Ecoseaker
5
Swim with DolphinsBoat ToursEco ToursDolphin & Whale WatchingNature & Wildlife Tours
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Full view
About
Dolphin Swimming and Harbour Cruise Adventures. Small Professional Family Company 100% Locally Owned & Operated. Only 12 Guests On Each Tour. Personal Experience. Free Dolphin Swimming Photos.
Akaroa, New Zealand
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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5.0
710 reviews
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Amamini
17 contributions
Dec 2019 • Family
Hector dolphins are wild and are apparently relatively rare still.
However, the tour is described as “swimming with dolphins”, possibly this should read, “floating in the sea with Dolphins”, who may or may not swim near by or among the group of wet suited humans! It’s just quite expensive for the time one gets with dolphins, which was my main objective in taking this particular tour.
It does take quite a while to suit up 10/12 people and get them onto the boat. There were quite a lot of safety briefings too. We were then asked to look out for Dolphins. A pod, up to 4 members was spotted quite quickly, so we did see this pod quite well from the boat. This pod was busy feeding, and wouldn’t be interested in interacting with us humans we were told.
So we moved onto another sighting and a smaller pod of 2/3 was seen. We then got into the water, it was calm and a dolphin swam close to me. They move very fast! These dolphins came in and out of the group. As it got wavier, it was harder to see the dolphins. A crew member did take photos, and they do email these out to you after the tour.
The snorkels and masks given seem redundant, as the water would rarely be clear enough I imagine to use. One is certainly not swimming, one is floating in the water, while the dolphins are about. We floated for 40mins, during which time we did have the dolphins swim by or near most of the group, at least once
I think it’s worth reiterating this isn’t “swimming”, as might be done in other parts of the world, which is often described as a very moving experience. Of course these dolphin aren’t completely wild and are often fed, unlike the NZ Akaroa Hectors.
This experience was interesting, but it seems quite expensive. On balance getting into the water didn’t add a lot to the overall experience of seeing the Hectors dolphins. Tours from boats, that are less expensive, may be just as rewarding.
We were taken around the harbour coast, seeing a couple of seals, and other birds and the geology of the harbour.
However, the tour is described as “swimming with dolphins”, possibly this should read, “floating in the sea with Dolphins”, who may or may not swim near by or among the group of wet suited humans! It’s just quite expensive for the time one gets with dolphins, which was my main objective in taking this particular tour.
It does take quite a while to suit up 10/12 people and get them onto the boat. There were quite a lot of safety briefings too. We were then asked to look out for Dolphins. A pod, up to 4 members was spotted quite quickly, so we did see this pod quite well from the boat. This pod was busy feeding, and wouldn’t be interested in interacting with us humans we were told.
So we moved onto another sighting and a smaller pod of 2/3 was seen. We then got into the water, it was calm and a dolphin swam close to me. They move very fast! These dolphins came in and out of the group. As it got wavier, it was harder to see the dolphins. A crew member did take photos, and they do email these out to you after the tour.
The snorkels and masks given seem redundant, as the water would rarely be clear enough I imagine to use. One is certainly not swimming, one is floating in the water, while the dolphins are about. We floated for 40mins, during which time we did have the dolphins swim by or near most of the group, at least once
I think it’s worth reiterating this isn’t “swimming”, as might be done in other parts of the world, which is often described as a very moving experience. Of course these dolphin aren’t completely wild and are often fed, unlike the NZ Akaroa Hectors.
This experience was interesting, but it seems quite expensive. On balance getting into the water didn’t add a lot to the overall experience of seeing the Hectors dolphins. Tours from boats, that are less expensive, may be just as rewarding.
We were taken around the harbour coast, seeing a couple of seals, and other birds and the geology of the harbour.
Written January 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your review.
It does feel a bit glass half full though considering everyone else on the tour that day were very happy with being able to spend 40 minutes in the water with wild dolphins coming and going the whole time.
Use of words like (apparently relatively rare) is interesting when they are the smallest and second rarest ocean dolphin only to their own subspecies, The Maui Dolphin.
We certainly do not give out miss or incorrect information on our tours.
