The 7 Best Adelaide Dolphin Tours

1.Adelaide: Dolphin Sanctuary Eco Kayaking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 560 reviews · 3 hours · from $55Our pick

Join a marine biologist guide such as Alex, Paddy, Mark, or Kendall for a three-hour paddle through Adelaide’s Dolphin Sanctuary. You’ll learn basic kayaking, explore 10,000-year-old mangroves, look for dolphins and birds, and may reach old shipwrecks. No kayaking experience is required.

“We had an amazing kayaking experience. It is a wonderfull place full of birds and other animals. We also did see dolphins. Paddy was our fantastic guide who made the experience even better. I would highly recommend this trip!”

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2.Adelaide: 4-Hour Swimming with Dolphins Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 439 reviews · 3h 30m · from $105

Join Temptation Sailing at Glenelg for a 3.5-hour cruise aboard the 58-foot catamaran Temptation. Marine biologist guides help you spot wild dolphins, explain their behavior, and arrange time in the water using wetsuits, masks, and snorkels. Bring a towel, food, sunscreen, and swimwear already on.

“Wouldn't call it 'swimming' as you are either laying in the front of the boat in a net or dragged on a rope behind the boat. But nevertheless the encounter with wild dolphins is just an incredible experience. Watching them swim and play so close to you created unforgetable memories.”

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3.Port Adelaide: Dolphin and Ships Graveyard Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 375 reviews · 1h 30m · from $62

Join an English-speaking skipper such as Jim, Jason, Chris or Alex for a 90-minute Port River cruise. Expect half-submerged shipwrecks, city-dwelling dolphins, birdlife and clear stories about Adelaide’s working waterfront. Drinks are available on board, but food is not included.

“Fantastic. Jim the skipper knew about absolutely everything along the river, be it geography, history, industry, ecology… It was amazing to see the dolphins, and the ship graveyard was really cool too!”

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4.Dolphin Sanctuary Kayak Tour Adelaide

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 355 reviews · from $56

Spend about three hours kayaking from Garden Island through Adelaide’s Dolphin Sanctuary. Guides such as Alex, Paddy, Fiona, and Lewis provide safety help and nature commentary while you look for wild dolphins, birds, fish, mangroves, and shipwrecks. No experience is needed, but you should be reasonably fit.

“Organized crew with getting everyone set up and out on the kayaks. Our guide, Brayden was safety conscious, friendly and knowledgeable. All the traits one wants in a guide for this kind of tour. This tour is great for kayaks of any level. And the location offered so many things to see and explore.”

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5.Adelaide: 4-Hour Guaranteed Wild Dolphin Watching Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 349 reviews · 3h 30m · from $63

Join Temptation Sailing at Glenelg’s Marina Pier for a 3.5-hour catamaran cruise in search of wild bottlenose and common dolphins. The English-speaking crew, including guides such as Elle and Quinn, explains dolphin behavior while you watch pods play beside the boat. A swim-with-dolphins option is also available when booked separately.

“It was an incredible experience. One advice: take a thick jacket with you as it’s quite windy and chilly on the boat.”

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6.90 Minute Port River Dolphin & Ships Graveyard Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 321 reviews · from $63

Cruise Port Adelaide with a small group of up to 15 people, watching for bottlenose dolphins, half-submerged wrecks, and coastal birds. Skippers such as Alex, Jim, Naomi, and Jacob add live local insight. The boat has a bathroom, but only water is provided, so bring snacks.

“I had wonderful time was a great experience knowing history and geography about Adelaide. Lots of historical knowledge by crew. members I fully enjoyed this trip looking forward again.”

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7.Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary and Ships Graveyard Kayak Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 275 reviews · from $55Top rated

Set out from Garden Island with a guide such as Luke, Phil, or Pippa for a three-hour paddle through Adelaide’s Dolphin Sanctuary and Ships Graveyard. Learn basic kayaking, watch for Port River dolphins and birds, and explore mangrove creeks and abandoned ships in a small group.

“Loved going through mangroves high light off the trip if I had time would do again excellent value for money the guide was brilliant Thanks for a great morning”

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