Definitely one of my most beautiful moments in life! I booked the dolphin swimming tour and it was wonderful from start to finish. We got to swim 4 times with the dolphins and there were at least 200 around us. They were so playful and got so close to us. Seeing the animals in their natural habitat and jumping into the water with them was just amazing. After the swimming, we followed the dolphins for another hour and watched them. As a little bonus, we even saw a small group of orcas.

Incredible experience. A must do in kaikoura. Note it can get rough out there so be prepared if you get easily motion sickness, but usually it is fine. Definitely pay for the swim Also make sure you have a go pro... Otherwise you can rent a go pro and you buy from them the micro SD card. It will make your swim more memorable. Great friendly staff too

Just do it! We were not sure if you should do the dolphin tour because of the price but is was definitely 110% worth it! We saw about 300 dolphins, had multiple swims and saw some albatross and orcas as well. They very much consider the wellbeing of the dolphins and the staff was just very professional, friendly and knew exactly what they were doing. No doubt that you won't regret it!

Perfect all round! It was obviously not easy to locate the dolphins on our day of the tour. However, the crew went out of their way to make the incredibly great experience possible and so we were able to swim with some dolphins - unforgettable! :)

Such an amazing experience! I swam with them and got to see LOADS of dolphins from really close. The crew really took time and made sure everyone was okayamd happy as they could be. I got REALLY sick at one point (never got motion sickness before) and they were extremely nice about it despite being busy. A crew member actually had to help me get into dry clothes because I forgot how to function, and she was so patient! So definitely take some medicine just in case ;) It was quite a full boat but once we were free to move around was fine. Also BIG thank you to the sweet lady who gave me medicine to help the nausea! Overall, a great experience.

Dolphin Encounter seems to be a company that really cares about the animals and environment of the sea. And the staff is friendly and efficient. Yes, the swimming with dolphins is truly magical but to get the best experience you need to make sure you get equipment that fits. You should have done a bit of snorkeling before to feel relaxed in the water so that you can dive down just a little bit and get the dolphins more interested and curious. That will give you a better chance to get them closer to you. Really recommend this! ??☀️ ???‍♀️ We had a sunny day and plenty of dolphins.

The dolphin swim was the best of our trip! We were able to swim with about 200 dolphins in good weather and little waves. The animals are so active and you even get tips on how to interact with them (for example "singing"). Who is in Kaikoura should not miss this unique opportunity it is truly incomparable!

The dolphin swim is a MUST DO experience. It’s a bit pricey, but well worth it - we swam with ~250 dolphins that were very friendly and playful. Definitely try to book ahead if possible - the swimming spots fill up quickly! Even if you can’t swim, I would recommend the viewing option. My wife did that and had a great time :)

Amazing to see 200+ dolphins playing and interacting with the boats. Super jealous of the people who had booked to swim as well

Wonderful! We went 4 times in the water, lots of dolphins playing with us. We were able to take pictures after they stayed around the boat. The team is super friendly, communicating, very attentive (especially to those who were seasick). We had a hot chocolate / biscuits / chicken soup on the boat and a hot shower on the way back.