Before Your Tour

It is advisable to wear warm clothing and sensible footwear when checking in for the tour.  Before departure, all swimmers will be supplied with a well-fitted wetsuit to ensure that throughout the swim they are as warm and comfortable as possible.

Swimmers will wear the wetsuit from the departure point, during the short transfer to the harbour and for the duration of the tour until the swim part of the tour has been completed.  We advise all swimmers to take their warm clothing on board with them because at the end of the swim you will change back into your warm dry clothing.  This helps you to warm up again while the tour concludes and while we travel back to the harbour.  A small bag which is large enough to hold your warm clothing and is taken aboard the boat is a good idea. If you have not brought a bag with you, we sell reusable bags at the check-in counter for a very small fee.

All swimmers are fitted with a good quality wetsuit prior to departure which comprises a full 5mm body one piece overall and a 5mm jacket.  We also provide a hood, mask snorkel and fins.

You are welcome to bring your own gear.  You can also mix and match with the gear we provide; e.g. bring your own mask, snorkel and fins whilst using our wetsuit, jacket and hood.

Please note that full face snorkel masks are not permitted on our tours for safety reasons.

Prior authorisation must be sought for use of weight belts, and their use is at the discretion of the Skipper subject to sea conditions on the day - please contact our Customer Service Team for more information on this.

Everyone can bring phones and cameras to capture the most brilliant pictures imaginable. Remember that you are out on the open ocean and should be aware of the risk of sea spray getting on your devices.
We have GoPro cameras available for hire and it would be advisable to reserve one in advance as they are in high demand.

Swimmers should also bring:

• Swimsuit, towel, warm clothing such as a jacket and a hat, and a small bag which is able to accommodate your clothing on board the boat. It is also a good idea to bring sunblock and a sunhat. Towels can be hired for a small fee plus a bond from the check in counter.

• If you have forgotten to bring your swimsuit, we have a limited number of swimsuits available for hire, so please enquire at the check in counter. 

• Please also bring sea sickness medication with you if you are prone to motion sickness. Sea Legs (medication) and ginger tablets are available at reception.

Watchers should also bring:

• Warm clothing.

No.  Drones are not permitted on our tours.

For more information see our Drone Policy

The Kaikoura coastline is an expansive area of deep water open to the Pacific Ocean, in order to maximize your experience swimming with the dolphins we would recommend that previous snorkelling experience is an advantage, along with a good level of water confidence.  Being an experienced swimmer is helpful, but it is not essential, just so long as you are confident in the water.  We do have flotation devices like kickboards and buoyancy aids if a little extra assistance is needed.  Please note that our crew do not enter the water on our tours.

Children are classed as those aged 3 to 14 years (inclusive).

The minimum age limit for children wanting to swim on the tour is 8 years of age and all children aged 8 to 14 years must be accompanied by an adult both in the water and on board the boat at all times.

All children aged 3 to 14 years watching the dolphins from the safety of the boat, must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

Children under the age of 3 years are not permitted on the tour.

Management and skippers reserve the right to increase minimum age limits of children participating on the tour should sea conditions not be suitable on the day. Conditions will be assessed immediately prior to tour time, and if they are deemed unsuitable for children, a full refund is available to those not able to take the tour.

Dolphin Encounter Child Policy

We try our best to accommodate all potential customers wishing to participate on our tours, including those with limited mobility. However there are a few restrictions due to the nature of what we do and the limited space on the vessels that we use.

Generally we are unable to take wheelchairs on board, but we can accommodate passengers who are able to access our vessels via jetty or trailer steps and are able to sit unaided once aboard.

Swimming with the dolphins is a physically demanding activity which requires a reasonable degree of personal fitness. Participants must also be able to wear a wetsuit, and move themselves onto and off the boarding platforms at the stern of the vessels without assistance.

Contact our Customer Experience Manager at info@dolphin.co.nz about what we can do to help facilitate the best possible tour experience for you and we will always try our best to assist.

Our tours are an open ocean experience and sea sickness is often experienced, even in slight seas some customers find themselves dealing with motion sickness.

We recommend taking medication to combat this prior to your tour. We do sell Sea Legs and ginger tablets at reception if you don't have anything with you and have not ben able to get to a pharmacy ahead of your tour.

Sea sickness is not grounds for seeking a refund from the tour.