As for safety briefings, safety is our first concern for all of our guests so that everyone has a good time and part of the dolphin briefing is about safety but also the best way to interact with the dolphins to maximize your encounter.
Hectors Dolphins behave quite differently to all other dolphins and we want the dolphins and you to have the best time possible with the lowest impact.
A lot of people find it quite moving to be in their habitat and have them come close and check them out due to their natural curiosity.
We like to say - This is Their World not Sea World.
Kind regards
Steve
Owner/Captain
Ecoseaker Swimming with Dolphins
Akaroa New Zealand
Written January 12, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Lilian
1 contribution
Jan 2020 • Couples
Ecoseaker was recommended to us and it also spoke to us as it is a small family-owened company who chooses not to impact the environment too much. We chose to do the Harbour Tour in the afternoon as we did not want to do the swimming with the Dolphines. We ended up having a private tour with Adam and Rachel and had a wonderful experience. We learned a lot about Akaroa Harbour, the history, the wildlife, and the marine protection. When we started going out to the pacific we happened to cross some dolphines. Adam stopped the boat and let us enjoy several minutes with at least 8-10 dolphines who played in the waves.
We can only imagine who well done the dolphine swimming is organized. But if you want to spend a lovely afternoon out on the water in Akaroa harbour and learn something: choose Ecoseaker and the Harbour Tour. Its worth every penny and I would book with Ecoseaker again in a heartbeat.
We can only recommend Ecoseaker: its personal, intimate and ecofriendly.
Thank you for the great experience!!!
We can only imagine who well done the dolphine swimming is organized. But if you want to spend a lovely afternoon out on the water in Akaroa harbour and learn something: choose Ecoseaker and the Harbour Tour. Its worth every penny and I would book with Ecoseaker again in a heartbeat.
We can only recommend Ecoseaker: its personal, intimate and ecofriendly.
Thank you for the great experience!!!
Written January 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for this absolutely wonderful review :)
Kind regards
Steve Owner/Captain
Ecoseaker Akaroa
Akaroa Harbour Cruise New Zealand
Written February 21, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ellie635
Leeds10 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
We booked this experience with ecoSeakers after reading lots of good reviews and noting how they minimize their impact on the wildlife. We are so happy we did this! We were on a small boat of maximum 12 people, and Steve and Rachel were both very helpful and knowledgeable about the environment and the dolphins. We had two opportunities to swim with different pods of dolphins. On the first swim, the dolphins stayed at a little distance but we could still see them clearly and we would have been happy with this. However Steve thought he could get better so brought us back on the boat and we drove for a little longer. The next time we got in the water there were so many dolphins swimming around us and coming amazingly close to show an interest in us. Steve and Rachel were great at pointing out the dolphins from the boat so we knew where to look. Another great extra was that they took lots of great photos of us in the water which they emailed to us for free the same day - most other companies charge a lot for this! We also saw lots of seals, cormorants and a couple of penguins! Best thing we did in New Zealand! If you want a great authentic dolphin swimming experience, book with this great local environmentally-conscious company :)
Written March 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your wonderful review :)
We really hope you and your family are doing well during the covid-19 pandemic.
WOW, The best thing you did in New Zealand, that is really fantastic!
We are really pleased that potential guests and our actual guests can see that we are environmentally conscious and do minimize our impact on our wildlife.
We look forward to next season where we hope to be able to take out many more guests.
Hopefully, domestic tourism and opening up the trans-Tasman bubble with Australia will sustain us until New Zealand can open the border to the rest of the world.
Strange times.
Kind regards
Steve
Ecoseaker Dolphin Swimming &
Harbour Cruises
Akaroa
New Zealand
Written May 4, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Alex S
Linz, Austria6 contributions
Feb 2020
I loved swimming with the Hector Dolphins! The tour was super cool and Steve told us a lot about them. I liked the fact that these dolphins are wild and not feeded or in captivity. It's their free will to swim so close to you :-)
As a plus we also did a little cruise afterwards and Steve showed us the Penguins and Seals, it was truly amazing. I totally recommend booking Ecoseaker! They're a small family business and you can see they love what they're doing. We were a small group of 11 people and the tour guide also took photos of us, which they sent us for free.
