Discover wildlife in their natural environment with this half-day tour in Puerto Vallarta. Climb aboard a boat with a biologist guide and utilize a hydrophone to find dolphins based on their sounds. Go swimming with wild dolphins and keep an eye out for a range of marine life including turtles, rays, and more. Support marine ecology research with this wildlife-focused tour.

Encounter bottlenose dolphins in their natural habitat
Explore Puerto Vallarta by boat in search of wildlife
Swim in the sea with curious bottlenose dolphins
Contribute to the protection of wildlife in Puerto Vallarta

What's Included

Use of Snorkeling equipment
Bottled water
Soda/Pop

Snacks

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Opequimar Centro Marino
Av. Paseo de la Marina Sur 214, Marina Vallarta, 48450 Puerto Vallarta, Jal., Mexico

Start time

09:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation

Infants must sit on laps
No es recomendable para personas de mas de 7 meses de embarazo
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Jill_l

The only issue we had was we didn’t receive directions as to how to get there. Luckily I was able to call the very helpful lady and she guided us as to where to go. We had a blast! The crew was very knowledgeable and made sure we were in the right place when the dolphins swam by!

Reviews

4.5

423 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 423 reviews

Truly beautiful authentic...

Jillian_W, May 2023

Truly beautiful authentic way to experience wild dolphins the only way they should be observed. Tour guides were Amazing.

Lifetime memories!

Jill_l, Apr 2023

Fun and exciting

Janelle_M, Apr 2023

Getting an opportunity to swim with wild dolphins is definitely an experience. On our trip we saw more than 20 dolphins, and had various opportunities to swim next to them. However, you have to be aware that it’s not an easy task. We had to be quick and swim fast for the opportunity to be close to them. Our experience was wonderful, the staff were very informative, and I’d definitely recommend this excursion to anyone visiting PV

Excellent experience.

Robin_M, Mar 2023

I mean, swimming with a whole pod of wild dolphins. Babies and juveniles too. Wholeheartedly recommended.

This is a dolphin...

Jeff_S, Mar 2023

This is a dolphin sighting tour to me. They do try real hard to get you close to the dolphins but, to me it is just too hard work to try to get close to them, you can see more from the boat.

Fun time!

Crystal_P, Mar 2023

We had the opportunity to try this excursion and we had such a blast! Saw plenty of dolphins and had the chance to swim Close to them! We also got to see a whale and its baby which was nice!

No swimming with dolphins

dar, Mar 2023

We were really looking forward to swimming with dolphins. Unfortunately we did not get that experience. The dolphins just did not want to cooperate. 2 groups of 4 did get in to the water but by the time they got to where the dolphins had been they were gone. We spent the next 2 hours looking for dolphins and never saw any more so no one else got a chance to get in the water. We did see a sea turtle up close to the boat and also a whale nearby. Obviously not the fault of the tour operators but it was disappointing. The tour guide said this has never happened to her before. I guess it was just our unlucky day. Would definitely like to go again if we come back to PV.

Highly recommend this...

Cortney_M, Mar 2023

Highly recommend this trip was simply magical. These folks care about the dolphins they have been studying them For 20 years. To go see them in their natural habitat with people who truly care was amazing. We would find the dolphins and jump in and the would play and swim with us, one literally swam right underneath me was just wild!! Took my 8 year old daughter who loved it. Truly magical experience and highly recommend was my best excursion experience of all time.

Awesome but hard to find

Chris_P, Mar 2023

We had an absolutely wonderful time. The staff are fantastic. They are knowledgeable, and caring . We had an exceptional day and I would recommend this experience to anyone who wants to experience interacting with dolphins first hand. We learned a lot, and had fun interacting with the other guests and of course the crew. Finding the place to meet is very difficult, and the listing could be updated to make this a little bit easier. Otherwise 10 out of 10!

This trip was great! You...

Gregory_B, Mar 2023

This trip was great! You were out with real marine biologists and not fake tour guides. These are wild dolphins, not captive dolphins in a pool. If you can’t swim I wouldn’t recommend this tour. We also saw humpback whales

A day to remember

Christina_C, Feb 2023

Watching the dolphins come in and out of water was majestic. I would definitely like to go out again next time I'm in Puerto Vallarta.

Experience of a lifetime

Kailey_M, Feb 2023

Absolutely phenomenal experience for all four of us. Saw several pods, including a baby. Our guide broke us up into small groups of two to swim, and was very respectful of the animals. The water is too murky to see more than a foot in front of you but I dove down and the pod we were interacting with swam beside and underneath me. I wish I took more pictures but I was too awestruck. Experience of a lifetime. Absolutely would do this again. Happened to see a mam and baby whale on the way in, as well.

Magical

Nicole_B, Jan 2023

Absolute magic. I loved this excursion. The dolphins swam around me in circles and it seemed like we all got an opportunity to be near them.

So close I could have touched them

Laurale_F, Jan 2023

sliding off the side of the boat and swimming out to where the dolphins were playing. So exciting to see the dolphins swim around us. They were so close that I could reach out and touch them. But I did not, didn't want to cause any harm to these magnificent animals.

January Dolphin Excursion!

Barbara_S, Jan 2023

This was a fantastic time - don’t miss out on this! Pilar our guide and our Captain(sorry don’t remember his name) did a great job in continuing to look for the dolphins who were hiding that morning! We were successful in finding them and even though it was going to make us a bit late, they got us in the water to swim! It was a great time, so glad we went!

Amazing experience with dolphins in their natural habitat

Dawn_K, Jan 2023

Amazing experience! You really get to swim with dolphins in the wild in their natural habitat because they're resident dolphins who are used to ppl because there has been a lot of research scientists on them in the past. We saw and swam with 15+ dolphins. They were very curious and swam beside and underneath us. Loved that the tour was run by marine biologists who gave us a lot of info about whales and dolphins at the beginning of the tour. Would have preferred if we didn't get as close to the dolphins with the motor boat. Loved our guide, Pelia, and captain, Cesar.

Donate and save dolphins, swim with them while you get this limited chance.

Sheryl_B, Jan 2023

Learning the baby dolphins don't know about jet skis and are being killed. Also, I am proud my grandsons enjoyed the dolphins in the wild more than Sea World! We followed the north pod but one set had babies and none of us could jump in and be close. Only one couple was lucky to be close to the 2 large dolphins that traveled separately. Just the luck if the draw but the sightings were enough. Soon no one will be able to swim with them, as it should be.

You Will Not Regret Booking This!!

Michelle_M, Jan 2023

It is my second time doing this tour with wildlife connection and all I can say is WOW! You will not regret booking this excursion. Sansy and Jorje were amazing! You can tell they are really passionate about what they do and they do everything they can to make sure everyone has en enjoyable experience and a close encounter with the dolphins. Swimming with the dolphins was EXHILARATING. They get so close, swimming in circles around you looking right at your face as they go around. It is definitely in the top 5 coolest experiences in my life. It's wonderful to see companies that support interacting with these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat while always respecting the wildness of the dolphins. Thank you again for a wonderful experience!!

A great time and we found...

Gretchen_P, Jan 2023

A great time and we found 2 whales to photograph too! It’s about 3 hours long and there were only 12 guests on our boat.

Educational and fun

Tom_S, Jan 2023

Educational about the local dolphin population and exciting to get up so close to them. The guide was both careful and encouraging.

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