Get up close to dolphins on this fantastic 6-hour sightseeing and snorkel trip from Tauranga. Enjoy a boat cruise to areas in the open sea where there are dolphins aplenty. Admire the colorful coral reefs, and enjoy swimming or snorkeling with dolphins.

About this activity

Free cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance to receive a full refund
Reserve now & pay later: Keep your travel plans flexible—book your spot and pay nothing today.
Covid-19 precautions: Special health and safety measures apply. Learn more
Duration 6 hours: Check availability to see starting times.
Live tour guide: English
Wheelchair accessible

Highlights

Swim with dolphins in the open sea
Discover the abundant marine life
Experience the beauty of the colourful underwater world
Pick up expert insight into marine life, dolphins, and the local area from your guide

Full description

Step aboard a purpose-built dolphin-viewing vessel and embark on a wild encounter with the ocean's most fascinating creatures. After meeting your crew at the dock, set off into the open water to several well-known dolphin spotting locations, all the while maintaining a respectful distance. With a crew filled with experience sea-farers and dolphins-watchers, trust that your experience will be thrilling, informative, and above all, humane to the dolphins. The sunshine capital of New Zealand, the "Bay of Plenty" is home to diverse and spectacular sea life from majestic dolphins and orca to the beautiful fur seals, penguins and marine birds. As you travel from spot to spot, keep your eyes peeled for the plethora of marine life that call the bay home. With your expert crew, you’ve got a great chance to to find a pod of dolphins with which you can swim—which is, without question, a magical experience.

Includes

Wetsuits
Snorkeling gear
Snorkel guide
Tea, coffee, fruit, muffins
Boat cruise
Life vests
Shaded area on the boat
Free parking

Hotel pickup and drop-off

Covid-19 precautions

Safety measures in place

All required protective equipment is provided
All areas that customers touch are frequently cleaned

Meeting point

Open in Google Maps ⟶

Important information

What to bring

Comfortable shoes
Swimwear
Towel
Sunscreen
Water

Not allowed

Unaccompanied minors

Know before you go

Please remember to bring your swimsuit, towel, sunglasses, and sunscreen as well as your photo and video equipment.
Please note that this tour is suitable for children, however they can not swim with the dolphins and must stay on the boat with a family member while the others swim. If the child is a good swimmer they can go snorkeling, but must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

Customer reviews

Overall rating

4.5 /5

based on 8 reviews

Review summary

Guide
4.4/5
Transportation
4.6/5
Value for money
3.8/5

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This was a great experience and i would recommend it to anyone who would love to get up close to nature

January 7, 2021

My husband bought me this as a birthday present as he knew it was dream come true of mine to swim with. Dolphins in the wild. However, we were left feeling very let down by this experience. We took the trip on 28th December in Tauranga, it took quite some time to find some dolphins and we were told we couldn't swim with the first pod because they were eating. After a while another pod was found who were following the boat at bow but still we were not allowed to swim with them. The third pod had a baby and therefore under marine regulations we couldn't swim with them. This was a 1/2 day trip and it we were did not get to swim with any pods therefore we paid $300 just to see the dolphins which was grossly expensive when other companies around NZ offer this for half of the price. At the end of the trip we were told you only get a voucher to come back again if no dolphins are seen. There are over 40000 dolphins in the Bay of Plenty so the chances of not seeing any dolphins is minimal.

December 29, 2020

Overall, it was a very nice trip. But you should be clear about your own seasickness beforehand. Two of the other tour participants really only lay around on the boat for the whole tour because they felt so bad.

March 8, 2020

From Tauranga: Half Day Swimming with Dolphins Tour

From Tauranga: Half Day Swimming with Dolphins Tour

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