As a plus we also did a little cruise afterwards and Steve showed us the Penguins and Seals, it was truly amazing. I totally recommend booking Ecoseaker! They're a small family business and you can see they love what they're doing. We were a small group of 11 people and the tour guide also took photos of us, which they sent us for free.
Written March 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your wonderful review :)
We really hope you and your family are doing well during the covid-19 pandemic.
I love that you all enjoyed the tour with us so much and enjoyed our enthusiasm.
We always look for small family businesses when we go on tours as they are always more passionate about what they do and want to really give their guest a great time.
Bigger commercial companies have a passion for the bottom line, rather than the experience.
Kind regards
Steve
Ecoseaker Dolphin Swimming &
Harbour Cruises
Akaroa
New Zealand
Written May 4, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Tianling
Akaroa, New Zealand6 contributions
Dec 2021 • Family
Swimming with dolphins with Ecoseaker was by far the highlight of our trip. The staff were very friendly, knowledgeable, experienced and professional. Almost immediately after leaving the pier, several pods of Hector’s dolphins swam right up to us on their own accord (“this isn’t SeaWorld, it’s their world”). The equipment provided (5-6mm full-length wetsuits and snorkel and mask) was of excellent quality, although they were so close to the boat that spectators on the boat would get a good view too. We also got a tour around the nearby cliffs and saw sea caves, NZ fur seals, seabird nesting areas and even little white-flippered penguins swimming.
The experience was worth every cent of the ticket, and I’m so glad to be contributing to a good cause (the ticket includes a donation directly to DoC’s fund towards Hector’s Dolphin research and protection). Highly recommend!
The experience was worth every cent of the ticket, and I’m so glad to be contributing to a good cause (the ticket includes a donation directly to DoC’s fund towards Hector’s Dolphin research and protection). Highly recommend!
Written December 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for a wonderful and comprehensive review 😁
Kind Regards
Steve
Owner/Captain
Ecoseaker Swimming with Dolphins Akaroa
Written December 4, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
anneb24412
Sydney, Australia184 contributions
Feb 2020
We swam mid February. The trip was great, the crew Steve and Adam, were knowledgeable, respectful of the wild life and the harbour and explained so much about what would happen for the morning. We did get to swim with the dolphins, in the wetsuits that were provided, then an extended time with the dolphins playing around the boat and then had a bonus of two penguins working a bait ball of fish. The boat is well designed for the swim and also close to the water so when the dolphins come dancing and diving around the boat, they are so close to view - you're not elevated up on a big catamaran away form the wildlife.
Written February 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your lovely review :)
I especially like the part about the design of the boat and being close to the water when the dolphins are around the boat.
That is the number one reason we brought this boat as it is much closer to the wildlife than big commercial catamarans!
Kind regards
Steve Owner/Captain
Ecoseaker Akaroa
Dolphin Swimming New Zealand
Written April 23, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jemma B
Christchurch, New Zealand406 contributions
Oct 2022
We had a brilliant time with Steve and Dani yesterday. They make a great pair - knowledgeable, funny and take the care of their guests seriously. Having Steve's local stories of growing up in Akaroa and showing us his family farm (complete with the extreme sheep!) were a delightful touch. The dolphins were incredible, and swimming with them is certainly a bucket list activity. We had the added bonus of seeing seals and white-flippered penguins! Both Steve and Dani kept a close eye on those who were feeling a little seasick and the hot chocolates and gingernuts were a lovely treat. We loved that the boat was small and comfy (taking a maximum of 12 passengers at any time), so we had highly personalised commentary from Steve, we asked lots of questions, and were able to get amazingly close to the dolphins in their natural habitat. We'd highly recommend doing this as a beautiful morning activity and supporting the local operators when they have been hit hard over the last 2.5 years. You won't regret it!
Written October 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for a wonderfully comprehensive review 😁
Thank you for your support! as you say it has been a very hard 2.5 years, especially for the smaller family businesses that didn't get the big payouts from the government like the big operators.
Kind Regards
Steve
Owner/Captain
Ecoseaker Swimming with Dolphins Akaroa
Written December 4, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
MKdeS
Amsterdam, The Netherlands57 contributions
Mar 2019 • Couples
We went on a dolphin swimming tour with Ecoseaker and it was absolutely amazing! We saw so many dolphins next to our boat and also got to swim with them, so close you could touch them if you have wanted to!
