Mauritius: Ocean Swim with Dolphins

Most people imagine swimming with dolphins, but they probably envision an aquarium-like setting with captive dolphins. In this case, your experience will be completely different as you will be in the dolphins’ natural habitat. Your skipper will head out to sea and follow a pod of “Spinner” or “Bottle-nose” Dolphins, stopping several meters from them. Once the boat has stopped, you’ll have the opportunity to get in the water and swim with these magnificent creatures or just stay on the boat and observe. The amount of time spent swimming with them can vary considerably depending on the dolphins’ behavior and can range from just a minute to several minutes, or more. You might think that the dolphins will just swim away, but most of the time, the dolphins don’t seem to care that you’re there. Sometimes they swim away from you, sometimes they swim around you, and sometimes they swim right under you. If the pod decides to move, you’ll have the opportunity to get back on the boat and repeat the experience in another location.

This is a memory that will stay with you for a lifetime, as swimming with the Dolphins is a magical experience.

The dolphin swim is followed by some snorkeling in the crystal waters of the western lagoon, where you can see hundreds of fish and coral.

After snorkeling the skipper heads in the direction of Ile aux Benitiers island,  including a stop at the famous Crystal rock,a famous geological quirk. This is a great place to take some photographs with the gorgeous view of Le Morne mountain as its backdrop.

Finally, arrive on Benitiers Island  for your long-awaited BBQ lunch, and a little relaxation time before heading back to the starting point.

What’s Included:

Duration: 6.5 hours
Observing and swimming with the Dolphins
Masks & Snorkels and safety equipment
Visit to a geological quirk, Crystal Rock
BBQ Lunch including alcoholic and soft drinks on Benitiers Island

What’s Not Included:

Gratuities
Transportation to and from the meeting point can be arranged as a supplement.

What to Bring:

Swimsuits (we recommend layering them before joining the cruise)
Towels
Sun cream
Hat
Camera (ideally waterproof)

Additional Info:

Dolphin Species

Two kinds of dolphins can be observed in Mauritian waters: the Spinner and the Bottlenose. They do not like to socialize with each other, therefore, you will never see them together. If the Spinners are around and the Bottle-nose dolphins arrive, the Spinners will leave the bay, heading to the open sea.

The Bottle-nose Dolphin is one of the most common species and is known all over the world. It is also the biggest amongst the different species of dolphins with a weight of up to 650 kg and a length of up to 12 feet! They are famous for their intelligence, very gentle, and willing to approach humans.

In Mauritius, they live in groups of between 2 to 15 members and can be observed early in the morning until 11:30 a.m. Sometimes, with a bit of luck, you may see them in the afternoon, swimming in the crystal clear lagoon, in depths of 1.5 meters.

The Spinners are the most playful and active of the dolphins and live in large groups of up to 100 members. They are much smaller than their cousins, the Bottle-nose, who only grow up to 80 kg and 8 feet. They are famous for being very active, especially in the morning, as this is their time to train the calves, which are generally about 1 foot long and weigh no more than 3 kg.

Children 0 -3 are free
Children: between 4 – 12
The cruise is not recommended for women in their 8 weeks+ pregnancy
Participants without the right swimming skills are not encouraged to get into the water.
We can cater for vegetarian or gluten-free meals. (Please communicate that during the booking process.
All food served is Halal certified.

Starting Address:

Some info regarding the meeting point:
Meeting point: La Tour Martello, La Preneuse – https://goo.gl/maps/yx8LDMUrPvy
Meeting time: 07:30

Please note that if you are using your own transportation to the meeting point, there are plenty of parking spaces in the area.