Swimming with dolphins

When can you swim with dolphins in Akaroa?

From 1 October to 30 April, every day except Christmas Day. Outside those months there is no swim, only the watching cruises.

Black Cat runs several swim departures a day in season, the earliest soon after dawn in midsummer; the booking calendar on blackcat.co.nz lists each day's times. Check in at 61 Beach Road 20 minutes before. The whole trip takes about 3.5 hours.

Which month? February and March bring the warmest water and calmer, settled weather. October and November are cold and quieter on the boats. Calves are born over late spring and summer, and swimming with a pod that has young calves isn't allowed, so a summer boat may watch rather than swim. Dates for the coming season are in the 2026-27 swim season post.

How cold is the water in Akaroa Harbour?

Cold: about 11 C in October, 14 C in December and a little over 16 C at the February peak. Even the warmest month is cold-water swimming.

Monthly averages for the swim season, from sea temperature records for Akaroa:

For comparison, a heated pool is about 27 C. Your face and hands feel it most. One 5-star guest wrote: "Wetsuits make floating almost effortless and the cold water tolerable."

What does the 5 mm wetsuit do, and what should you bring?

The 5 mm wetsuit keeps you warm and floating. Black Cat supplies it with a mask; you bring a swimsuit, a towel and warm clothes for afterwards.

• Supplied: a premium 5 mm wetsuit and a swim mask (the Viator day trip lists snorkel gear too), hot chocolate and biscuits after the swim, and downloadable photos of your trip.
• Bring: swimwear to wear under the wetsuit, a towel, a warm jumper and a hat for the ride back, and a waterproof camera on a wrist strap if you have one.
• Medication: if you use an inhaler or an EpiPen, bringing it is mandatory.
• Showers: there is no hot shower while the Akaroa wharf is rebuilt. Plan to change in the car or a public toilet, and keep a dry layer handy.

Seasick on boats? Take something before you board. The swim boat is small and stops often, and lying flat in a swell doesn't help either.

Who can swim with the dolphins in Akaroa?

Anyone 8 or older who can swim 50 m unaided in open sea, without a life jacket, and follow safety briefings in English.

• Ages 8 to 12: must have an adult swimmer in the water with them.
• Ages 12 to 16: need an adult on the boat; a spectator ticket covers that.
• Depth: you swim in 15 to 30 m of water and can't touch the bottom. Life jackets and floats are not allowed.
• Fitness: you float, then swim back to the boat over distances of up to 50 m at a time. Declare any medical conditions when you book.
• Language: Black Cat asks for conversational English so you can follow the safety brief.

Can't manage that? Take the Black Cat nature cruise, or the Akaroa Dolphins cruise instead. You'll often see more from the deck than from water level.

Not a strong swimmer? Watch from the deck: two hours, the same dolphins, and a free re-cruise if none show.

★ 4.7 · 2 hours · from $76

Explore the Black Cat nature cruise → Tour details

What are the rules when you swim with Hector's dolphins?

The dolphins approach you, never the reverse. No touching, no feeding, no chasing, and no swimming with pods that include young calves.

Swimming with marine mammals in New Zealand runs under the Marine Mammals Protection Regulations 1992. In practice: the boat may not chase a pod or cut across it, no more than three vessels may sit within 300 m of the same animals, and a skipper gets a limited number of swim attempts per trip. The swim stops if a pod has juveniles in it. Hector's dolphins are nationally vulnerable, and the harbour sits inside the Banks Peninsula Marine Mammal Sanctuary, New Zealand's first, set up in 1988.

In the water you float quietly, face down, and let them come. Making sounds through the snorkel helps; splashing and reaching out don't. One 5-star guest put it well: "The guides were knowledgeable about the dolphins and took good care not to chase or harass them. We got to swim with the dolphins when the dolphins signaled they wanted to play."

What if the dolphins don't come, or won't swim?

You don't get your money back. If dolphins are sighted but won't stay, the swim simply doesn't happen; if none are sighted at all, Black Cat gives you a voucher for its nature cruise.

Black Cat's own page says it plainly: swims are not guaranteed and there is no refund for an unsuccessful swim. Reseller pages that still promise a 25% or 50% refund are out of date. Guests on the Viator day trip report everything from one short swim to long sessions with a big pod; one 5-star reviewer wrote of swimming "in a pod of about 18 dolphins at one time".

Our advice: book the swim early in your stay, so a voucher or a second try is still useful. And go in hoping, not expecting.

Should you swim with dolphins or just watch?

Watch if you're under 8, a weak swimmer, travelling in winter or on a budget. Swim if you're comfortable in cold open water and can live with a day the dolphins say no.

The two side by side:

Mixed groups work: a non-swimmer can come on the swim boat as a spectator. And the honest truth is that from a cruise deck you watch the dolphins bow-ride and play for longer than you'd ever float with them. Compare the two cruises in Black Cat vs Akaroa Dolphins.

Swim from Akaroa direct, or book the day trip from Christchurch?

Book direct with Black Cat if you have a car or are staying in Akaroa. Take the $224 day trip if you have no car and want one booking that covers the coach, the swim and a cheese stop.

The swim day trip from Christchurch picks up from hotels at 8:30 am and takes about 9 hours, with a tasting at Barrys Bay. Wetsuit and snorkel gear are included; lunch isn't. It needs at least four adults to run, its child band is 8 to 13, and it refunds in full only if you cancel six or more days before. Guests rate it 3.8 from 37 reviews, and the complaints are mostly about the long day, not the dolphins.

Driving yourself costs NZ$250 for the swim plus fuel, and you control the clock: swim in the morning, eat in Akaroa, drive back over the Hilltop in daylight. The road and the shuttles are in the Christchurch day trip guide.

No car, no problem: hotel pickup in Christchurch, a wetsuit swim in Akaroa Harbour and cheese at Barrys Bay. Ages 8 and up.

★ 3.8 · 9 hours · from $224

Explore the dolphin swim day trip → Tour details

Frequently asked questions