Swimming with the Kaikoura Dusky Dolphins

It must surely be on everyone’s bucket list to swim in the ocean with a pod of wild dolphins. Well, that is what I managed to do over Xmas last year at the lovely New Zealand town of Kaikoura.

I peered down through my snorkel mask into the clear depths below. Suddenly there was movement underneath. Within touching distance was a mother dolphin and her calf both turning sideways seemingly to peer at the ungainly swimmer amongst them. After our eye-to-eye encounter there was a swish of the tail and they were gone again. But then another three, no four, no five, I lost count, of dolphins took their place. All of them seemed to swim right towards me, around me, under me, checking me out with their black piercing eyes. I was an enigma in their world just like they were in mine.

It was a clear, bright summers morning when we set off from the harbour at the South Bay Marina. We’d been ordered to arrive at ‘Dolphin Encounter Centre’ early in order to be kitted out in our own wet suits, hoods and snorkels. A short presentation video then followed telling us about the area, the dolphins we would hopefully encounter and what to expect.

Dan outside the Dolphin Encounter building - a great cafe spot

And then it was all go, out on to buses to be driven the short distance through to town to our boats. Journeying out to sea the water was calm and clear. A great day to swim with the local dusky dolphins. We spotted seals, albatross and a vast array of other rare and not so rare seabirds.

The beautiful South Bay area of Kaikoura

But today was labelled ‘Dolphin Encounter’ for a reason and I sensed the excitement hitch up a notch when we started to sport a few fins surging across the water. Those of us on the boat who had elected to get into the water were told to get kitted up. This meant tightening our wetsuits, pulling on flippers and face masks and listening carefully to our crews instructions. We then shuffled into our directed spots on the back of the boat ready to launch ourselves. Perched squashed up tight we sat with barely concealed anticipation. Dolphins were everywhere, splashing, acrobatically throwing themselves out of the water chasing our boat. Someone besides me claimed there must be at least a thousand! Then the hooter we had been waiting for sounded from the cabin. Our captain was cutting the engines and we were ready. One by one we were instructed to enter the water and push ourselves quickly away from the boat. The cold water, even on a summer’s day, hit me first. I had on a buoyant wetsuit to keep warm, but the Southern Pacific Ocean rarely gets above 16 degrees in these parts. The sudden chill was instantly forgotten though as I put my head down and made first sighting of a dolphin. The dusky dolphins love to swim in large pods together and once in the water they are literally everywhere you turn as you find yourself swimming and splashing amongst them. Keep your head down they are constantly swimming beneath, around and towards you. It’s an incredible privilege to experience dolphin encounter. One that for days afterwards left a firm smile fixed on my face.