolphin tour is very popular due to the limited number of passengers permitted per departure. Book now to avoid disappointment.
You will be guaranteed a safe and memorable dolphin swim.
Dolphin Sightseeing Guarantee - If you see dolphins but for some reason do not get to swim with them, then receive a part refund. 50% refund if no dolphins are found and a 25% refund if dolphins found but you are unable to swim with them. In the last 12 months we saw dolphins on 98% of our cruises and had successful swims on 81%.
• All crew are highly trained. 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 to allow you to enjoy your experience. If you are new to snorkeling and use of a wetsuit your crew will be on hand to help you out.
• All equipment is provided including wetsuit, masks and snorkel. You only have to bring a swimsuit and a towel. With hot showers available.
• The vessel is a heated, covered, jet powered catamaran. It's safer for you and the dolphins because there are no propellers. It's also heated so after your swim you can warm up quickly in the cabin.
Stop At: Akaroa, Akaroa, Canterbury Region, South Island
The historic French Village of Akaroa and its spectacular harbour is just a 90 minutes drive from Christchurch.
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Akaroa Harbour, Canterbury, New Zealand
Akaroa Harbour is a sheltered harbour, a flooded crater of an extinct volcano surrounded by awe-inspiring volcanic cliffs. With a group limit of 12 people per vessel, the Akaroa swimming with dolphins tour means it will be an even more intimate experience.
The 3-hour dolphin tour is very popular due to the limited number of passengers permitted per departure. Book now to avoid disappointment.
You will be guaranteed a safe and memorable dolphin swim.
Dolphin Sightseeing Guarantee - If you see dolphins but for some reason do not get to swim with them, then receive a part refund. 50% refund if no dolphins are found and a 25% refund if dolphins found but you are unable to swim with them. In the last 12 months we saw dolphins on 98% of our cruises and had successful swims on 81%.
• All crew are highly trained. 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 to allow you to enjoy your experience. If you are new to snorkeling and use of a wetsuit your crew will be on hand to help you out.
• All equipment is provided including wetsuit, masks and snorkel. You only have to bring a swimsuit and a towel. With hot showers available.
• The vessel is a heated, covered, jet powered catamaran. It's safer for you and the dolphins because there are no propellers. It's also heated so after your swim you can warm up quickly in the cabin.
Stop At: Akaroa, Akaroa, Canterbury Region, South Island
The historic French Village of Akaroa and its spectacular harbour is just a 90 minutes drive from Christchurch.
Additional information
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Children Swimmers between 8yrs and 12yrs must be accompanied by an adult swimmer.
- Children between 13yrs and 17yrs must be accompanied by an adult spectator.
- Akaroa is ideally situated, only a 110 minute drive from Christchurch International Airport. You can either drive yourself or catch one of the shuttles, which operate daily between Christchurch city center and Akaroa.
- Life Jackets are not provided or permitted and if one is required this product is not suitable, please join our Akaroa Harbour Nature Cruise.
- In the event that you do not have a successful swim a 30% refund will be processed.
- Minimum age for a child to Swim with Dolphins is 8yrs and to join as a spectator 4yrs
- Final Check in time is 15 minutes prior to Tour Time
- If you have Asthma/Allergies please know you are required to have your inhaler/EpiPen with you
- Please reconfirm your reservation the day prior so weather updates can be given.
- All medical conditions need to be declared as this product may not be suitable due to injuries or recent surgeries.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.
967dilipd
February 2020
Excellent!!! Black cat cruise Swimming with Dolphins is an vary enjoyable experience worth the effort to get here. The road to get here is (Akaroa) is around the hills is a very winding.
Excellent!!! Black cat cruise Swimming with Dolphins is an vary enjoyable experience worth the effort to get here. The road to get here is (Akaroa) is around the hills is a very winding.healthcarestartup
January 2021
Really magical morning on the water, with our crew a lovely combination of high professionalism and practical kiwi character. We bought the swim with dolphins as a Christmas treat for our kids. What we got was an atmospheric trip out of the harbour and along the coast in a gentle rolling swell s...
Really magical morning on the water, with our crew a lovely combination of high professionalism and practical kiwi character. We bought the swim with dolphins as a Christmas treat for our kids. What we got was an atmospheric trip out of the harbour and along the coast in a gentle rolling swell spotting dolphins and their calves, seals, and albatross. Twin hull boat was very stable and uses jets instead of props to protect the dolphins. We were at last approached by 2 groups of dolphins as we were heading back and our skipper Chris and crew Lily ran over schedule in order to get us 2 swims with every passenger getting a close fly by from the curious Hectors. A couple (Hectors not humans) even showed off with a bit of aerial gymnastics. Back to base across a glassy clear harbour in full sun. The whole experience left us all with a huge buzz and wanting more.karentL5898RC
December 2020
A good briefing, helped into wetsuits & out on the water within half an hour. Take sea sickness tablets if you usually feel sick, 3 people threw up on our boat. Saw a few dolphins in 2’s & 3’s, and saw some babies. Got in the water at one stage but the dolphins didn’t stick around. Because we did...
A good briefing, helped into wetsuits & out on the water within half an hour. Take sea sickness tablets if you usually feel sick, 3 people threw up on our boat. Saw a few dolphins in 2’s & 3’s, and saw some babies. Got in the water at one stage but the dolphins didn’t stick around. Because we didn’t literally swim with the dolphins we got a partial refund which was nice. Lovely people to deal with.dlynne7
April 2020
Friendly from the start, helping us to find the correct wet suits and storing our possessions. We were briefed about what to expect and it wasn’t long before we were on the boat seeking dolphins. The staff were very competent and determined to find dolphins for us. We had three or four opportunit...
Friendly from the start, helping us to find the correct wet suits and storing our possessions. We were briefed about what to expect and it wasn’t long before we were on the boat seeking dolphins. The staff were very competent and determined to find dolphins for us. We had three or four opportunities to swim in areas where dolphins had been spotted and although the dolphins chose not to get too close to us it was an exhilarating experience amongst dramatic scenery. We were given a partial refund as there weren’t as many dolphins as had been expected, but we would have been happy even without this. We followed it with one of the best fish and chip lunches ever at Murphy on the Corner. Highly recommended.Voyager560420
April 2020
We drove here to Akaroa from Christchurch, which in itself was a really nice trip with stunning views. On arrival we were sent of to get fitted into out wet suites and then out onto the boat. At all times all the staff were very helpful and nice. We left the Quay and headed out to look for the Do...
We drove here to Akaroa from Christchurch, which in itself was a really nice trip with stunning views. On arrival we were sent of to get fitted into out wet suites and then out onto the boat. At all times all the staff were very helpful and nice. We left the Quay and headed out to look for the Dolphins. Over the hour to two hours we were out there the skipper took the boat to varying places and once when we had found the Dolphins we stopped. There was quite a swell that day and though we saw lots of Dolphins, we were not always allowed into the water as they had small babies with them )I was very impressed with this attitude by the crew). We did get in a couple of times, but didn't get a decent swim with them, so they gave us some money back. We still really enjoyed our trip and it was great seeing these small Dolphins in the wild. Would highly recommend this trip.bev185
March 2020
We had a great time with Black Cat. We weren’t able to swim with the dolphins but saw them close up and had fun trying. We received a partial refund because we didn’t swim with the dolphins which was unexpected. Had a great time and would definitely recommend this excursion.
We had a great time with Black Cat. We weren’t able to swim with the dolphins but saw them close up and had fun trying. We received a partial refund because we didn’t swim with the dolphins which was unexpected. Had a great time and would definitely recommend this excursion.