Dolphin Encounter

96 Esplanade, Kaikoura 7300, New Zealand

03 319 6777

Mum's National Geographic shot of a dusky dolphin, Kaikoura, South Island

52 visitor photos

Ranked #1 of 19 tours in Kaikoura

118 Reviews

Type: Tours

Activities: Swimming with dolphins

Fee: Yes

Description: Swim with the dolphins in their natural environment or watch their acrobatic displays form the comfort of the boat.

Useful Information: Activities for older children, Bathroom facilities

Update attraction details

Write a Review

118 reviews from our community

Carolyn S

Masterton, New Zealand

Contributor

11 reviews

Reviews in 3 cities

“Add to your 'bucket list'...a must do experience”

Reviewed 23 May 2012 NEW

Swimming with the dolphins is a most amazing experience. The staff at Dolphin Encounters Kaikoura were fantastic and very professional, I highly recommend them. Kaikoura is the place to go if you want to share this special experience with these most beautiful creatures. I would recommend taking a good underwater camera, all other equipment is supplied. More

Was this review helpful? Yes

Problem with this review?

Schiepchen

Berlin, Germany

Top Contributor

53 reviews

Reviews in 31 cities

11 helpful votes

“An adventure you'll remember forever”

Reviewed 21 May 2012 NEW

My husband and I swam with the dolphins on 24th December and it was the best Christmas present ever. We were overwhelmed by the number of dolphins that we met after traveling on the boat for around 45 minutes. There were hundreds of Dusky dolphins and it was a truly unique experience to be in the water with them. It's... More

Was this review helpful? Yes

Problem with this review?

See 3 more reviews by Schiepchen for Kaikoura

Hello and thank you for taking the time to write your lovely review! Hopefully you've inspired a few letters to Santa Claus this year! :-) We are so stoked when we can read about our customers creating fantastic memories and having a good time as that's what we're all about so we really appreciate you sharing that with us! I... More

claranda

Antalya, Turkey

Top Contributor

56 reviews

Reviews in 29 cities

13 helpful votes

“Wow!”

Reviewed 18 May 2012

This was something I promised myself to do in NZ and I'm very glad I did. I swam and my husband watched from the boat and tried to capture the behaviour of these wonderful creatures on camera. I'm a good swimmer and have used a snorkel before, but I'm over 60 and quite large so my main worry was whether... More

Was this review helpful? Yes

Problem with this review?

See 2 more reviews by claranda for Kaikoura

Thank you for your review, we loved reading it and good on you! Nothing like and being bold keeping your promises to yourself! :-) It sounds like you had a great trip with us, which we're delighted about! It sounds like your tiredness was well earned and we hope the sleep was a good one and that you had some... More

Harrisra

Hue

Reviewer

4 reviews

Reviews in 3 cities

“Wow - Wild Dolphins are incredible”

Reviewed 14 May 2012

This is really a breath-taking experience. Experiencing wild dolphins far exceeds any artificial or man-made experience, As soon as you get to the Dolphin Encounter Centre, you are kitted out by very professional staff who provide health and safety instructions. You are then taking onto a very smart boat via small coach journey, which again is kitted out with the... More

Was this review helpful? Yes

Problem with this review?

Hello and thank you for your review! Your header says it all! We are so lucky here in Kaikoura to encounter these amazing wild animals on our doorstep! I agree with you on the cold water it always takes my breath away too, and I always need to take a moment or two to adjust when I get in the... More

Sing-at-Four

singapour, Singapour

Senior Contributor

26 reviews

Reviews in 11 cities

7 helpful votes

“Unique experience”

Reviewed 12 May 2012

Spending time with wild dolphins was a unique experience, specially when during the trip the boat is surrounded by about 200 dolphins playing and jumping. The place seems very well managed to preserve dolphin environment and habits. We wre really lucky because we met dolphin about 15 minutes after leaving the land. We didn't choose to swim with dolphins but... More

Was this review helpful? Yes

Problem with this review?

