Swimming with the wild dolphins in Mauritius

Who hasn’t dreamt of swimming with the dolphins at least at some point of their life? I most certainly did. Just before my husband and booked our flights to Mauritius, we found out this island in the middle of the Indian Ocean is one of the places where you can swim and observe the dolphins in their natural habitat. This seemed like an ideal opportunity to finally fulfill our childhood dreams. So, we didn’t hesitate long before we decided to book a trip to go swimming with dolphins. Our experience was amazing. See for yourself in the video down bellow:

There are plenty of tours that would take you to see the dolphins. We opted out for a private tour on a speedboat run by a couple of locals – mainly because the price for our group of four people was just slightly higher than the price for a regular tour by the same operator. It was great decision as we had the luxury of tailoring our own itinerary. Also, smaller groups are supposed to be less disturbing for the dolphins.

Our trip began early in the morning. We drove to Riviere Noire and meet our guides in the port. We’ve boarded little speedboat and drove to the Tamarin Bay. As soon as we entered the area where dolphins come to feed, the driver lowered the speed of the boat and we all looked for the signs of the dolphins. Soon we spotted the first one and then the second one and then the third one. Quickly as I can, I took my shirt and shorts off, grabed my snorkell and flippers and jumped into the water. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but what I saw under the water exceeded all my expectations. The words can’t describe the feeling when I finally saw those amazing animals, freely swimming in the crystal clear water of the Indian ocean. Seeing them in the place where they belong to was amazing, more than amazing, spectacular, superb.

Dolphins soon swam away from us. We climbed up to the boat and we slowly drove around the bay until we found another pod. Another jump in the water, another amazing sight of dolphin family. This time, we also saw the baby dolphins.

After unforgettable swim with the dolphins, our trip wasn’t over yet. Our guides took us to the snorkelling spots just off La Morne beach where we saw plenty of colurful fishes. But more about this part of the trip in one of the upcoming posts and videos.

If after reading about my experience you, I tempted you to book that ticket to Mauritius and a tour to see dolphins, you also need to read this. When going to swim with the wild dolphins, please be aware you’re the visitor in their home. Observe them in a respectful way. I urge you to choose your tour provider wisely. Not all of them have the welfare of the dolphins in their first plan. Do your research and make sure they are reputable, responsible and knowledgeable about sustainable practices. We were generally happy to see the attitude of our guides towards the dolphins. They were very careful when navigating the boat around the bay, making sure to approach the dolphins in a way that won’t neither hurt, nor disturbed them. However, one of the guides tried to catch the dolphin by his tail. I’m quite sure that’s is not the right way to interact with the wild dolphins. But everything else was ok, so I guess I can overlook this tiny episode.

To sum up, I really enjoyed our trip to see the dolphins. It was definitely one of the experiences I will never forget.