Swimming with Dolphins in Akaroa: Close Encounter with Hector's Dolphins in New Zealand

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…
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

• Small Group Tours - Enjoy a 3.5-hour adventure with a maximum of 12 swimmers, guided by our skipper and a nature expert, ensuring a personal experience. The tour starts at our facility on Akaroa’s main wharf, where you will meet fellow explorers and change into the provided wetsuits. After a briefing, board our specially designed boats for an…

Location
82 Beach Road
Beach Road
Departure Point: Akaroa's main wharf Dates: 1st October through to 30th April Return point: Cruise returns 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
(235 Ratings)
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Jespermj
Feb 10, 2025
Super tur - Super experience and good service from the crew. We saw lots of dolphins and swam in among several of them. A good and positive experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Safari44037416277
Feb 4, 2025
Great experience with the dolphins--Thank you, Black Cat - So much fun to swim with the dolphins! Crew was great. Charlotte and Will were the best. Hot Chocolate was a nice touch on a chilly day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pippat44
Jan 31, 2025
Great experience, great staff - We had Thomas & Elijah as the crew on our swimming with dolphins tour on 30th Jan - we thought they were awesome & part of what made the experience fun & memorable. Seeing Hector’s dolphins was very unique. They honestly seem like such a gentle animal so it was so exciting that they chose to come up & swim around us. Go with an open mind, enjoy the scenery & the unique wildlife. It’s a beautiful place where people are putting the animals first - great experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Hp2303
Jan 29, 2025
A great experience - Very friendly staff who gave really good guidance. There were good wet suits and shoes included in the trip. We were a small group you could overlook. The boys on the boat were good at including and showed their skills to get everyone involved.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mariaw611
Jan 27, 2025
Great experience - Great day! Super nice and friendly staff. Clear instructions and no stress, very nice experience overall. Fantastic to be so close to and swim with the wild dolphins as they came to us by their own will and curiosity.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maps67622476580
Jan 22, 2025
An amazing day - Absolutely stunning views of the Akaroa harbour, along with cute-as dolphins and a fantastic crew. We'll be coming back for more in the near future.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Claire
Jan 20, 2025
Excellent - Just excellent. We had Charlotte who was so friendly, knowledgeable, and passionate about the dolphins and our skipper was Thomas who was the same. The ethic level of this tour was important to me so I fully understood when it was explained that we may not see the dolphins, let alone get in the water with them. Fortunately for us, there was one occasion, early on in the trip, that a pod showed a high interest in us and we were able to get in the water. We stayed in for about 30 mins and it was incredible. They played around us and swam by us, leaping out of the water at one point. No other times were appropriate to get in but we saw lots more from the boat and also a small colony of baby seals playing on the rocks. And an albatross! Charlotte took photos of us in the water from the boat and we received these by email the same day. Thanks so much!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Z6037ybmaryt
Jan 19, 2025
Swim with endangered dolphins in the stunning South Island - Ben and his Team took us on the most amazing trip to have the opportunity to swim with the rare and endangered Hectors dolphins. Fun, friendly and so very informative. We were lucky not only did we see them from the boat, but they chose to swim with us coming back again and again. The added bonus is that a contribution of your fees goes towards Hector dolphin research. It’s worth the drive out to Akaroa to find out about its French history and stunningly beautiful bays and hills. Highly recommend Black Cat Cruises.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Karen_g
Jan 9, 2025
Up to you - Everyone who worked for the tour company was very friendly and made you feel welcomed. They were on time and had very nice facilities and equipment. The boat was comfortable. The tour company was great. I will try to share the experience with no opinion so you can decide for yourself if swimming with dolphins is for you. If you have ever swam with dolphins in Hawaii, Bimini or anywhere, where you have fins on and the dolphins are playfully and curious, this is not like that. These dolphins we were told are the smallest in the world and shy. So different types of dolphins. You receive a very nice wetsuit to keep you warm. They are buoyant and you feel comfortable in the water but not made to really swim. But is perfect for the activity for you float with your head above water and hope the dolphins approach you and pop up above water so you can see them. You have the option of a mask but is not recommended for the visibility is poor so can’t see much in the water. We did not get too many dolphins close but they are wild animals so would vary on their mood and day. I only went once so would not know how they regularly interact. They did enjoy kids the most and they are very cute.
Review provided by Viator
Wendy_r
Jan 8, 2025
Poor service - It was cancelled due to large swells and I still haven’t got a refund?? I’d think twice before booking with this organisation again
Review provided by Viator
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up to 12 guests
1 Adult
February 2025
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