Ecoseaker is a very dolphin-friendly tour too: they now their way around dolphins and know how to attract them with well behavior so they come to you instead of you following them. So you feel like you do no harm to the animals and can still come really close!
I think we saw more than 50 altogether when we were swimming. So cool!
Ecoseaker is a very dolphin-friendly tour too: they now their way around dolphins and know how to attract them with well behavior so they come to you instead of you following them. So you feel like you do no harm to the animals and can still come really close!
I think we saw more than 50 altogether when we were swimming. So cool!
Written February 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for this lovely review :)
We love it when our guests notice the care and natural way we interact with our wildlife.
Kind regards
Steve Owner/Captain
Ecoseaker Akaroa
Dolphin Swimming New Zealand
Written April 23, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
nzcopplestone
36 contributions
Nov 2021
This very personal experience aboard an ex Americas Cup robustly built Rayglass chase boat.. (looked like the one Luna Rosa used but Steve will verify this (I was on race committee for Louis Vuitton) has been a major highlight of my Akaroa Experience!!.. Very safe (the thick wetsuits keep you buoyant) massive attention to detail at the briefing to keep both the humans and the amazing Hectors dolphins safe. It is a huge privilege being able to observe these unique dolphin, indigenous to Aotearoa New Zealand in their natural habitat.
Steve guided us through an understanding of the natural landscape that has resulted in the adaption over time of these small but perfectly formed species.. their colouring is totally unique. The land around the volcanic crater that forms the harbour is also a unique micro climate. On the land The Hamilton family have generously donated to all New Zealanders, now in the hands of DOC as guardians, there are Nikau palms, another species of flora that is normally only seen on the North Island. Steve and his ancestors have lived and farmed on the land here for several generations and he is a mine of information on history and the amazing geology... He took us to see Cathedral cave and the amazing natural cave - used for keeping foods cool in the warm summer by the Local Maori - That would have taken much courage to get a waka into the narrow opening and a very good understanding of the tides and sea conditions.. All in all enlightening.
Steve guided us through an understanding of the natural landscape that has resulted in the adaption over time of these small but perfectly formed species.. their colouring is totally unique. The land around the volcanic crater that forms the harbour is also a unique micro climate. On the land The Hamilton family have generously donated to all New Zealanders, now in the hands of DOC as guardians, there are Nikau palms, another species of flora that is normally only seen on the North Island. Steve and his ancestors have lived and farmed on the land here for several generations and he is a mine of information on history and the amazing geology... He took us to see Cathedral cave and the amazing natural cave - used for keeping foods cool in the warm summer by the Local Maori - That would have taken much courage to get a waka into the narrow opening and a very good understanding of the tides and sea conditions.. All in all enlightening.
Written November 26, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WOW! This is an incredible review!! 😁 Thank you so much!
It was pretty cool to have you on the boat with you having commentated on the America's Cup back when our boat was a part of it.
I wasn't sure which team our boat was working with but you spotted the seat colours and picked it was Luna Rossa, so thank you for that it makes more connection for us regarding the boat's history. 😊
Kind Regards
Steve
Owner/Captain
Ecoseaker Swimming with Dolphins Akaroa
Written December 4, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Storyteller
2 contributions
Oct 2020 • Solo
We went out on the afternoon ecoseaker cruise on Banks Peninsula harbour to see wildlife and hear some history of the area. The afternoon was a brilliant experience with great info. We felt safe on the boat and it was perfect for the adventure being so close to the water and being able to be manoeuvered close to frolicking seals. The most amazing event outside the harbour mouth (pacific ocean) were multitudes of Hector's dolphins approaching our vessel and playing enthusiastically around and under the boat. We will never forget their joyfulness and will definitely be back on another adventure with Steve but this time
the morning session swimming with the beautiful dolphins. Thanks Steve. Great talented host. We liked supporting you as a local small business that has long connections to the area. Maree and Ruth. Waiheke Island.
the morning session swimming with the beautiful dolphins. Thanks Steve. Great talented host. We liked supporting you as a local small business that has long connections to the area. Maree and Ruth. Waiheke Island.
