Dolphin Encounter

How long do the tours last?

Dolphin Encounter tours are approximately three to three and a half hours in duration, from check-in time, to the time you get back to our booking office. This is, of course, dependant on where the dolphins are located.

How long will I be on the Boat?

Time on the water is around about two to two and a half hours.

How long is the swimming time with the dolphins?

The total swimming time will depend on a number of factors such as how the dolphins are behaving on the day, travel time to the dolphins and the conditions on the sea. Sometimes when the swimmers enter the water, the dolphins will stay with them for the whole time, other times the dolphins may move off and we may have to pick the swimmers up and relocate the boat to where the dolphins have moved to where the swimmers will then re-enter the water. This may happen four or five times if the dolphins are moving around alot. Generally the swim time in the water, is from thirty minutes to forty five minutes. 

How close do you actually get to the dolphins?

Quite close, usually about arms length away. The dolphins are extreamly good at judging distance in the water and will come very close to you without touching you.

Will I be able to touch the dolphins?

No. This is not a touch the dolphins experience. We in fact advise swimmers on our tours not to try and touch the dolphins and to swim with their arms by their sides. We have found that swimmers that reach out to try and touch the dolphins end up causing the dolphins to shy away from them. We believe that we are to respect the dolphins as we are entering their environment and trying to touch them does not fit with our philosophy.

Is there a better time of day to do a tour? Will there be more dolphins in the morning or afternoon?

The morning tours are recommended for better sea conditions, but the number of dolphins do not vary too much from tour to tour but in the afternoons sometimes the pod can spread out over a wider area and not be so concentrated or grouped up.

How many dolphins do you get to swim with?

Every tour is different. Because we are dealing with wild dolphins, there is no guarantee that whatever happened on an earlier trip will be be reapeated on a following one. We can usually expect groups of 50 or 100 upwards in a pod and pods can be as large as 2000 dolphins at times during the year. Also there are times when there are small groups of dolphins rather than a main pod and these small groups can number only 5 or 6 dolphins. Generally the numbers of dolphins are higher in the winter in months than in summer.

Do we see whales on the tour?

No. We are not permitted to take you out to see the whales. Whale watching tours operate daily with Whale Watch Kaikoura (www.whalewatch.co.nz)

Are there any sharks?

Yes, there are sharks in the open ocean. The tour is an open ocean experiance and that means that you may see all kinds of wildlife. Kaikoura is not known for shark attacks fortunately and it is more common for sharks not to be part of a pod of dolphins. Our best advice is not to think about it too much, stay with the group of swimmers and don't swim away on your own little adventure.