Shared Dolphin Encounter In Mauritius

Unfortunatelly the sea was rough and the activity did not occur in optimal conditions. It felt there were too many boats around the dolphins and we could not properly appreciate them swiming nor could we swim with them, since they seemed to be avoiding the many boats and we could not just see them go by. The Operator recognized that the activity did not occur as described in their website and they offered to reschedule to another date with no extra cost, which was quite professional.

Pedro and the team are awesome, kind and attentive. Very respectful of the dolphins. The boat is immaculate. The boat was not crowded. Excellent and 10/10 all round

We had a very nice trip with a friendly crew! The taxi was in time, the food was nice, and all was organized very well. I really can recommend thi trip.

Pascal and Vic were great guides! They were very knowledgeable about the dolphins and respected them. It was very easy to find a pod of spinner dolphins. It was an experience of a lifetime! My wife was able to swim with her favorite animals in the wild. The visibility wasn’t the greatest but we were still able to see many dolphins both above and below the surface

The company itself, Dolphin Encounter, was fine. We felt safe and were given size-appropriate life jackets, and a safety briefing at the start. The company was well-organised and the trip took off on time. While the skipper of Dolphin Encounter didn’t chase the dolphins, we cannot say the same for the 23 other boats operating at sea. It was a huge disappointment to see other skippers literally chasing dolphins to get close—sometimes dangerously close to the dolphins, other boats, and swimmers. It was also highly disappointing to see tourists jumping in the water at the very first sight of a dolphin, sometimes literally ON TOP of the dolphins. It wasn’t anything against the tour company. However, we deeply regretted going on this tour, and hope that someone within the Mauritian tour industry and/or ministry will do more to regulate these excursions. We’ve been on several wildlife trips over the years, and this was by and far the one we regret the most.

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip with Dolswim, as they were recommended as one of the few animal -friendly tour companies to offer this experience. We got briefed on safety and the habits of the dolphins, everyone got a life vest, and when we went out to see the dolphins they didn't chase them down or come to close them to them. We all got to swim with them 2-3 times, 2 people at a time, better than other boats who send out whole crowds (without life vests). I'm really glad they care about the animals and wish other tour companies did the same. We also loved the snorkeling at the reef as there were different fish there than closer to the shore. We didn't get any breakfast though.

Had a great trip with Patrice and Stewart to see the dolphins, on our day we saw a huge pod of spinner dolphins including some young ones. We were up early to meet them and headed out after a safety briefing and explanation of the dolphins habits etc and what we would be doing. We were lucky enough to find them off of La Mourne and could jump in with snorkels and swim with them. We spent an hour with them and then headed back with a stop for some more snorkeling on the edge of the reef to see some of the fish that hang out there. All in all a great trip.

Seeing the mink whales and snorkelling was great. Really disappointed to see so many people on other boats chasing the dolphins who were not feeling social because they had a baby. No respect for nature and it's beauty.

Great trip swimming with dolphins, a fast motor boat, good weather includes snorkeling! Thanks so much!

An amazing trip and achieved a personal dream.The two guys with us (22 Nov) were excellent, one held my hand so I cold snorkel with the dolphins underneath me 3 times. I will never forget this experience and it is all down to these two guys and the company. I decided to write this as I rad some negative reviews, ignore them and just do it. These guys guys respected the dolphins,( we moved on to an area where there were only a few boats ) gave us life jackets, not all companies do this and a brief talk about our trip. We had time to see some fish afterwards. Thank you so much.

Just returned from the 7am dolphin chase with 10 other boats. One other couple on our boat who for some reason got to go in the sea 4 times but we only had 2, only one of those times actually seeing any dolphins which i dont think was very fair at all. There were far too many boats all chasing the same pod so im not surprised they were all diving deeper to avoid us all. On the plus side, the staff were very good, especially pasqal who took our sons hand and helped ease his nerves. We were the only boat wearing life jackets and the only boat not to get too close to the dolphins which i saw as a good sign, just a shame we werent all given equal time in the sea. You meet on the beach so theres nowhere to get changed, luckily theres a toilet on board. The maritius government really need to start doing something about this dolphin chase before one gets hurt. We have been swimming with dolphins in several places all over the world and i have never seen such disregard for their wellbeing as i did this morning by the other boats (not dolswim).

We left early in the morning to see and swim with the dolphins. The crew was very motivated and ambitious to find them. We were lucky and could swim with the dolphins. The boat was not too big with a capacity of 10 people max. Of course this is one of the main tourist attractions of Mauritius and therefore there are many boats around to see the dolphins.

