Mit Delfinen schwimmen und sie beobachten – E-Ko-Tour ab Picton

I was mostly disappointed by this experience. While we saw plenty of dolphins FROM THE BOAT in perfect conditions, I could have had the same experience in a hired kayak or on the Interislander. We were dropped into the water to swim with the dolphins twice. Neither time did we see any dolphins nearby. Nothing. There was one girl who was a little nervous about being in the water and the boat took off while she was still getting off the ladder, throwing her back into the water over the spinning propeller. Basic safety practice would have required the person supervising the people getting into the water to call out when the ladder was clear. That didn’t happen until the female supervisor shouted that there was still someone on the ladder. Not good. Also when coming back to the boat after being in the water, the propellers felt like they were dragging us into the props and when multiple people are trying to grab the ladder it felt like you could be dragged around the side of the safety barrier of the ladder. I didn’t feel the safety practices were that rigorous. Not much in the way of a briefing. I can deal with not being able to swim with the dolphins but the safety issue accompanied by a over enthusiastic commentary about how amazing everything was and how lucky we were to see dolphins from the boat was disingenuous. Bottom line is we paid to swim with dolphins and we didn’t so don’t spin this out like we’re stupid. It felt like they were trying to prevent us asking for our money back, which I would have liked to do but chose not to because tourism has suffered enough due to covid. You are entitled under their policy to a part refund. Instead I left feeling disappointed by the experience. The trip was also much shorter than what was advertised, so we were left wanting on a number of levels. I’m sure some people have had brilliant experiences on the trip, unfortunately ours wasn’t one of them.

If you do not get to se the dolphins it is unviable and a big hit to the pocket. $515 (zero discount for 2 adults & 1 child) $140 refund Overall tour cost $375 4 hours of time lost. Plus: Saw Hector dolphins. Yaay. Got us to swim with Kawahai fish. Ferry to Picton and back from Welly - $670 Accomodation $300 Wild life is hit and miss - but don’t promote with confidence if you can’t back up your numbers.

Courtney and Paul took us out for a beautiful morning on the Sounds. We learned about the area and the different dolphins we would see. We were treated to a magical encounter with the rare Hector's dolphin - a large group stayed with our boat! What a blessing to see so many of such a rare species. It did mean we could not swim with them, nor with the dusky dolphins we saw as they had a juvenile, but it was a truly memorable day to see the Hectors. You can tell that the staff love their work and care for the animals, as their comfort is prioritised. Partial refund offered as we couldn't swim with them, but this company deserves all of the business it can get. Dedicated staff, great wetsuits and masks to use for the tour and a fantastic experience in the Sounds!