Swim With Wild Dolphins in Tauranga
Overview
Available languages
6 hours
Mobile ticket
Join this tour for a must-do, once-in-a-lifetime adventure with friendly dolphins in their natural habitat! Number 1 on Trip Advisor and Trip Advisor Award of Excellence 4 years in a row! We guarantee dolphins or whale sightings as we want you to have this amazing experience!
Get up close and personal with playful dolphins who love interacting with people. You can stay dry and watch the magic from the boat or get in the water and swim with these fantastic wild dolphins. Our vessel Guardian is a fast, stable, full facility power catamaran with a 100 percent safety record over the last 14 years. Our crew is the most experienced in the Bay.
Join us for the experience of a lifetime!!
This is the perfect tour for everyone so book now and don’t miss out!
Additional Info
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
All trips are subject to weather and minimum booking numbers.
Trips operate with a 48 hour non refundable cancellation.
Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Children must be over 7 to swim with dolphins and be confident swimmers in the ocean.
Not recommended for travellers with mobility constraints
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Our Wild Dolphin Encounters will take you into the Bay of Plenty to search for the common dolphin and other marine wildlife. We do not have a set route, but follow the most comfortable pattern with regards to wind and weather to find a pod of dolphins for our encounter.
What‘s Included
Professional guide
Use of Snorkelling equipment
Live commentary on board
Sightseeing dolphin cruise
Beverages, Tea, Coffee
T-shirts available to purchase
Options
Wild Dolphin Encounter
Reviews
191 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Perfect way to see the dolphins
John R,,Feb 19, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a brilliant time on this trip. The team were really helpful and informative. We saw a small group of around 7 dolphins first then later a very large group of around 100. We were able to get some fantastic photos. There were newly born dolphins in the group so we couldn't swim with them but we had the opportunity to see them close up from the boat.
Impressive team, great communicators.
124ornab,,Feb 8, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00My score is not for the tour, but for the overall expeuof dealing with Dolphine Seafaries.I was looking forward to this adventure as part of my cruise to NZ. Unfortunately, the weather was so bad, our ship couldn't dock, so I missed out. However I am writing romaay I had various communicationscswith the providers before I left home and they were extremely responsive and helpful. Also once the cruise cancelled the stop, Viatour and Dolphin Seafaries, refunded my fee, before I had time to think about it. So impressed. It's an absolute promise, that if I ever get the chance to be your way again, your tour is top of my list.
Bucket list stuff 👌🏽
V7851ZTkellys,,Jan 27, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We loved it!!! Spent an hour with a pod of friendly dolphins. It was an incredible morning. Awesome staff and highly recommend 👍🏽
Sensational
wisij,,Jan 18, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Super friendly crew, lots of dolphins, some penguins, 2 shark fins, jellyfish and a Maorishif. What more could you want. Very fair price!
Amazing
A3149DRsharons,,Dec 27, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Amazing saw lots of dolphins. Staff were enthusiastic and informative about the dolphins. We arrived on a cruise ship and our wharf arrival time didn’t give us enough time to get to the departure point. No problem for these guys they just swung by the pier near our wharf and picked us up. Thanks for a great day.
Amazing experience
Ideline B,,Dec 1, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Amazing experience! We got to see so many dolphins!! 400 at least! The crew was awesome! They made sure we had plenty of time to watch them around the boat. Even though we couldn’t swim with them because they were babies, it honestly didn’t take anything away from the day. On the way back, we even spotted a whale! Totally worth it, super memorable. Highly recommend!
Great dolphin tour
sabinewL493PR,,Jan 11, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I made this trip together with my daughter on 07.01.2025 and am totally thrilled. We were there at 8:30, and we got a wetsuit borrowed. It was good that we had a fleece and rain jacket, cap and headband with us, as it was quite cold and windy in between but they also have blankets on board. The crew is super nice and everything is thought of. We particularly liked the fact that they take the protection of animals seriously. We saw bottlenose dolphins right at the beginning, then some schools of the smaller common dolphins. Also a flying fish, a small penguin and a hammerhead shark. Swimming with the dolphins didn't work as it can't be done when the dolphins are hunting or having babies but it was still quite great. Finally we met a group of pilot whales, what an experience😍. I will not forget this day in my entire life and would definitely recommend a trip with the Dolphin Seafaris 100%. Many thanks to Lizzy, Vincent and Dior and of course to the great captain!
Unbelievable dolphin cruise!
addimorris,,May 6, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00As a dolphin cruise, this was amazing. We dangled our feet off the bow and boated alongside them as they swam and jumped and played all around us! It was magical. I even touched one with my foot! Definitely the best dolphin sighting of my life. The guides said one of the pods was about 90 dolphins and the other was about 250! There were just so many swimming so close, I had never seen anything like it before. Unbelievable. As a dolphin swim, it was a bit disappointing (at least to Mom). We thought we were going to be able to jump in and freely swim with the dolphins, but even if we were allowed to, we would have only been permitted to hold onto the back of the boat and put our heads in the water to see them as it pulled us. When I learned that that was all we could do, I wasn’t as sad as my Mom not to be able to “swim” with them. Because, even though we found two HUGE pods of dolphins, we weren’t allowed in the water because there were babies present (NZ law).
No (hopefully only slow) refund of the money after cancellation
Katja G,,Mar 29, 2024
- Review from Viator
1.00Tour got cancelled the day before because of weather conditions, all ok. Since then no answer, no refund of the money.
Happy Days
Teresa F,,Mar 27, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00The dolphins swimming and playing in the water alongside of the boat was awesomely amazing!! Just being on the water was an experience in itself!
From NZ$165.00
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Operated by Dolphin Seafaris NZ Limited