I chose Dolswim as Lonely Planet said they were unlike other operators and they were dolphin encounter sensitive and considerate etc. I could have chosen another tourist packed speedboat for a lot less money in fact. They had 3 boats out the day I went out and basically just joined the other dozen or so by a small pod. The intro talk did not indicate this at all .Its obviously easier than searching and wasting fuel by finding your own pod. Be aware it is not at all possible to swim with a dolphin, they are like a bullet and have twenty humans in snorkels jumping in close to them shouting and squealing! Dolswim say they are different from others as only 2 plus a "guide" enter the water at a time. 4 boats x 3 is still 12 and pointless as other boats allow the whole boatfull to go in together. the snorkelling on the reef later was ok though!

We had a brilliant experience with Dolswim - incredibly efficient (booking on WhatsApp was so easy) and despite the early start, we soon realised that we were on a special boat. Our guide and driver were superb and went out of their way to make sure that every single one of us had an amazing experience. The other boats (and there are lots) just let all their guests jump into the water and hope for the best but our guide would only take two at a time (in respect for the dolphins and so that you had the best chance of swimming with them) and then look after you in the water ensuring you had a wonderful experience. We can't recommend Dolswim enough!

Very nice experience, dolswin is the best company for doing swiming with dolphins. It is very difficult to swin after the dolphins and if you dont have snorkel practice you may swell much water. The last part of the tour near the reefs is pretty incredible and worth the hole trip.

Worst and most dissapointing part of the holiday in Mauritius. Mautourco promised continental breakfast as well as snorkeling. None was done. We had to drive for 1.5hours to get to Tamrin and the transfer costs were very expensive. There were also no toilets on the boat or on land, I had to go into the town searching for one. The skippers allowed two people to go into the water at a time but let each couple go in twice,before allowing us to go in, even after asking if we could go in while the dolphins were still around we were not given an opportunity. By the time they let us get ready to go into the water, the dolphins were gone. Dolswim is Not a good company to go with. Mautourco insinuated that I lied about everything and is taking dolswims part. This is Valerie in particular, very rude and she ignores messages and has now blocked me. Mautourco is a large travel company and I expected more professionalism, extremely dissapointing. Rather use other companies that do the dolphin trips. This cost a lot of money and I had to pay for a return transfer.

Great experience seeing and swimming with the dolphins in their natural enviremment. We chose Dolswim because of their promise of a small boat with max. 10 people and max. 2 persons in the water, which they perfectly sticked to. Operating the boat our captain always kept a nice distance to the dolphins ( and a whale which we spotted by chance ). Only point of criticism: there were like 9 of those boats, so you can do the math how many people were "chasing" after the dolphins. And not every captain was as calm and respectfull to the dolphins then ours... This is not a critic to Dolswim only, because there were other companys too. Very nice crew, very good briefing on the boat.

We have booked the Dolphin swim experience at the last minute. They have offered breakfast and shower facilities before you start the journey. The day we went, it wasn't easy to see the dolphin under the water. but we were offered many opportunities until we finally saw them. IT was one of the most amazing experiences I had in my life. Definitely, a must-do when in Mauritius.

This was our favourite experience in Mauritius. Such an INCREDIBLE feeling that we cannot describe! You dive in the ocean from the speedboat and have to swim as fast as you can to keep up with the Dolphins - there are pods of 50+ swimming all below and around you and jumping up next to you! It was just amazing and would love to do it again and again! Should have taken a go-pro!!! We also went to a bay after to do snorkelling as well, the water was SO clear. Our Skippers Tom & Fletcher were very welcoming. This experience out of all of them would be the one we'd recommend the most for anyone to do! Even coming from someone who isn't a strong swimmer, it was an amazing feeling to be amongst so many Dolphins!

Not to be missed! Exciting and well organised. had been with dolphins in Bahamas but this experience was like no other. Well explained by the guides who looked after us and made us comfortable with the experience. We went in pairs with the guide swimming with the dolphins. Very encouraging, especially as I am 63. Found it tiring but loved every minute. then we went to a reef snorkelling. All in all greta 3 hours!

One in a lifetime experience. Have been on many spots around the world, first who provides this services. Very professional and friendly crew. Other boats let you jump in with 10-15 other people at once, what makes it pointless as the dolphins are not interested in crowdy humans in the water. This crew takes care not to disturb them and let you only go on groups of two what makes sense and is respectful to the dolphins. 100% recommandation for this trip and crew. Hope to see you again guys. Best wishes

This was a fantastically run trip which catered for all. We had a 2 1/2 year old and he thoroughly enjoyed it as the crew made him feel so included. To swim with dolphins in their natural habitat was amazing and the guides were very informative and respectful of the dolphins. To cap it all a great snorkel on the way back. I would recommend this to anyone

We were today on a trip to discover and swin with the dolphins. The guides have respect for the animals in there natural environment. Geraldo and Fletcher were great guides and made a lot fun. Also they're helpful and cool.

