Auckland Whale & Dolphin Safari

“Really grateful to our safari guides Jo, George, Shay and Britney today. We had a wonderful time onboard the Dolphin Explorer and surprisingly never encountered any dolphins. I was about to give up and take a nap in the cabin but took a little stroll into the deck because of the noise from the speakers. Caught sight of something leaping out of the water from a distance and thought it was a dolphin, but the crew verified that it was a humpback!! Apparently it was only the 12th humpback whale sighting in 26 years of operating Auckland Whale and Dolphin Watching, which was very exciting for everybody. A very odd safari experience, but spectacular nonetheless. I’m glad my virgin whale watching experience was with a dramatic and playful humpback. Appreciate the crew for being mindful about our safety and following conservation regulations with respect to the whale we saw. Also enjoyed the hospitality from the little cafe in the cabin, and the informative presentations very much.”

“All I could say is GO!! This is an amazing and highly must go adventure in Auckland. It really depends on luck I would say to see the dolphins and whale, though I would say we got lucky in the first 30 minutes to see some dolphins that they even came so close to the boats and was jumping at the side and swimming in the front of our cruise the spectacular moment of just watching the animals in their own habits. Sadly after that there was no more sea creatures but they did offer a coupon for us to come back at half price with no expiration date. So highly will do make another trip down to see those sea creatures again and cross fingers hopefully we are able to enjoy the full journey.”

“Me and my partner have been twice thanks to the incredible understanding of the workers aboard. On our first trip we saw some common dolphins but not much else. The staff felt we could see more and gave us a voucher to go again. We went a second time and were blessed with nicer weather which gave us some good fortune. We saw several pods of Common Dolphin, a plethora of Sea Birds, and multiple Orca's including calfs. Unfortunately, with Orca's being presant we didn't see too many other marine mammals up close but the entire experience was incredible. It was genuinely an amazing time with staff being friendly, informative, and incredibly conscientious. 10/10 would recommend!”