- Activities
- Port Stephens, Sydney
- Port Stephens Swim with Wild Dolphins
Port Stephens Swim with Wild Dolphins
Dolphin Swim Australia
- Port Stephens, Sydney
- English
- 5 hours (approx.)
- Instant Confirm
Standard Inclusions
- 1. Includes hire of wetsuit, mask, snorkel & safety harness
- 2. Four (4) hours cruising the open ocean
- 3. Light breakfast (Unfortunately breakfast will not be provided during COVID in order to avoid transmission)
- 4. Informative onboard talks
- 5. Above-water photos which are later uploaded to the Service Provider's Facebook page for guests to copy and/or share
1 Key Facts
Included
- 1. Includes hire of wetsuit, mask, snorkel & safety harness
- 2. Four (4) hours cruising the open ocean
- 3. Light breakfast (Unfortunately breakfast will not be provided during COVID in order to avoid transmission)
- 4. Informative onboard talks
- 5. Above-water photos which are later uploaded to the Service Provider's Facebook page for guests to copy and/or share
Not included
- 1. Transport from/to hotel
- 2. Food & beverages not listed as Inclusions
- 3. Souvenirs not listed as Inclusions
- 4. Travel Insurance
- 5. Any optional extra items (including but not limited to Custom-made video/photo packages) that are not included in the standard admission. All optional extra items are at own expense.
| Destination | Port Stephens, Sydney |
|---|---|
| Depature point | ● Departs: - Non School Holidays: Saturdays, Sundays - During School Holidays: Daily Tour does not run on Christmas Day (25 December), Boxing Day (26 December), New Year's Day (01 January) ● Departure Point: Dock C, d'Albora Marina, Teramby Road, Nelson Bay NSW ● Departure Time: 05:45 Departure time is reference only and subject to availability. ● Arrives back Nelson Bay at 10:00 |
| Address | Dock C, d'Albora Marina, Teramby Road, Nelson Bay NSW 2315 |
| How to get there | ● By Car Located approximately 222km north of Sydney Airport, takes about 3 hours; approximately 35km north of Newcastle Airport, takes about 40 minutes. - There is a large paid ticket parking area at the rear of the marina. ● By Public Transport Unfortunately there is no direct public transport available. Most visitors drive or arrive on a coach tour. |
| Operating hours |
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| Check-in requirements | Please arrive at the ticket office 60 minutes prior to the departure time to exchange for ticket/boarding pass before proceeding to the boarding terminal. Regrettably, failure to arrive before this time will most likely be classified as no-show and result in forfeiting the booking and it cannot be refunded or transferred. If you are not familiar with the area or travelling on a weekend or local public holidays / school holidays, please make sure you've checked your timetable or driving route beforehand, and allow extra travelling time for unexpected delays to ensure you do not miss your check in |
| What to bring/wear | ● Motion-sickness medicine (if required) ● Warm clothes even on warm mornings ● Weatherproof jacket ● Towel ● Wear your swimsuit under your clothes so you are ready to change into your wetsuit ● Money / credit card for optional purchases |
| Other info | 【Important Post-Covid Service Information】 - Please refer to https://dolphinswimaustralia.com.au/ for the latest updates during the post-Covid period. - PLEASE NOTE: The Service Provider unfortunately will not be providing the light breakfast during COVID in order to avoid transmission. Therefore recommend that you bring snacks and some water for sustenance during the morning. ************************************************************************************************************ ● Limited group size: maximum of 20 swimmers and 12 observers per outing ● All participants must be aged between 7 and 70 years old. Any participant under the age of 18 years must remain in the immediate presence and control of a supervising parent of guardian during The Swim and their participation will be subject to the authorisation of their parent or guardian. ● Both swimmers and observers need to complete a waiver and booking form. ● For safety reasons participants are not permitted to take items into the water (including but not limited to Go Pro / underwater cameras or electronic devices, cameras, video recording devices, mobile phones or other personal items). ● Price for a Swimmer includes a 'Swim with Dolphins' guarantee. If you do not swim with dolphins, you may return within 12 months of original booking for free until you complete the swim. ● It is essential that you have a well-fitting wetsuit. Please ensure that you have been fitted for your wetsuit 30 minutes prior to departure. Leave the wetsuit ON and pulled down to your waist please and wear something warm on top. ● Shark Shield (TM) Deterrent is used during The Swim. The Service Provider cannot provide advice about the suitability of this equipment in relation to any participant's particular health concerns. It is the participant's responsibility to satisfy any concerns they may have about their individual health circumstances and the use of an electromagnetic device. Visit the product website: http://www.sharkshield.com for information. ● This is an open water experience with wind and waves playing a part in vessel movement. Operators cannot be held accountable for seasickness! 'Travacalm' is supplied on the vessel. - If you suffer motion illness, please consider taking medication before bed for a couple of days prior to your swim as well as when you get on board the vessel. This can often produce a better result. ● For safety or other reasonable reasons the Service Provider may in its absolute discretion decide to cancel The Cruise. ● To the extent permitted by section 139A Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) ("the Act") the Service Provider excludes its liability for: i. death ii. personal injury iii. the contraction, aggravation, acceleration of a disease; and iv. the coming into existence, the aggravation, acceleration or recurrence of any other condition, circumstance, occurrence, activity, form of behaviour, course of conduct or state of affairs in relation to an individual or community: A. that is or may be harmful or disadvantageous to an individual or community; or B. that may result in harm or disadvantage to an individual or community. |
2 Overview
The Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park established in 2005, the PSGLMP is the largest Marine Park in NSW, covering approximately 98,200 hectares of coastal and marine habitat. The park extends from Cape Hawke Surf Lifesaving Club to the Birubi Point Surf Life Saving Club and includes the offshore waters between.