The staff were very welcoming and to have a small breakfast was a bonus. The two guys on the boat were first rate and took safety very seriously. The downside is the number of boats chasing after the dolphins. Oh, how I’d hate to be a dolphin in a tourist area! It was exciting to be close to the dolphins, albeit for a few seconds. Finishing off with a bit of snorkelling at Le Morne was a lot more relaxing - no rushing to view. Overall nice to get beyond the reefs, but not something I’d necessarily do again.

We did the dolphin and snorkeling trip with our two young children. Very good with smaller groups on the boat. Only two persons in the water at the same time. This made it efficient and we hade some really nice moments seeing the dolphins. The crew was professional and gave good directions. The safety onboard was good to. Everyone need to wear a life jacket. The only downside was the reef for snorkeling on the way back. There was a lot of small fishes and some nicer corals but the visibility under water was not very good there. Probably because of the cyclone a few days ago. If your on Mauritius this is one of the must activities to do.

This was a trip of a lifetime and all I can say is these boys did not disappoint. With two girls who were nervous the crew made them feel at home and safe at all times. I highly recommend this

Nice and professional crew. They took the time for everyone on the boat to swim with the dolphins several times. If there would have been enough time left, they would take us snorkeling some place nice. We had a great experience! An experienced slimmer (Stacey) with a gopro joined us and filmed us swimming with the dolphins. She is a real enthusiast about dolphins!

This experience was amazing! We swam with over 70 dolphins which was including babies! Unfortunately we forgot to take our underwater camera!!! I think our staff were called Gillian and Stephan. They were outstanding! Gillian came in the water with us and made me feel at ease as I was a bit nervous being in deep open water. The staff had so much respect for the dolphins and would only let two people go in at once. Which was lovely as you got a special 1:1 experience. The water was so clear and I am so glad that we went! After we had finished swimming we went to a beautiful spot to go snorkling. The water was so clear and there were so many fish! The only downside was breakfast as there was only small croissants given. Overall I would defiantly go with this company again and I will remember this experience for the rest of my life

We had the best time swimming with dolphins with a very small group which is the best way I think, then our guide/taxi driver took us to all the main acctractions that you can do in one day to tick them off, these do not need a full day each, we went with dolpswim and the main tour operator of the island which virgin use also, a really great day indeed you also get to snorkel over a lovely reef to. Tour operator - mautourco

It was a really hard decision for me to, whether to participate in the dolphin watching or not, since I really like dolphins. After a lot of reading, I could not resist and was glad that I chose to go with dolswim. They were really respectful with the dolphins, keeping distance and they took only two people into the water at once with a guide. In the water I saw the dolphins only from the distance - but thats nature, you cannot control it and nonetheless it was a great experience! Unfortunately they are companies which are very disrespectful to the dolphins and it really hurt my eyes to see them chasing the dolphins and going intently directly over their hats. Afterwards they took us to a reef for snorkeling - it was really beautiful, looked like an aquarium. Thanks a lot for a great trip!

Recommended by the travel guide and a local tour operator, we do not regret our choice at all! Awesome swimming with the dolphins! The staff is friendly and instructive. It’s a bit like a factory with all the boats searching for dolphins, but it’s worth it.

Great experience I am delighted we saw several groups of dolphins and the crew was pleasant. I recommend. We were only 6 in the boat which was comfortable

Schöne Delfine Tour. It was a small boat. Experienced guides who were considerate with the dolphins. We weren't chasing the dolphins like the other overcrowded boats. Afterwards, we were still able to shoal into fish. Highly recommended.

We were on our tour with the guide Konrad. Our group consisted of 7 participants and two guides. Of the 7 participants, only 4 wanted to swim with the dolphins and the rest watched them from the boat. After we were equipped with life jackets at the meeting point, we arrived on the boat with a brief briefing and some information about the dolphins. Afterwards, we took the boat to the current location of the dolphins over the sea in time for the start time (7:00 am). The guides always braked before bigger waves and the ride was so very pleasant. Arriving at the dolphins, there were already some boats in front of us, most of which were very close to the animals. Our guides, on the other hand, kept sufficient distance from the dolphins at all times and did not chase them, as we have seen with other boats. This was very important to us and we have read in previous reviews that Dolswim treats the animals very respectfully and that is why we chose this company. We were in the water 4 times with the dolphins and saw 2 different species (spinner and pinball). Another plus was the life jackets we had to wear. The participants who went with the company Dolswim were the only ones with life jackets and so the guides could distinguish their people in the water from the others and knew directly who belongs to you and who does not. In the water it was also only possible for us to find the right boat again quickly. If there are about 10 boats in a small space, some of which are in the water, it is otherwise difficult to find “your” boat again after swimming with the dolphins, where you swim away from the boat. With the life jacket, it was pretty quick to see where you had to go. Afterwards we went to another place for snorkeling. Here we had about 20 minutes to explore the underwater world. There we saw some colorful fish, but it was not a highlight compared to the Maldives. Also because the corals were more likely to be dead. Overall it was a great experience to see the dolphins so close and to be able to swim with them. I would highly recommend this trip.