We are operating in line with The NZ COVID-19 Protection Framework.

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If you wish to make changes or cancel your reservation, we must be advised no later than 24 hours prior to the tour time of your booking. If changes or cancellations are not made within 24 hours of the tour departing, cancellation charges equating to the full fare per person will apply.

In working with wildlife there are never any guarantees of encounters,but:

• On the rare occasion when we are unable to locate dolphins or any other marine mammals, we will provide a partial refund back to a minimum operational charge.
• If we are unable to swim with the dolphins due to their behaviour (or any other factor), but are able to successfully view dolphins or any other wildlife, we will refund back to a spectator rate.

Our tour is an open ocean experience and sea sickness is often experienced, motion sickness is not grounds for seeking a refund from the tour.

Private charter of any of our vessels is an option for groups and special requests with prior arrangement and vessel availability. Requests should be made well in advance and sent to the Customer Experience Manager via info@dolphin.co.nz to be actioned.

The time on the boat at sea is approximately 2.5 hours depending on the location of the dolphins.

The total time spent swimming with the dolphins will depend on a number of factors which can vary.

• The behaviour of the dolphins at the time
• The travel time to the dolphins and the sea conditions

Generally if the dolphins are interactive the swim time can be from 20 to 40 minutes.

Quite close, usually about an arm’s length away. The dolphins are smart and they are extremely good at judging distance in the water and will typically come very close without touching you.

This is not a touch the dolphins experience.  We ask that our guests do not attempt to touch the dolphins.  The dusky dolphins of Kaikōura are completely wild and our interaction with them is entirely on their terms, respecting them in their natural environment.

Generally we would recommend the morning departures as sea conditions can typically be calmer and the dolphins can be more interactive at this time.  The number of dolphins does not usually vary from tour time to tour time.

Due to the beauty of interacting with wild dolphins, we can never predict what might happen on each of our tours and as such, can never guarantee the number of dolphins we swim with. The pods we encounter vary in size and we regularly enjoy swimming with both small and large pods of dusky dolphins.

We do not have a permit which allows us to see the sperm whales. Whale watching tours by boat are operated by Whale Watch Kaikoura Ltd and there are also options to see the whales from the air with helicopters of fixed wing aircraft. 

Boat Tours

Whale Watch Kaikoura Ltd

Helicopter

South Pacific Whales

Kaikoura Helicopters

Fixed Wing

Wings Over Whales Kaikoura NZ

Air Kaikoura

Our tours operate in the open ocean and this of course means that you may see all kinds of wildlife. While sharks inhabit the open ocean waters, we are fortunate in Kaikoura that there have been no serious shark attacks.

Because we swim with and watch wild dusky dolphins, we are never able to guarantee their presence. However, Kaikōura is renowned for its abundance and consistency of wildlife and once on the water we do have a very high success rate of locating dusky dolphins. If for some reason we are not successful in locating dolphins due to situations such as deteriorating weather conditions, you will receive a partial refund. All our tours are subject to a minimum operational cost.

Check out our Refund Guarantee!

Dolphin behaviour depends on their “mood” and as with all wild animals their behaviour can never be predicted or guaranteed. There are times when we have to respect the dolphins by withdrawing swimmers from the water, but may view the dolphins from the boat.

Dusky dolphins can be seen all year round in Kaikoura which have earned it the accolade of being a top location in New Zealand for successful dolphin tours. There is a variation between summer and winter locations for the duskies in that the summer sees them spending more time inshore and the winter months it is more usual to find them a bit further offshore.

In summer the water temperature can reach 18° celsius and in winter it can drop to as low as 8° celsius. In winter we give additional gear including gloves and booties to help keep you warm.

Contact lenses can be worn with masks, but glasses cannot. We have a range of prescription masks (corrective lenses) available for those who are near sighted. The prescriptions range from -2.00 to -8.00.

Yes definitely – it is essential that you make reservations for the option of swimming with the dolphins as we are limited by our Department of Conservation permits to 16 swimmers on each boat per tour, with the balance of seats available for watching. These swim seats fill very quickly especially in the height of tourist season.

We do operate a waiting list for swimming if the tour you are wishing to book is showing as full. Please contact our Customer Service Team on 0800 733 365 or email us to have your name recorded for the waiting list.