Swim with Wild Dolphins at Sydney Port Stephens
With an exciting morning ahead, the tour starts the day early. Arrive at the departure point, the beautiful d'Albora Marina, Teramby Road, Nelson Bay, no later than 5am. Once appropriately parked, proceed to Dock 'C' and embark the 15.8 metre sailing catamaran 'Imagine' where you will find the friendly staff waiting to help you get fitted for your wetsuit and snorkel gear. The experienced dive masters and captain will brief you thoroughly regarding the boat safety, the 'swim with dolphins' technique and swim regulations, and will also respond to any expectations and concerns you may have as the they set the team goals while cruising by the magnificent bay and offshore islands of Port Stephens. The Common Dolphins search area is usually within a 10 nautical mile radius of the heads, offshore in the Tasman Sea.
The permit allows you to interact with Short-Beaked Common Dolphin (D.delphis) and Oceanic Bottlenose Dolphin (T.truncatus); both are wild dolphins and live in the offshore waters of the Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park. When dolphin friends are found, they will let you know if they are interested in playing by joining you and riding the bow waves of the boat. It is then time to follow closely the dive masters' and crew's instructions for getting ready to enter the dolphins' domain. From the bow net - and while secured to the towrope - then carefully enter the water. After giving the dive master the OK signal, you are gently towed through the water where, as you move off, the dolphins are given the opportunity to come over of their own free will and continue their bow-surfing/people-watching fun. Here, at last, is the moment all waited for: being as one with the dolphins and entering the pod as they come over to view you while crossing between the bows and scanning you with their bio-sonar!
EQUIPMENT
A 3mm 'Steamer' Wetsuit is provided once you arrive at the boat. You are also provided with masks and snorkels. This is all covered in your swim cost.
It is essential that you have a well-fitting wetsuit. Please ensure that you have been fitted for your wetsuit 30 minutes prior to departure. Leave the wetsuit ON and pulled down to your waist please and wear something warm on top.
SEASICKNESS
This is an open water experience with wind and waves playing a part in vessel movement. The Service Provider cannot be held accountable for seasickness! 'Travacalm' is supplied on the vessel. If you suffer motion illness, please consider taking medication before bed for a couple of days prior to your swim as well as when you get on board the vessel. This can often produce a better result.
CLOTHING
Even on warm mornings, please wear warm clothes! It can get cold when you are offshore. Bring a weatherproof jacket and a towel. Wear your swimsuit under your clothes so you are ready to change into your wetsuit.
THE DOLPHINS
There are two species of dolphin that you could observe at this tour. Because they live in the open ocean, you would be unable to see these species of dolphin unless you travelled offshore.
- The Common Dolphin – Delphinus delphis delphis
This is the beautifully patterned oceanic species this cruise encounters most often.
Unlike many other species of dolphin, Common Dolphins are very inquisitive and energetically engage with the vessel and in-water guests – just what you want for a wild dolphin swim! - The Common Bottlenose Dolphin – Tursiops truncatus
The Common (Oceanic) Bottlenose lives only at sea and so the only way to see these 'big guys' is when travelling offshore.
