Swimming with Dolphins in Akaroa: Close Encounter with Hector's Dolphins in New Zealand
4.5
261 Ratings
Christchurch

Swim with wild Hector’s dolphins in Akaroa Harbour, New Zealand. An intimate wildlife experience with only 12 swimmers per vessel. Warm up with hot chocolate and enjoy a shower after the swim.

Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Akaroa Harbour - Experience the most intimate dolphin encounter in Akaroa, just 90 minutes from Christchurch. Swim with Hector’s dolphins and observe other wildlife like the NZ fur seal on this comprehensive 3.5-hour tour.
    With a limit of 12 swimmers, enjoy a personalized adventure led by our skilled skipper and nature guide.
    Start at Akaroa’s main…
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What's Included
  • 3.5 hours including suiting up/showers (2.5 hrs out on the water)
  • Final check-in is 15 minutes prior to tour time
  • Wetsuit, boots, and optional mask (for those swimming)
  • Hot chocolate & biscuit
  • Hot shower facilities
  • Includes live commentary from your skipper and guide
Additional Information

Join an exclusive small-group tour to swim with wild Hector’s dolphins, limited to just 12 participants. This 3.5-hour journey begins at Akaroa’s main wharf, where the skipper and nature guide will welcome you. You’ll change into a premium 5mm wetsuit and receive a comprehensive briefing at our specially designed swim facility, complete with changing…

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Location
Main Wharf
Departure Point: Akaroa's main wharf Dates: Swimming with Dolphins operates from 1st September through to 30 April. Return point: Swim boats return to original point of departure, check in time 15 minutes prior.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.5
(261 Ratings)
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Lachlantm
Apr 13, 2025
Intimate Dolphin experience - We had an absolute blast with Black Cat Cruises. Our crew - Tom, Elijah and Will - were professional, super knowledgeable and gave us the best time! We loved the small numbers of the trips - we had 11 in our group. The dolphins were amazing and we got the most amount of time possible in the water. Absolutely recommend!
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Drnicoledavis
Apr 3, 2025
A great afternoon out - It was an amazing experience being in the wild with these cute little dolphins. The staff were helpful and informative. Well worth the trip
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Areanag
Mar 23, 2025
Swim with the dolphins - Every part of the experience was 5 star, The harbor was stunning and we were lucky enough to have the dolphins swim around us and interact for 40 minutes:) I was amazed at the dolphins curiosity Thomas , Elijah and Lexi were an enthusiastic, professional team, guiding us along the gorgeous shorelines, providing local knowledge of the area and life as a dolphin in the Akaroa harbor I didn’t last the whole time in the water as I was freezing, Elijah assisted me back on the boat, I was greeted with a warm shower, fresh towel and a hot chocolate to warm up :)! A truly authentic experience, I love the ethical approach The Black cat cruises practice when swimming with the dolphins:) Highly recommend
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569mege
Mar 19, 2025
A fun experience, swimming with the dolphins! - We really enjoyed our dolphin adventure with black cat cruises! We swam with about 15 dolphins for 20 minutes. We had to leave because of time constraints not because of the dolphins They were very playful!! The staff was very competent and enthusiastic!
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Dlsio4
Mar 17, 2025
Great experience even without the swim! - We had a great experience on this tour, even though the dolphins did not cooperate. We did see dolphins, but they were not in a playful mood and so we did not get to go swimming with them. The Captain and the guide were very professional and friendly and worked hard to find a more playful pod of dolphins, but we had no luck. I was actually very impressed and grateful that the well-being of these beautiful wild creatures came first. We did get to see the stunning scenery of Akaroa harbor and the surrounding seacoast and some adorable baby fur seals playing in tide pools. We also got a lifetime voucher for another trip, since we didn't get to swim. I would definitely do this trip again, even without the voucher and I highly recommend it
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Luvtrvltucson
Mar 8, 2025
Great experience with good leadership - Captain Chris showed his expertise and care for the dolphins and almost immediately found a large pod that we swam with for the entire 40 minute allotted time. Charlotte, the guide for the day, demonstrated her ebullient enthusiasm for both these animals and facilitating a great experience for us. A final surprise treat was Charlotte emailing us nearly 200 photographs that she had taken that day, all complimentary.. Excellent experience we would recommend with these two great trip leaders any time.
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Dawnandkarl2015
Mar 4, 2025
Fantastic service and a lovely couple of hours on a jet boat - From the safety briefing to the jet boat ride and return, the service was outstanding. The Hectors dolphins are gorgeous but unfortunately they didn’t want to interact with us so we didn’t end up getting in the water. However we saw plenty as well as an Albatross who bobbed in the water staring at us, we saw Cormorants (shags) seals and a penguin. When we got back on land I booked the tour again on our last day in New Zealand, really hope to swim with them 🤞
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Clearer
Mar 2, 2025
Dolphin swimming not successful - Was there with my wife and our daughter to swim with dolphins. The two boat attendants were very nice and we also saw many dolphins, went into the water even during a sighting, but the dolphins swam away. Would have expected the company to offer us a small refund or another program, as happened in Ksikoura, for example, where we received 80% of the price back because we had seen whales only too briefly during a whale watching.
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B1662twarnaudl
Mar 2, 2025
Good but disappointed - An afternoon full of promise. We were supposed to leave at 12:30 pm and finish at 4 pm, but we received a call telling us that we were delayed by an hour, which meant that we left at the same time as a group scheduled for 1:30 pm. After explanations and a good atmosphere we put on our wetsuits ready to brave the sea and swim among dolphins. The dream. After 15 min of boats the first dolphins appear and the explanations begin. Our approximate English does not allow us to understand everything because the accent here is present but the main thing is elsewhere, we are eager to jump into the water! After 30 minutes during which we saw many dolphins (not very close) there is a first stop during which the pilot maneuvers a lot but each time the dolphins end up disappearing... then other stops and always the same result, the dolphins dive... as if we did not interest them or the boat frightens them. We end up taking a first jump in the fresh water, but the suits allow us to enjoy. No dolphins. After another 30 minutes of walks, a new dive is allowed but still no dolphins.... And now we have the first apology speech explaining that it is a day without... we are surprised because it is barely 4pm and with the initial delay we had to finish at 5pm... so no more chance to swim among dolphins... to finish shower included we left their home at 4:35pm, with beautiful images but a feeling of disappointment. Reading the other comments I realize that we are not the only ones in this situation and so swimming with dolphins is anything but a certainty, which is understandable but it is not very explicit in their advertising and in the end we paid the same price as the “observers”.
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Navigate67009663847
Mar 24, 2025
Separated family for swimming with dolphins - Warning, the website too, locked out our money then next email said we were n9t guaranteed a place ... then emailed that the times were booked and said 2 other times, we picked 1 then said we were booked ..so drove 3hr return trip to get there only to be told we were not booked . By they we were driving into village. Their solution was separate our family, to 2 later boats if possible which was not an option for us, then refunded 1 family that come from America to see nz, and a young grandson to go swimming. The lady tried to put me off (67yr) to go on swimmers boat, saying it would be terrible 😒 The service in the booking was terrible but the 2 boat staff were actually nice, Never eva recommend them eva Taking ur money before ur confirmed, effectively stopping u from doing other things , instead, terrible experience eva
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Check Availability
From $125
From $125
up to 12 guests
1 - Adult
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Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).
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