Wild Dolphin Swim & Watch (October to April)
Duration:
Operated By:
WILD DOLPHIN SWIM
$359.00 per person (ages 7+)
This is the only permitted wild dolphin swim in New South Wales, and the first swim of its kind in the world! We are located in the stunning Port Stephens region, and depart from Nelson Bay where we go offshore and swim with wild oceanic common dolphins! Come and join the pod to witness TRUE wild dolphin behaviour! The dolphins don’t just swim past you, they swim WITH you for a long, interactive and mind-blowing experience! You are harnessed to a customised rope which is strung between the two bows of a 52’ (16m) catamaran and slowly pulled through the water. This is the safest and most harmonious way to swim with wild oceanic dolphins! They get a free ride and are having just as much fun as we are, and most importantly – they are free to swim away at any point! There is a maximum of 24 swimmers and 12 observers on each tour.
Location: Dock C, d’Albora Marina, Teramby Road, Nelson Bay, Port Stephens, New South Wales. Only a 2.5 hour drive from Sydney!
Time: 6:15am to 11:00am – 4.5 hour tour (guests are requested to arrive at 6:15am for check-in and wetsuit fitting)
Inclusions: All equipment & training (wetsuit, mask & snorkel, safety harness), 4.5 hour cruise on a 52’ catamaran, a champagne brunch, tea & coffee, educational commentary, all above-water photos, and a customised underwater and above water video of your experience with the dolphins!
WILD DOLPHIN WATCH
$109.00 per person (Ages 4 and under free)
Description: This is the best dolphin watching experience you could ever do! Not only do you get to go offshore and watch wild oceanic dolphins in their natural environment, you get to watch them interact with humans as well! “Our” dolphins are always within meters of the boat- so close that you can hear them whistling! There are often hundreds of them around us, jumping and splashing! These oceanic common dolphins are much more interesting than the small pods of shy bottlenose dolphins that most dolphin watching cruises look for inside the bay! This is also a great option if there is someone in your group who wants to stay dry, but still have the best day ever. As long as you book on the same day, you will be on the same tour as your swimming buddies.
Location: Dock C, d’Albora Marina, Teramby Road, Nelson Bay, Port Stephens, New South Wales
Time: 6:15am to 11:00am – 4.5 hour tour (guests are requested to arrive at 6:15am for check-in)
Inclusions: 4.5 hour cruise on a 52’ catamaran, champagne brunch, tea & coffee, educational commentary on the area and marine life, and above-water photos of you and the dolphins!
*Tours will NOT operate in unsafe conditions.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
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Saw some big oceanic bottlenose dolphins then a pod of 50-100 commons we were looking for.
Amazing how interested in the humans the dolphins are. They come super close. When the swimmers hop out the dolphins lost interest until people jumped in again and the dolphins jumped back o to the bow wave.
We got 4 swims of 5-10 minutes which seemed like good value for money.
Crew were fantastic, very helpful and enthusiastic. Special shout out to skipper Rob who did a great job keeping us tight on the pod.
My partner and I took part in this amazing experience, and it was one of the most incredible adventures we've ever had.
The team was truly exceptional-highly skilled, passionate about their work, and deeply respectful of nature and wild dolphins. Their enthusiasm and love for what they do made the experience even more special.
Everything was perfectly organized, allowing us to fully immerse ourselves in the moment. A huge thank you to the entire team for their kindness and enthusiasm.
Highly, highly recommended!
The dolphins were absolutely incredible! So intelligent, playful, and gentle. Getting up close with them, swimming alongside them was definitely a bucket list experience.
I can’t recommend this enough! If you’re looking for a magical and unforgettable adventure, this is definitely it. Thank you to the amazing team for making this such a special experience!
The staff where very professional and so enthusiastic .
This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity- an ETHICAL and environmentally friendly dolphin swim.
My partner and I had the most magical time thanks to Adam and crew. Even though we didn’t have any luck with the dolphins first time around, Adam managed to squeeze us in to the next day’s tour.
Matt (I hope that was his name!) had so much enthusiasm and excitement about the dolphins and that made the early morning so entertaining, while we waited for the dolphins to come out to play.
If you have any doubts about going on this tour: DO IT.
Even if you think it is pricey, think about what you get for the money- you get to go on a clean, safe catamaran, run by an excellent enthusiastic boat crew who have no hesitation in helping with all things dolphin, AS WELL AS the wonderful DSA team, who are the most dolphin enthusiastic people you’ll ever meet and who obviously adore their jobs. You are paying for amazing customer service, a continental breakfast and mimosas, and you get to swim with dolphins who are in their natural habitat, without any coercion or force. You also get photos and a video to remember it with- although I definitely recommend bringing your own go pro/ underwater camera for more personal footage.
After your safety, their first priority is the dolphins- they even have a marine specialist on board to monitor the dolphins’ behaviour and ensure they are happy. You can ask them as many questions as you have! Dr. Dave, part of the DSA team, was excellent with answering all of our questions.
Adam and team, thank you again, for a magical, once in a lifetime experience.
Amazing crew of absolute frothers who are genuinely passionate about marine conservation and offering a world class experience.
