Hands down one of the best wildlife experiences I’ve ever had! We booked a boat trip from Kaikoura (New Zealand’s south island) to see the local dusky dolphins. I had expected to see a few dolphins from a distance. But nothing prepared me for being on a boat surrounded by hundreds of dolphins. They were swimming so close to the bow you felt that you could almost reach out and touch them. The dolphins even seemed to enjoy racing the boat and playing in the wake.
Where
Kaikoura is a small seaside town on the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island. It is one of the best places in the country to see marine life. The Hikurangi Trench (a deep oceanic canyon) is located just off the coast near Kaikoura. This ensures that this small New Zealand town is home to a plethora of sea life. You can see whales, fur seals and dusky dolphins, which would normally only be found further out to sea. We were even lucky enough to see another species of dolphin, the rare Hector’s dolphin. Hectors dolphins are distinguishable by a rounded dorsal fin, and only found in New Zealand.
How
We booked a boat tour with Dolphin Encounter Kaikoura. You can opt to either watch from the boat or don a wetsuit and swim with the dolphins! You’ll be encouraged to make strange squealing sounds when you’re in the water. This will pique the dolphins’ curiosity and encourage them to come and check you out! (Also entertaining to watch from the boat!).
Is it ethical?
The best thing about the Kaikoura dolphin encounter is that the dolphins are completely wild. They are not trained. They are not enticed to the boat with food (“chumming”). If the dolphin wants to come up close, that’s great. But, if it doesn’t, then that’s that. New Zealand has strict conservation laws. The tour company is operating under strict permits controlling how often they run the tours and how much they intrude on the dolphins’ space. Watching the dolphins playing naturally in the wild is what makes the experience all the more magical.
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Swimming with dolphins is something that has been on my bucket list for such a long time! I love that these dolphins are completely wild and it is their decision whether or not they want to say hello. All wildlife encounters should be with way! Thanks for the great guide!
I have been on the South Island so many times but I have never been to Kaikoura. The fleet in Kaikoura is great and seem to always deliver on dolphin and whale sitings. How lucky you were able to see a Hector’s dolphin too.
This is one of those super bucket-list items for good reason isn’t it!? I can totally see why you loved it! I would have been very tempted to don the wet suit and get into the water with them! 🙂
Oh how I’d love to do this! I’d definitely get in the water if it wasnt too freezing haha. I have swam with wild pink river dolphins in Bolivia so wild dolphins in NZ would be awesome!
This sounds like an amazing experience. I love dolphins! Thanks so much for sharing!
Oh wow what an incredible experience! I’ve tried to go dolphin watching a few times but never actually saw any. I love your photos!