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All 21 Picton Attractions »

Dolphin Watch Ecotours

London Quay, Picton 7220, New Zealand
643-573-8040
Ranked #1 of 9 tours in Picton
4.5 of 5 stars 26 Reviews
Type: Tours
Owner description: We provide award-winning scenic wildlife cruises and walks at Historic Ship Cove or Motuara Island Bird Sanctuary in New Zealand’s stunning...... more » Owner description: We provide award-winning scenic wildlife cruises and walks at Historic Ship Cove or Motuara Island Bird Sanctuary in New Zealand’s stunning Marlborough Sounds. Those looking for the thrill of a lifetime can join us for a Swim With Dolphins experience! A clean green paradise of bush and sea full of natural beauty, history and wildlife, all waiting to be explored and experienced with a Qualmark Enviro-Gold certified cruise operator. « less
Useful Information: Activities for older children
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Reviews from our community

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Date Rating
cazzascorp
Melbourne, Australia
Senior Contributor
27 reviews
52 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 26 January 2012

I used this company twice whilst on holiday in Picton in January - once to do a nature cruise, just myself, which incorporated dolphin watching (no swimming on this trip as it was an afternoon trip and they only do the swimming with the dolphins in the morning), cruising the Queen Charlotte Sound, bird and seal watching and a walk... More

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Rate-iht
1 review
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 24 January 2012

Wow , this is truly an amazing experiance - nothing quite like it. Staff are extremely friendly and helpful - very approachable! Sights are also spectacular , the dolphins are like icing on the cake such a unique feeling as they swim underneath your feet or as you see them swimming alongside the boat. - Overall was a great day... More

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yearsandmiles
Auckland, New Zealand
Reviewer
3 reviews
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 21 January 2012

It was a truly great experience. We enjoyed it. We didn't wanna get out of the water, but for the few minutes you're there, you get to see the dolphins swimming around you and underneath you. You can hear their sounds. They're very playful. Highly recommended. More

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Aussie2012
Melbourne, Australia
Senior Contributor
28 reviews
5 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 January 2012

Went on the dolphin swim on a fantastic Summer day in the Marlborough Sounds. The crew were extremely informative and fun to chat to. The skipper and also owner of the company was a fellow college student from many years ago so that too added to the fun day (cheers Paul). We came across a small pod of dolphins but... More

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Peter S
Edmonton, Canada
Contributor
17 reviews
3 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 December 2011

This was one of those few experiences which are so good they are worth planning a major trip around. Imagine going to southern Africa and not going on a safari, then coming to New Zealand and not doing this trip would be the equivalent. We went out and ended up swimming among a pod of 40 bottle nosed dolphins on... More

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EKB35
Reviewer
4 reviews
1 helpful vote
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 December 2011

Very friendly crew... However they claim 98% of their cruises you see dolphins and 80% of the times you get to swim BUT if they are Ocra dolphins - you dont swim, if they Hector dolphins- you dont swim, if they are feeding, mating or with babies- you don's swim... But at the end of the day we did not... More

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gabandbrian
Sihanoukville, Cambodia
2 reviews
1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 2 December 2011

We have just come back from our trip out into Marlborough Sound with this company. We have had a life changing experience, we set off and fairly quickly saw a common dolphin with her young, which is very UNcommon here so that was amazing, then we saw a bottlenosed dolphin with her young, by then I thought well if that... More

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Sean797
Front Royal, Virginia, United States
Reviewer
4 reviews
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 November 2011

There is nothing quite like swimming in beautiful Queen Charlotte Sound in a wetsuit in pursuit of dolphins. Dolphins are believed to be able to see inside the human body with sonar, so perhaps you swim with natural born healers! Head quide Natasha is an unbelievably sweet and caring guide who, with her crew, will do their best to get... More

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Stacey K
Franz Josef, New Zealand
2 reviews
1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 11 November 2011

My friend and I did this trip a few days ago and absolutely loved it. From start to finish, all of the staff were friendly, informative and very professional. Everything was explained clearly, unlike another company we did a dolphin trip with in the bay of islands. We had Larissa as our guide, and John as our skipper. We saw... More

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Gillian D
Nelson, New Zealand
1 review
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 6 November 2011

As a New Zealand couple who had travelled through some of the Marlborough Sounds many times on the Inter-Island Ferry, we never appreciated the wealth of other experiences available to see up close something of the sea and land birdlife and marine wildlife. Fascinating to see, up close, a number of the small population of King Shags. Also on the... More

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