Unfortunately this business is closed. The website says temporarily but most locals think it’s unlikely to reopen after several years and Marine mammal regulations shifting. There is a place I found that’s a snorkeling trip off Stewart Island to the south. I just did two different Hectors dolphin swims in Akaroa instead. Respectful to the dolphins, and amazing!

We spent yesterday morning swimming with the seals and enjoyed it immensely! I couldn't have had a better experience with the seals. The tour the were very carefully not to abuse the natural wildlife during the tour and explained the time before we set off (ie keep three meters away etc), except they forgot to tell the seals! These lovely creatures playfully somersault around us, looking us directly in the grave from less than a meter away. I always felt totally safe underway the expert care of Al, who was very helpful and expert.

Friendly honest family company who ensure you have the best experience possible. Interaction with the seals in their natural environment was amazing.

This was a highlight of our New Zealand trip. As three older women with basic snorkeling experience we were very well looked after by the caring and patient staff. The wetsuits did indeed keep us boyant and warm as promised! We were lucky enough to experience swimming with the seals who acted as if we were not even there. Would highly recommend this tour.

This is a top outfit. Online booking and Pre event confirmation was easy and well handled. Equipment was top notch by my book. Everyone we met was really friendly and helpful - everyone couldn’t do enough to make our experience really great. Briefing was thorough, but light hearted, both before leaving base and on the boat. As luck would have it we didn’t get an up close and personal seal experience, but this wasn’t due to a lack of effort - anything but. Despite that we had a great experience, and a good day out.

This was an amazing experience. We saw multiple seals in the water and one of them got very close to us and even showed off and jumped! The trip was very well organized and I felt safe the entire time. Our guide was extremely attentive and helpful, making sure we got to see the seals in the water. Would recommend this to anyone visiting New Zealand.

the best experience to swim with seals in their natural, undisturbed habitat. wonderful to get an up close interaction with seals that are wild and uncaged. guides are really friendly, and definitely prioritise safety over everything, ensuring that you stay warm throughout the experience. highly reccomend!!

The most amazing experience. We went out with a small group of people. I had my two boys with me, 10 and 6. They helped me with the boys, so they could have a memorable time. A once in a lifetime experience, a must thing to do. They are so accommodating and well run business. Loved everything about it. Enjoyed learning about the seals and was happy that my 6 year old could get in the water and swim with them.

Booked this tour in advance. A few days before it was scheduled to take place they notified me that condition will most likely not allow the activity to take place. I appreciate them notifying in advance so that I was able to schedule a different activity rather to waiting to the last moment

The seal swimming was one of the best things I've done in my life, it totally changed the way I now look at the ocean, it was breathtaking!They where so close and curious😍 And as if that wasn't enough, we met an orca family on our way back (yes i cried) it was so beautiful🐬 and saw a tiny blue pinguen!💙 You never know what the ocean has to offer so it's definitely worth going for it 😉

We had a fun day out with them. Unfortunately we didn’t bring a waterproof camera. We saw seals close up on the rocks as we swam bye and the one or other deal shoot bye in the water. They considered that not to be the usual interaction you get with the seals. Their refund policy is more than fair. We had Anyway a great day out with a super friendly seal crew.

We had a great day. We saw one seal who swam with us for a minute or two andsaw lots more on the rocks. The tour operator felt this was not a true experience and refunded us the majority of our payment. There is a 96% success rate in swimming with seals and apparently we were in the 4% that were considered unsuccessful. I believe this company holds itself to a ridiculously high standard. Well done lads!

Excellent trip out to see and swim with the Kaikoura seals. Very well organised, good quality wet suits and snorkelling equipment plus a very knowledgeable and professional team running the trip. It was very safe and also very respectful of the seals too, making sure that we shard rather than invaded their space. Swimming and floating alongside those beautiful creatures was one of the highlights of my NZ trip. Thanks very much to really nice family team that run the trips. Very highly recommended.

I had such a great time on this trip. The company was very well organised, friendly and really worked hard to make sure we got the most out of our time. I really liked the fact that the emphasis was on not disturbing the seals natural behaviour and watching where they go and seeing if they want to come closer. The seals were amazing to watch and being in the water and seeing how they move was breath taking.

Very well run tour. Short bus ride, short boat ride so not so much seasickness chance. It is very possible to do sunrise dolphins and this tour at noon or later in the day. All real nature tours are weather, conditions and wild animal behavior dependent. They offer a partial refund if they cannot get you a body length from seals int the water. Very nice folks run this. Our first swim - with young seals was mostly a fail, so we went to a mature group near shore and had a long, very engaging experience.