Akaroa Swim with Dolphins Tour from Christchurch: Explore Akaroa and Meet Wild Hector's Dolphins

4.1

29 Ratings

Embark on a full-day tour from Christchurch to Akaroa and experience the thrill of swimming with wild Hector's dolphins. Explore the charming coastal town, cruise into the harbor, and indulge in a cheese tasting session at a local factory.

Duration: 9 hours

Cancellation: 6 days learn more

Highlights

Akaroa - Discover volcanic landscapes and breathtaking scenery on New Zealandâs South Island on this 9 hour Akaroa day trip from Christchurch. Take in top attractions including Governorâs Bay, Gebbies Pass, Lake Ellesmere and Lake Forsyth with your guide. Ascend the Banks Peninsula for beautiful views over Akaroa Harbour and the volcanic crater. Then, sample locally made cheeses and admire colonial architecture around Akaroa. Then enjoy the opportunity to swim with the rare and endangered Hector Dolphins. Prior to your swim you will be equipped with wetsuit, mask, snorkel and flippers. On locating a pod of Hector Dolphins you will enter the water to swim with one of the rarest dolphins in the world, this species of dolphins being found only in the waters around the southern half of the South Island of New Zealand.
Hotel pickup and drop-off by coach included

What's Included

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Cheese tasting at Barry’s Bay
Use of snorkeling equipment
In-vehicle air conditioning
Wet suit hire
Live commentary on board

What's Not Included

Food and drinks, unless specified
Gratuities

Additional Information

Embark on a memorable journey to the seaside village of Akaroa and seize the unique opportunity to swim with dolphins on this engaging full-day tour from Christchurch. Traverse through the stunning landscapes of New Zealand to reach Akaroa, taking in captivating sights such as Governor’s Bay and Lake Ellesmere on your way. Sail into the port with your guide and keep an eye on the waters for aquatic wildlife. Don your snorkel and fins to dive in with the graceful Hector’s dolphins in their natural habitat. Utilise your free time to discover Akaroa, and round off your excursion with a cheese tasting experience at a local dairy shop.

Children must be 8 years and over to swim with the Dolphins
Customers must declare any pre-existing medical conditions. A basic level of fitness is required. Customers will be floating in the water and will be required to swim to and from the boat - distances up to 50 meters (150 feet) at a time.
Minimum 4 adults required before tour can operate
Must be able to swim, you will be floating in the water (ocean) and will be required to swim to and from the boat – distances up to 50 metres (150 feet) at a time. You will not be able to touch the bottom.
Life Jackets and Floaters are not permitted.

Cancellation Policy

If you cancel at least 7 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel between 3 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.

Customer Ratings

4.1

(29 Ratings)

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Diana_m

Nov 15, 2023

Memorable Experience - This trip was amazing! We saw many dolphins and one penguin. The dolphins got within a couple feet of us. This was definitely a highlight of our trip to New Zealand.

Review provided by Viator

Abigailmag

Oct 21, 2019

Must Do - I left my wallet on the tour bus (100% my fault) and I was carrying a lot of cash so I was pretty worried when I lost it, but they found it and made sure to meet up with me before I flew out. Beyond the great service the price is unbeatable and our driver was so nice, and we had a great ride to akaroa. Then we got checked into our dolphin swim for the afternoon and had plenty of time to walk around, shop, and grab lunch. Our dolphin swim was one of the most amazing things ever! We swam with around 30 dolphins which was so cool! This company is definitely the way to go for tours and swimming with dolphins is a must do for christchurch!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Parkerb1234

Oct 19, 2019

Amazing! - A group of 8 of us came as we were independently traveling as we are studying abroad! We booked the dolphin swim from Christchurch and the ride over was absolutely amazing. The bus driver was very kind and gave a lot of great information! It ended up being that our group was the only on the boat and that made it even more of an awesome experience. Supposedly, we got super lucky! The normal trip sees about 5-6 dolphins that stick around for you to swim with but we ended up seeing 25-30 dolphins and swam with them for the entire 45 minutes! One of the best parts of our trip by far and would recommend to anyone! Staff was very friendly as well!

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Guide46433828944

Jun 27, 2019

Splendid swim (even in winter!) - I absolutely loved the guides told us in the beginning how this wonderful adventure is set up against a backdrop of ecotourism. They track the dolphins using nothing but their eyes and gave us clear instructions on how (not) to interact with the dolphins. Even in the winter time swimming with dolphins is a fantastic thing to do, as the wetsuits will keep you warm and all set for an enchanting encounter with these amazing creatures.

Review provided by Viator

Amy

Jan 2, 2019

Awesome tour! - Awesome tour! I was the only one who booked this transfer so I got to talk to the driver and learn even more about the area than usual. Cheese factory stop on the way was neat and we got to taste 4 cheeses. We got to akaroa early so I got extra time in the town to walk to the lighthouse and through the town shops. Lovely small town! The cruise was awesome! We found 3 pods of Hector's dolphins and got to spend a few minutes in the water each time with them. Since they are endangered animals and are completely wild, you cannot touch them. But that makes it even more cool when they feel comfortable enough to swim only about 10 feet from you.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Titiksha_b

Jan 3, 2023

Lovely Cruise and guide to Akaroa - The cruise was great with a good guided explanation of marine life. I enjoyed every bit of it. The highlight was the Orca - killer whale for which the captain was very generous to stop for the entire duration of spotting.

Review provided by Viator

Marianne_z

Feb 29, 2020

Cutest dolphins - Frindly, funny and professional guided. Wonderdul landscape, very scenic. The dolphins come very close to the boat and are very gute. Unfortunately they did not want to swim with us. However it was still a wonderful day and we got a partial refond.

Review provided by Viator

Ianjock007

Dec 30, 2022

A one off - Boat crew very good.Patience needed to bob around in cool water trying to see dolphins An experience

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Carolineaw4136bh

Dec 22, 2019

Disappointed - Our driver was friendly and told us a lot about New Zealand and its animals and nature. Due to the fact that there was a cruise ship arriving in akaroa that day our tour-itinerary was turned around and we started with the cheese factory (which is really just a tiny little shop) and the free time in Akaroa. I found it too much time as we had more than 2 hours and there is really not that much to see. If it would have been after the cruise it would probably have been okay with time for lunch. Now, what still makes me angry is the fact that because our itinerary was switched around we could not swim with the dolphins. We should have been on the 11 o clock boat but have been switched to the 1 o clock boat instead. Due to a change of weather it was not possible anymore to swim with the dolphins. Very disappointing especially when you know you should have been on the other boat! I think the itinerary only makes sense in the way it is described here on trip advisor and not the other way around. Changing that for a cruise ship is random and denied me the one in a lifetime chance to swim with the dolphins.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

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