Grab your wetsuit and get ready for an endorphin-filled adventure. Here’s how, when and where to ethically swim with dolphins in Australia.
For H2O lovers big and small, few experiences can top the thrill of frolicking alongside curious dolphins in the wild. With its glassy aquamarine waters and rich biodiversity, Australia offers many amazing opportunities to get up close and personal with these playful and intelligent animals. In this guide you’ll discover the best places to swim with dolphins in Australia with eco-responsable tour operators, the best times of year to go and other practical FAQS.
There are few better places to swim with dolphins in the wild than in the gin-clear waters of Queensland’s Kangaroo Island. Hop in the turquoise shallows with pods of bottlenose dolphins with Kangaroo Island Marine Adventure, who offer prop-free tours and use safe boat jets to minimise impact on the island. You can also encounter dolphins up close with Kangaroo Island Ocean Safari, which also offer fantastic and eco-certified dolphin swim tours. If you’re lucky, you’ll also spot some long-nosed seals.
Wilderness awaits on South Australia’s stunning Eyre Peninsula. Watch in awe as playful dolphins draw loops around you and sea lions prove their title as ‘the puppies of the sea’. If you’re looking to swim with dolphins in Australia, Baird Bay is one of the most interactive experiences out there. The tours last between five and six hours and are limited to fourteen passengers.
Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins are known for their highly social behaviours. Witness these beautiful creatures play, feed, and mingle off the coast of Glenelg, which is just 20 minutes away from Adelaide. Temptation Sailing offers daily snorkel tours during dolphin season that last for approximately four hours. To ensure their operations have minimal impact on the marine environment, they prohibit any feeding or touching of the dolphins and move on in search of another pod if the dolphins don’t choose to interact with guests.
How cool would it be to feel the hum of a dolphin’s echolocation? The protected Koombana Bay is home to a population of between one and two hundred curious bottlenose beauties, making it an ideal place to swim with dolphins in Australia. The waters are nice and shallow, making it a great option for swimmers who aren’t comfortable in open waters. Created by marine biologists dedicated to research and conservation, the Dolphin Discovery Centre tours guarantee you’ll become part of the pod.
Rockingham is a wonderful place to swim with dolphins in Australia thanks to its calm and sheltered bays. Perth Wildlife Encounters provide everything you need to enjoy an incredible dolphin experience including wetsuits, masks and nifty aqua scooters that make staying afloat easy. The tours also offer the option of a return coach transfer from Perth, which is 50 minutes north of Rockingham.
Port Phillip Bay boasts a resident pod of around 150 bottlenose dolphins, as well as a colony of Australian fur seals. Polperro Dolphin Swim, Moonraker Dolphin Swims and Sea All Dolphin Swims all offer exciting snorkel tours that allow you to swim with dolphins and seals in their natural habitat. Polperro uses a mermaid line safety feature, giving the dolphins a ‘choice’ to interact with swimmers, while guests of Moonraker float quietly on the water’s surface and wait to hear the dolphin’s squeaks below them.
Keeping up with a dolphin’s playful pace has never been easier. Currently the only permitted wild dolphin swim in NSW, Dolphin Swim Australia ensures you’ll make lifelong family memories when you swim with dolphins in Australia. Attached to a harness between the twin bows of a catamaran, you’ll be gently pulled through the water so you can swim in time with the dolphins without disturbing their behaviour. Happy days!
Dolphin season in Australia is generally in the spring and summer, although water temperatures and migratory patterns can vary from state to state. The best months to swim with dolphins in Australia are:
Although individual tour operators have different policies, the minimum age to swim with dolphins in Australia is generally between six and nine years old. Children should be able to swim on their own before entering the water with wild dolphins.
As long as you are following the behavioural guidelines of marine authorities, it is generally very safe to swim with dolphins in Australia. However, swimmers must understand that they are also wild animals that may act unpredictably at times.
There are many tour operators in Australia that offer ethical dolphin swim experiences that minimise environmental impact and are respectful to local marine species. However, there are many ways that interacting with dolphins can be unethical. Follow these tips for swimming with dolphins ethically:
Look out for these green flags in sustainable tour operators that offer dolphin swims in Australia:
Getting in the water with wild dolphins is an inspiring experience that families, couples and ocean lovers will remember for the rest of their lives. It’s also a fantastic and engaging way to educate children about the importance of our precious marine environments. Australia is one of the best places in the world to swim with dolphins thanks to its abundant wildlife numbers and pristine waters.
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