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Swim With Wild Dolphins in Tauranga
Tauranga, New Zealand
- 6 hours
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Get up close to wild dolphins in their natural habitat during a half-day dolphin cruise from Tauranga. You can watch from the boat or interact with these playful marine mammals as you swim and snorkel alongside them in the water. Hear informative live commentary and enjoy hot drinks on board. The tour operates during the summer months from November to May.
- Swim and snorkel with wild dolphins
- Hear live commentary from a professional guide on board
- Hot beverages are provided while you sail
- Snorkeling gear and wetsuit provided
What's Included
- Sightseeing dolphin cruise
- Beverages, Tea, Coffee
- Live commentary on board
- T-shirts available to purchase
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Dolphin Seafaris NZ LtdTauranga Bridge Marina State Highway 2, Berth D1/Harbour Bridge Causeway, Tauranga 3110, New Zealand
We meet at Tauranga Bridge Marina where there is plenty of free all day parking. Our boat is berthed on D1 just outside the restaurant.
Start time
09:00 AM
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- All trips are subject to weather and minimum booking numbers.
- Trips operate with a 48 hour non refundable cancellation.
- Children must be over 7 to swim with dolphins and be confident swimmers in the ocean.
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
- 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 experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.
Traveler Photos
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Featured review
Teresa_F
The dolphins swimming and playing in the water alongside of the boat was awesomely amazing!!
Just being on the water was an experience in itself!
Reviews
4.5
183 reviews
Katja_G, Mar 2024
Tour got cancelled the day before because of weather conditions, all ok. Since then no answer, no refund of the money.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Kia ora Katja,
Not quite sure why we get a 1 star review from you when it is TripAdvisor who process the refunds for cancelled tours. If their refund process takes too long for you, maybe you should take it up with them. As soon as we get a request for a refund, we accept it and it is up to the third party merchants to process and repay. We do not have credit card details for any bookings made through third parties. And I think you would have been happy we cancelled as the conditions were abysmal on the date you were booked on. Maybe check who the review should be for before posting.
Ngā mihi,
Cille
Teresa_F, Mar 2024
The dolphins swimming and playing in the water alongside of the boat was awesomely amazing!!
Just being on the water was an experience in itself!
Vladislav_K, Mar 2024
Let's be clear. It's overpriced, misleading and not worth the money. What they advertise is swimming and snorkeling with dolphins - none of this is actually true. The reality is that you get drag next to a boat while having snorkeling equipment and watching dolphins for less then a 10 minutes. That's not what I call swimming nor snorkeling. And that will only happen if the crew decides it is OK to do so. At the end of the day your chances of actually being in the water (not swimming nor snorkeling) with dolphins is pretty slim. Do yourself a favour and save your money, you can thank me later.
kristy, Feb 2024
Didn’t see any dolphins. Very sad but only their fifth time not seeing them since November. Wish we could have at least gone for. Bit of a swim. We do have a free trip whenever we come back!
MarcAntoine_L, Feb 2024
It was purely amazing
We had an amazing pod.
The crew was kind, helpful, professional and we learned a lot thanks to their passion.
Thank you
Jordan_C, Jan 2024
It wasn't really the fault of the tour operator, as dolphins are wild animals, & therefore, they're unpredictable, but we didn't see any dolphins. I was super disappointed. Most of my trip was in the Rotorua area, & the sole reason I went to Tauranga was for this dolphin tour, so it was a wasted 2 days of my trip. We did get to see 2 baby penguins floating in the water, but that was it for the wildlife. They told me I could come on another tour for free & try again, but I was leaving for Rotorua right after this tour was over, as I had a lot to pack into my trip & only 3 weeks to do it all.
Response from Host, Feb 2024
We understand your disappointment in not seeing any dolphins during the tour. While we strive to provide memorable wildlife encounters, we acknowledge that dolphins are wild animals and their presence can be unpredictable. The free voucher doesn’t have an expiration date, so we hope you can come back again one day.
Matt_B, Jan 2024
Great day out in the bay of plenty! We did find a pod of dolphins in the afternoon who were very playful! I would definitely recommend this tour to anybody who wants to see dolphins and learn more about animals in New Zealand!
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Kia Ora, thank you for coming out with Dolphin Seafaris to explore the beautiful Bay of Plenty.
Marco_M, Nov 2023
We didn’t see dolphins. Despite the fact that i understand that wildlife might not show up, the way the tour operators manage it is highly disappointing. The price you pay for the tour is high and no refund is offered. Also, they make you sign a waiver saying that „wildlife might not show up and you are ok with that“ only once you are on the boat all ready and set to go. Would you ever NOT sign it in case you disagree?
Viator wouldn’t support you either to have a refund. Check locally for professional tours.
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Kia Ora, thank you for your review. The waiver you review and sign at the start of the tour serves to ensure your understanding of Dolphin Seafaris' operating procedures. On the off chance if we are not able to find the dolphins, the form states you are welcome back to come out again at any point, free of charge. Any questions or concerns about the waiver are encouraged as we hand it out. We hope you can come out again with Dolphin Seafaris, free of charge, so we can show you what the beautiful Bay of Plenty has to offer.
TeresaPalmerVisser, Feb 2023
The captain and crew had good stories and history of the area. They worked hard to find a wild pod for us to see.
Shayna_M, Feb 2023
We had an amazing trip! Saw penguins, a hammerhead shark, and dolphins. The crew was knowledgeable and so welcoming. Can’t say enough good things about the crew they were almost as good as the dolphins! We highly recommend this trip. It was the highlight of our holiday.
From $91.58
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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