These dolphins, which will be seen only rarely, are a larger version of the species that resides inside the bay(s) of Port Stephens. The smaller versions live in estuaries and close to beaches and so are regularly seen by surfers and beachgoers.
SIZE COMPARISON
- Common (Oceanic) Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus): 3.0 meters length
- Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus): 2.7 meters length
- Short-beaked Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis): 2.4 meters length
Just a short 2.5 hour drive north of Sydney, this tour offers a unique, easy way to move through the water with wild dolphins while viewing them from below the surface
Prepare yourself for the absolute adventure of a lifetime: a beautiful sunrise tour heading out into the open ocean to swim with and observe whole pods of these sleek, playful, intelligent animals
After giving the dive master the OK signal, you are gently towed through the water where, as we move off, the dolphins are given the opportunity to come over of their own free will and continue their bow-surfing/people-watching fun
This is unlike all other dolphin encounters, as the dolphins choose to join our vessel and move through the open ocean just metres from you!
3 Policy
Cancellation Policy
All sales are final and incur 100% cancellation penalties.
4 FAQ
The Service Provider asks for your swimming ability as a basic indicator of your comfort in the water and physical fitness, which is also needed for other aspects of the experience. Think about these things to assess whether or not you would manage a swim:
1. There are three steps to reach the deck of Imagine when you arrive. If you could not climb & descend those steps three times in quick succession, then you might not be able to do the swim.
2. On the open ocean there is always wave action, which rocks the boat in three planes (pitch, roll and yaw), so at times you need some leg strength, balance and to be able to hold tightly to the railings as you move around on board.
3. To climb into and out of the springy bow-net at the start and finish of a swim takes leg, core and upper body strength, as well as reasonable flexibility.
4. During the swim you hold a rope and are towed slowly through the water, so some hand, wrist, arm & shoulder strength is required.
5. As far as skills go, it is valuable to be comfortable in the open ocean (although you are tethered safely under a boat), to be practised in using a mask and snorkel, and, especially to be able to clear water from your snorkel, so you don't lift your head.
Not lifting your head is important, as dolphins are like icebergs; 90% of the action you will see will be under the water. To best experience being 'part of the pod' you need to be looking under the water as much as you can. If conditions are choppy, this might mean needing to blast-clear your snorkel every couple of breaths, and/or several times in quick succession.
6. This last point suggests that people with heart problems that affect breathing, or anyone with other serious breathing difficulties should probably not do the DSA dolphin swim. Asthmatics, for example, should ensure their condition is well controlled, especially if it could be set off by cold temperatures, by inhaling water vapour, or by ingesting salty seawater.
7. Please note, finally, that when booking a DSA swim you agree to disclose to the Service Provider any health issues that might impair your ability to participate in a swim, and that based on that disclosure, for your own safety, the Service Provider may not permit you to do a swim.
Swim duration also depends a little on the temperature of the water. Even though you wear long wetsuits, in water below 20 degrees celsius five minutes is long enough for people to begin to
get cold.
This is why the Service Provider collect information about your abilities and disabilities during book-in; so that each group has a 'healthy' mix of people with good-to-excellent abilities and only one who anticipate may have difficulties in each group. The Service Provider will not, for example, put two or more less-experienced snorkellers, very large people, or children in the same group, nor three of any of these together.
So you can see that it's quite a puzzle to form groups that will not break down and which will keep the dolphins' interest and hence provide the safest and best experience for everyone. After that, if it makes no difference, the Service Provider does their best to keep couples, families or groups of friends together.
Your Dive Master has a SharkShield which strongly repels sharks if they get within 4m of it, and all guests are within that 4m radius.
Because of all this, being bitten by a shark is highly unlikely during a DSA swim.
(a) For safety or other reasonable reasons The Service Provider may in its absolute discretion decide to cancel The Swim.
(b) Where the Service Provider cancels The Swim:
i. participants may re-schedule at their convenience without any administrative fee subject to availability.
ii. where a participant is unable to re-schedule and subject to an administration fee they may:
A. Receive a full refund (less credit card surcharge); or
B. Transfer The Swim to a third party subject to the third party booking The Swim within twelve (12) months of the transfer date, subject to availability.
iii. the participant will have no claim against and the Service Provider will not be liable for any claim for additional expenses, travel expenses, out of pocket expenses or accommodation expenses relating to the cancellation.
If you do not swim with dolphins, you may return within 12 months of original booking for free until you complete the swim. Visitors who do not swim with dolphins and cannot return may apply for a 50% refund to the same card made for booking.
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