Dolphin Watching Tour
Dolphin Viewing with Purpose – See NZ’s Rarest Dolphin in Calm, Clear Waters
Discover the most reliable and comfortable dolphin viewing in New Zealand, with a 95 % success rate and No Seasickness Guarantee.
Get up close and personal with the Hectors Dolphin – the world’s rarest and smallest Dolphin.
Why You’ll Love This Tour:
- 🐬 See wild dolphins up close – watch playful pods in their natural habitat
- 🌊 Calm, sheltered cruising – smooth waters, no seasickness guaranteed
- 📸 Unbeatable photo moments – dolphins so close you’ll only need your phone
- 👨🏫 Expert local guides – fun, friendly and full of marine knowledge
- 💚 Support conservation – every tour helps protect our marine life
Tour info in brief
| 1-2 hours | |
| Daily Departures: |
8.00 AM, 10.00 AM, 12.00 AM , 14.00 PM |
| Pricing: | Adult: $168 (16+ years) Child: $84 (5 – 15 years) Infant: $42 (0 – 4 years) |
| Location: | 1 Wellington Street, Picton |
| Briefing: | 15 Minutes before Departure |
No Seasickness Guarantee
Relax in the knowledge that you’ll be with the only NZ operator that guarantees you will not get seasick.
Learn about our commitment to sustainability
About the Tour
Getting up close and personal with dolphins in their natural environment is a genuine bucket list activity. E-Ko Tours has been running dolphin watching tours for over 25 years and we love nothing more than seeing the smiles that appear on the faces of our guests when we show off these amazing creatures.
Have a dolphin look in your eyes, it melts your soul. In this location with its calm waters and relaxed Dolphins, we achieve this. Our boats get you close to the water, and we have spent 25 years building trust with the mammals so they come over to look at you 🙂
Come see the friendliest dolphins in NZ and maybe even one of the less than 35 QC Hectors Dolphins – the world’s rarest and smallest Dolphin.
Dolphins and Wildlife?
Please note that our most popular tour for dolphin viewing is actually our Motuara Island Sanctuary and Dolphin Watching Tour – where not only do you get to experience the dolphins, we also take you to a predator free island sanctuary, where you can wander around the island and get up close and personal with rare birds. The birds on this predator-free Motuara island are fearless, plentiful and very vocal!
Overall, you’ll see around 12 – 15 different endangered species, and this experience costs the same as the Dolphin viewing experience.
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What to expect
We take you where the wildlife is! 🐬
We’ll be searching for Dusky, Bottlenose, Common, Orca and the rare Queen Charlotte Hector’s dolphins (<35) that frequent this unique area. Whether it’s watching a group quietly cruising along or marvelling at their high leaps, back-flips and somersaults during social bouts, dolphins are a magnificent sight and will leave you gasping in amazement.
Guides and Permits
Our degree qualified guides are there to make sure you (and the dolphins) have the best and safest experience possible. WCA Certified Marine Guides. Our special Department of Conservation permits allow us to seek out and interact with all species of marine mammals that live in the Sounds. We’ll take you there and provide respectful interactions with these amazing creatures. Once spotted, we’ll cruise with the dolphins to get you the best photo and video opportunities. As a permitted operator, we abide by the rules and regulations established for dolphin watching activities.
More than just Dolphins 🐦
During the dolphin cruise, we’re also likely to see NZ Fur Seals and a wide variety of seabirds (like Gannets, Shearwaters and Penguins). Once you have had a magical viewing experience we will be waiting with drinks and cookies which you can enjoy while we cruise back to Picton. Unlike other dolphin swimming operations around New Zealand where several boats are around the same group of dolphins, we are Picton’s only dolphin experience operator.
Dolphin Watching Tour Prices
Prices include all equipment and gear – just bring your swimwear and a towel.
Winter Special Deals @ 1st June- 31st October, call 03 5738040
- Adult: (16+ years) $149
- Child: (5-15 years) $75
- Infant: (0-4 years) $35
Dolphin Watching Tour Times ⏰
- Briefing: 20 Minutes before the Tour
- Departure: 8:00 AM, 10 Am , 12 Am , 2 PM
- Duration: 1-2 hours
No Seasickness (Guaranteed)
We primarily operate in an area of little to no sea swell – meaning seasickness is never an issue for our guests. In fact we guarantee that there will be no sea sickness on all our tours – and are the ONLY operator confident enough to do this.
Small Groups
This is no mass market experience – we have a tour guide for every 15 people on board – with a maximum of 30 passengers. Board our purpose-built vessels at our floating wharf for your small group experience before embarking on your cruise through the scenic and sheltered waters of the southern Queen Charlotte Sound.
WCA Endorsed Responsible Whale and Dolphin Operator
We are the only SMART ( DOC ) and WCA-certified marine mammal operator in New Zealand and a portion of your Fee goes back into HELPING these amazing animals. 🙂
What to bring
- Phone/Camera for Photo’s
- Sunglasses
- Suncream
- A sense of adventure!
Where are we?
We are located conveniently on Picton’s main waterfront with car parking close by and only a 1-minute walk from the main street.
Just look for the Dusky Dolphin outside our shop.
Before your tour starts feel free to take a seat inside the shop or outside on our sun drenched deck and enjoy the stunning views.
Customers can also get online with our free WiFi, and purchase a tea or coffee to enjoy on the deck.
You will Never Miss your Ferry
Our tour schedules are integrated with the Interislander – so there is no chance that you’ll miss your ferry.