Connors' New Zealand Adventure: Swimming with 800 dolphins

Kaikoura, a town on the east coast of the South Island is a mecca for sea life. A shop owner and a few other folks we met in earlier months gushed about swimming with dolphins in Kaikoura. This is the big activity I really, really wanted to do before leaving the country, however, I was really apprehensive that I would be sooooooo cold in the water that I wouldn’t enjoy the experience. The plus side of doing this in July was that we were told the pods of dolphins are much larger in the (NZ) winter. Anyway, I should not have worried, it was so awesome, I kind of forgot that the water was like 50 degrees F.

Full wet suits (including hoods and gloves), masks and fins were provided. We drove out on a boat and the captain of the boat was able to find pods of dusky dolphins through morning scoping trips and communication with fishermen who were already out in the area. After finding a pod of dolphins, the boat stopped, and all the people on the boat, maybe 15-20 of us, slipped off the back, into the water and swam among the beautiful, playful dolphins. There were so many! We were limited, by the permit the guide company has, to five swims, each about 15-20 minutes long.

We were told to sing, make noise, circle, dive and essentially play with the dolphins and they would play back. It was true! Between trying to sing in my snorkel and being so amazed at being at an arm’s reach from the dolphins, I tried not to hyperventilate. The song I kept singing was the Beatles song….I want to be under the sea, in an octopuses garden in the shade….I was so excited that every time I tried to dive down I mostly got a mouthful of water.

It was incredible making eye contact with a dolphin and having them not only swim by, but, then swim back and circle around you. They really are a mystical animal! Not it’s my turn to gush to someone else about this adventure.