Written October 27, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wow, thank you so much Mary & Ruth!!
It was an absolute pleasure to have you come out with me, and thank you once again for supporting our small local business :)
We'll see you back one day for that dolphin swim experience.
Warm regards
Steve
Owner/Captain
Ecoseaker Akaroa
Dolphin Swimming & Harbour Cruise's
Written November 9, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The only bus that works with our times is the Akaroa Shuttle. You will have to book that yourself through their website.
The bus usually gets here by 10.30am.
Please advise the bus driver on the day that you are booked with us at 10.30am this way he won’t take too long coming over the hill.
The first bus stop in Akaroa by the museum is where you need to come off.
From there cross the road and turn right into Rue Balguerie at the concert by the information Centre. We are at the end if the road directly by the waterfront.
Kind Regards, Kerstin Hamilton
Written January 6, 2019
We arrive tomorrow 20/1 (2pers), any places left?
Best regards
Chris & Amelie (Sweden)
Ps! We just have this day, then my daughter (20 years) is going back to Australia and I’m going back to Sweden.
Christer Hoffren
+46 733667077
Written January 19, 2018
Hi Chris and Amelie,
Sorry we are full until Tuesday and have availability again on Wednesday.
I'm not sure if you called or emailed through our website but these are the two best ways to contact us.
We only received this message from tripadvisor last night.
Sorry we couldn't accommodate you.
Kind regards
Steve
Owner/Captain.
Written January 20, 2018
We are coming into Akaroa on the Radiance of the Seas on Monday 22nd January 2018 and would love to take part in the swimming with dolphins experience, Could you advise if you have any spaces for two adults? Be good to know the price and whether we could book the trip before we go out. Thanks for your help
Written December 12, 2017
Hi there,
Thank you for your enquiry.
We do have space on the 22nd of January and would advise to book it well before arriving in Akaroa as our tours are exclusively limited to 12 guests per tour. Price per adult is $165pp.
You can find all of the information you need on our website and can book there as well. ecoseaker.nz
Kind regards
Steve
Owner/Captain
Written December 14, 2017
Hello,
We are very interested in booking your swim with the Dolphins tour when we visit on a Celebrity cruise ship in December. How far away from where the cruise ships anchor are you? Are you near the docking/tender location? Thank you!
Written October 1, 2017
Hi there,
Thank you for your enquiry.
We are a 10 minute walk from the Main Wharf to Daly's Wharf, allow 15 to be safe, but is really not far at all :)
See the location tab on our website.
We look forward to your booking.
Kind regards
Steve Hamilton
Owner/Captain
Written October 2, 2017
We would like to book 2 adults for 4th February. Any chance for just the adventure cruise....?
Written August 30, 2016
Thank you for your booking and we look forward to meeting you.
Written September 1, 2016
Want to book for 2 adult watchers and 1 child (14 yo) swimmer on the 18th January. Is there any availabiltiy?
Written January 6, 2016
Hi there,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.
We only have one seat available on the 18th of January, but we have availability on either the 17th or 19th of January.
Please contact us on 0800 326 794 or dolphins@ecoseaker.nz to make a booing. Kind Regards, Kerstin
Written January 11, 2016
Will you be operating Thurs 7th Jan 2016, and can my partner also come for the trip (but as a spectator only?)
Written September 29, 2015
Thank you for your enquiry.
Yes we will be operating on the 7th of January 2016 and yes definitely your partner can come as a watcher.
I have just checked our bookings and noticed you have made a booking already.
We look forward to meeting you then :)
Warm regards Steve- Owner/Captain
Written October 2, 2015
How much is this trip? Is it booked up? I'm coming tomorrow
Written March 1, 2015
Hi Angie,
Sorry we haven't answered your question earlier we didn't operate on Monday as we have had a bereavement in the family and had to organise things so my wife and 9 month old son could fly home to Germany to attend the funeral.
It's great that John answered having already been out on the tour with us, thanks John :)
If you are still in the area please phone me on 0800 ecoswim (326 794) to make a booking.
Kind regards Steve.
Owner/Skipper
Written March 2, 2015
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