Swim Dolphins Azores

Swim Dolphins Azores Tours

From October to April it’s Dolphin Swimming Season in Azores Islands – a fantastic and unique Wildlife experience in the heart of the Atlantic! Watch Wild Dolphins underwater in the freedom of their natural habitat, one of the best connections to nature in a (limited) responsible alternative to swimming with animals in captivity.

The journey starts with a short briefing introducing local species that can be observed, rules and responsible practice on tour, onboard safety, and equipment use. Follow your Guide and Skipper to your designated boat, and go out to sea. Lookouts high inland help locate our friends, and provide directions via VHF Radio to where the boat travels, initially at high speed.

While approaching our friends very carefully, your Guide will evaluate if all favorable conditions are met to allow the activity’s proceedings. Always be ready and prepared to go into the water – 2 swimmers alternate in the water at safe distance during limited periods of time, and you do not want to miss out on each opportunity in which Dolphins can choose to come closer driven by their friendliness and curiosity.

Exclusively between late Autumn and Early Spring with water temperatures averaging between 16ºc and 18ºc, and depending on specific species’ birthing season and behaviour, it is possible to swim with any of 4 different species of Dolphins – Common Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Striped Dolphins and Risso’s Dolphins.

On a second part of the tour, the boat will travel to a coastal location for snorkeling, to discover the characteristic marine fauna & flora in the island’s sea bed.

We recommend you to be 30 minutes early for registration and briefing. Eat light, bring your personal water supply, towel and swimsuit, a full change of warm clothing, sunscreen and chap-stick. Light food is permitted onboard, a Camera is essential especially for photography lovers, waterproof is better – please protect any personal equipment.

You can go Swim with Dolphins in Azores regardless of your physical condition, as long as you can and know how to Swim, always depending on the sea and weather. Due to boating turbulence, we do not recommend it to anyone pregnant, with weak back, in wheelchair, delicate health conditions, or under the age of 14.

It is important to understand that these are wild animals in the wild, free in their natural habitat – the open clear waters of the Atlantic. It is not possible to control wild animal behaviour, and proximity or interaction cannot be guaranteed.