Hi there it's great to read your review and we're thrilled our crew could share some of our passion for the wildlife we encounter here and the importance of their conservation with you! And of course we're stoked that on your trip we were able to introduce you to plenty of dolphins to make your experience one to remember! Thank... More

Pritish27

Kolkata (Calcutta), India

Senior Reviewer

7 reviews

Reviews in 5 cities

4 helpful votes

“Friendliest people around”

Reviewed 6 May 2012

Go for it and you won't regret one bit. These are things you don't get to do very often. such lovely staff on board who make you feel so comfortable cause swimming in an ocean can be an intimidating experience. Lucky to see 100 plus dusky dolphins playing with you and if you're lucky it can go upto 1500 More

Was this review helpful? Yes

Problem with this review?

Hi there and thank you for your review! We are loving your advice to "just go for it!" that's what we recommend too :-) We love introducing our customers to the incredible dusky dolphins here in Kaikoura and making new friends in the process!!! Maybe we can welcome you back again one day?! With thanks the EK crew :-) More

GianmariaDriver

Florence, Italy

2 reviews

Reviews in 2 cities

“The most beautiful experience in my life!”

Reviewed 5 May 2012

Dolphin Encounter is a great company. My girlfriend and I had a great experience...there were hundreds of dolphins everywhere.My girlfriend is not a good swimmer but the staff was always there watching her, she had a great experience too!You don't need to swim to much as there are so many dolphins that at least 10 or 20 come see who... More

Was this review helpful? Yes

Problem with this review?

Hi there! We loved reading your review thanks for making the time to write it, we treat Trip Advisor as our online guestbook and we all follow the reviews we receive with interest! Delighted that you encountered some curious dolphins, the resident duskies here are typically quite inquisitive as a species! And we're so pleased that our staff were able... More

Lord_Jade

Tel Aviv, Israel

Senior Contributor

44 reviews

Reviews in 8 cities

25 helpful votes

“What an amazing experience”

Reviewed 3 May 2012

It is really amazing to see all those dolphins so close. You have to be in good shape - they swim fast and it is hard to swim in high sea, especially with the annoying buyant wetsuits you have to wear not to freeze. They give you a lot (maybe a little too much) information about the dolphins. Seeing them... More

Was this review helpful? Yes

Problem with this review?

See 4 more reviews by Lord_Jade for Kaikoura

Thank you for your review and sounds like you had an amazing time with the Dusky Dolphins. We do encourage the swimmers to be very active and to make lots of strange noises while in the water because the Dusky Dolphins are naturally very curious creatures and are most interested in swimmers who are able to swim with them, and... More

elle076

Canton, Michigan

Senior Contributor

31 reviews

Reviews in 13 cities

12 helpful votes

“Be in good shape!”

Reviewed 30 April 2012

I am 32 and consider myself in decent shape, but I was definitely tired after treading water for several hours, especially in the freezing ocean! You are snorkeling so your head is down and I often strayed accidentally far away from the boat. Swimming in a wet suit takes more effort! Not trying to deter anyone...this was a great experience,... More

Was this review helpful? Yes

Problem with this review?

See 2 more reviews by elle076 for Kaikoura

Thank you for your review and glad to hear you thought it was a great experience. As our Dolphin Encounter tour is an open ocean experience and also because the Dusky Dolphins are very active and gregarious animals we do ask that all swimmers are confident swimmers and have a reasonable level of fitness, so you have given some great... More

McLaff

Queenstown, New Zealand

Reviewer

5 reviews

Reviews in 2 cities

2 helpful votes

“Amazing!”

Reviewed 24 April 2012

This was just a must! Every moment was amazing. You get around 2 hours in the water with wild dolphins, whats not to love. Even got to swim with a seal. More

Was this review helpful? Yes

Problem with this review?

See 2 more reviews by McLaff for Kaikoura

Thank you for taking the time to write your great review. It sounds like you had an amazing time with the Dusky Dolphins and lucky to have had a seal in the pod to swim with too as this doesn’t happen very often but a lot fun when one does come through. Kind regards & safe travel from the Encounter... More