Ce qui est dommage c'est qu'il fallait faire vite pour pouvoir les voir sous l'eau . Trop rapidement

We were lucky enough to see several sperm whales. The team is friendly and professional and respectful of the animals. Thanks for this beautiful discovery.

Unforgettable experience! Dolphins present in incredible quantities! Top-notch companions! As a bonus moment of snorkling in a magnificent bay!

Beaucoup trop de bateaux d'un coup, qui freine l'avancée des dauphins dans leurs milieux naturels... dommage...

A perfect trip. We jumped into the water 4 times and saw the dolphins 3 of them. The organizers did a great job by not trying to surround the dolphins like the other boats did, but rather waiting so that we jumped into the water when they swam in our direction. We always kept a sufficient distance from the beautiful creatures. Thank you for the great experience. Highly recommended.

Boat reserved for 5 adults same family with at the helm Émilien and Andy who accompanied my daughter to swim with dolphins ,both very professional and very kind to us thanks to them this sea trip was magical!!!

Très belle expérience, personnel très sympathique et professionnel ! Nous avons eu la chance de voir et nager avec les dauphins ! Moment inoubliable. Petit bémol, le petit déjeuner n'a pas été proposé.

Ich habe das Frühstück vermisst und würde mich über eine entsprechende Gelderstattung freuen! 50 € wären angemessen, da eine explizit erwähnte Dienstleistung nicht erbracht wurde!

Sécurité, explication à bord avant de partir, le guide plonge avec vous et vous mène auprès des 🐬. Plusieurs plongées possibles. Extraordinaire...

Very pleasant and professional guides; listening and commenting very well. We were able to see two whales when it was not on the program; but we took the time given the opportunity. Have seen two types of dolphins. Have or swim with a group; however, it is very difficult to be completed with them. You have to be in the right timing because they swim, dive and change direction quickly. Slight downside on the fact of the absence of breakfast when it is in the title, and the awakening is early. But finally, superb experience.

Very good morning with clovis and vic, very friendly and welcoming, speak very well French and English (I don’t know if they speak other languages), well pronounced safety instructions, diving with dolphins is incredible, we really meet in the middle of them, respect for animals is there, with in addition diving to see fish and corals, nothing to say, perfect!!

Very disappointed by this day, we left at 7am, we started by going to meet the dolphins in the tamarind bay where about twenty other boats were also present. We dived a few minutes each with the dolphins, and we left after a little hour on the spot. We went snorkeling then about twenty minutes on a pretty spot, then we left for Beniniers Island for an arrival at 9:30. Except we stayed there until 1:30 pm! So to sum up the day, we took a dolphin excursion for which we dived to the maximum 25 min and stayed for 4 hours on an uninteresting island! For comparison, last year we had made this excursion with another provider, and we had spent the morning on the boat looking for dolphins, we had found ourselves alone on spots then we had made several stops for snorkeling in beautiful places to finally eat at the benitiers (1 hour!) and there we had an exceptional day! In short nothing to see, hence our deep disappointment this year!

It was a bit of a disappointment .. as the speed of the dolphins made that no one got swimming with dolphins. There were 13 boats out at the same time so stressed the dolphins / sea pigs. The reef was too grumpy so no snorkeling, either. So overall a tam trip. The trip was from the beach at Tamerin.

The staff is friendly and only follows the company’s instructions. However, we only dive once and it barely lasts 20s. Spending 3 hours on boat to swim with dolphins and spend only a few seconds with them in the water is very frustrating. The problem is due to the fact that we only dive by 2, with life jacket and accompanied by an instructor each time. Other companies all dive together as soon as there is a school of dolphins. This allows you to try your luck several times if you didn’t succeed in the first or if it was too fast. For us (and we had the chance to be in the middle of the bench for a few seconds) no second dive.. 20s and thank you! In short for 95 € per person I advise against .. i.e. we would have paid maybe a little more and we could have at least enjoyed a little more.

We spent the morning watching a group of long-billed dolphins and were even able to snorkel alongside them. It was amazing even though by the end of the morning too many other tourist boats had amassed in Tamarin Bay. Very friendly team and pedagogue on marine life in general.