After passenger swim the crew went in. They were as happy as we were, which underlined their passion.
It may take some courage at first, but absolutely worth it. You are secured underneath the boat and swim along with the dolphins. Crew is always at your side and cheering the whole group. It‘s the most natural experience you can get with dolphins.
Looking forward to see the photos the crew took and will send to us.
thank you to him and the whole team!
Priscille Falcao
The team was nice and the staff to participants was good. They were organised and rotated with the groups, but I am very disappointed that when I received the photos there were none of me there. I understood this was part of the package.
For $354 I expected photos and videos.
When I enquired, I was told they don’t offer videos and photos with the dolphins.
False advertising and not good value for money.
I had a lovely experience in two short bursts holding onto the rope but was disappointed with the price and lack of photos and videos of myself.
Also a huge thank you to the staff. Every single one of them is lovely, friendly, positive and clearly adores their job. Truly one of the best run tourism businesses I think I’ve ever seen. Food and drinks were a nice touch. Plenty of swimming time with around 100 dolphins
A day my wife and I will remember forever. Thank you to everyone for making it so memorable
They really do their best to make sure you get the most of your swim/s, while still respecting the dolphins if they want their space.
I loved how the staff still get so excited with the dolphins. You can really tell they're passionate about what they do, and want to share their amazing experiences with whoever joins them.
My 5yr old son was a bit cut he wasn't old enough to swim, so has requested it for his 7th birthday ???? So we'll be back!
Amazing Experience
The captain and the crew that run the dolphin swim are awesome,hard case and very knowledgeable and your definitely in safe hands while on the boat..great vibes all round
Me and my friend had the best time
and to see the dolphins in their natural habitat up close and having as much fun as we were was so good to see..
Thank you so much
Appreciate you all
I'd definitely do it again
Chelsea
The team are fun and extremely organised, My daughter and I loved sharing this experience and will do again with other family. We highly recommend.
Our first tour, me and my partner didn’t manage to get a swim in because the dolphins took off just before our swim - they are wild after all!! It was still incredible to see them from the boat. We were offered a free return, which is so appreciated- not everyone does this! We were due to try again the following day, but due to bad weather the trip was cancelled. This was a GOOD THING! We’ve had so many other trips where they push through and the experience is not what you paid for. This company truly cares. They want the best for everyone involved and it shows.
We headed back to Sydney & tried again a month later and we truly had the most fantastic morning. We were put in the first swim group and we all got 3 swims each. The dolphins are so curious and playful and we were lucky to see a super pod (approx 1000 dolphins!!)
What really makes the trip is the crew - they are absolutely incredible. We can’t thank them enough - they are so passionate about the dolphins, they are incredibly attentive with the swimmers - it was quite a surprise even to a strong swimmer how powerful the water was, but we felt completely looked after the entire time and able to completely immerse ourselves in the experience without any worries
I’d return in a heartbeat and recommend it to anyone considering. Best day ever!
We got the amazing opportunity to swim with a big pod of dolphins and it’s the most surreal experience. The whole time in the water you feel safe and supported by the crew.
It is so great to know the dolphins have chosen to swim with you and can leave anytime they want. Even after your swim with them it is still a beautiful to watch them from the boat.
Afterwards we had a lovely breakfast, great selection and spread! Mimosas too for the journey back!
Was one of the best things I have ever done and would recommended to anyone to do this tour - I can’t wait to hopefully come back again some time! I can’t thank the crew enough for the great experience we had!
Adam say they usually find wild bottle nose dolphins to swim with 95% of the time
The crew were incredibly friendly and very knowledgeable about the dolphins.
The breakfast was also excellent; fruit, cakes, croissants, breads and spreads, unlimited tea and coffee. Everyone also got a mimosa to finish the trip!
I will be recommending this to everyone and hope to do it again one day!
Whether you are actually doing the swim or just on the boat to watch, it is a worthwhile experience. If you’re on the fence — don’t be! Just book it.
超级棒的旅程、和超级专业友好的船员!
We flew up from Melbourne and were definitely not disappointed.
Everything from the greeting of the energetic, friendly staff to the boat trip and then the swim. We were lucky enough to find several pods of dolphins, over 100 in total. Felt totally safe and in fantastic hands every step of the way. Can’t thank Adam and his team for memories my wife and I will never forget.
Adam and the staff made sure that everyone on the boat was having a good time and that they were well looked after.
Can’t thank them enough for such an amazing day.
We got to have a few turns swimming with the dolphins which was amazing and I honestly felt like I was dreaming with the dolphins swimming all around us! I love how it was truly up the the dolphins if they wanted to come to us and the staff had people on the boat making sure they weren’t getting stressed and did want to be interacting with us.
It felt very very safe, with only a small number of people in the water at a time and the staff constantly watching us and making sure we were ok as well as helping us in and out of the water.
The staff were incredible, so so friendly and truly wanting us to have an amazing time!
We loved every single second and have so many incredible memories! Will absolutely return when we are back this way!
Thanks to all the crew for their kindness, passion, knowledge and hospitality.
Cheers Adam!
Jenna and Andrew,

































