Swim with Wild Dolphins in the Azores
Description
With Picos de Aventura, you’ll go beyond the typical wildlife tour: this is a carefully guided, respectful interaction led by marine biologists who are deeply passionate about ocean conservation. What sets this tour apart you ask? - Wild, not captive: You’ll be swimming with dolphins in their natural environment, where they are free to choose whether to interact. This makes every encounter meaningful and authentic. - Biologist-led experience: Our tours are led by expert marine biologists with in-depth knowledge about dolphin behavior, species conservation, and the marine ecosystem of the Azores. - Small group, low-impact: We limit the number of swimmers to ensure a calm, non-intrusive presence in the water—making the experience safer, more personal, and more respectful toward the animals. This is not a theme park show—it’s a moment of silent connection in the open ocean. A unique chance to witness the grace of wild dolphins up close, guided by those who know and protect them best.
Tour Options
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Guests must be able to swim unassisted in order to join the tour
Reviews(202)
Superb sea outing that allowed each of us to swim twice with dolphins and see them underwater. The outing was canceled in the morning due to bad weather, but we were able to reschedule it in the afternoon. We swam in the middle of a pod of about a hundred dolphins, it was exceptional. A big thank you to our guide and the boat driver who brought us as close as possible
So awesome! The dolphin pods were cruising right past our boat. Watching a baby jump out of the water was the best. You aren't swimming "with" dolphins really. The boat is positioned in front of the direction the dolphins are swimming , you drop in, and hopefully they dive and swim right under you. You can watch them with your snorkel mask. The thrill of dropping into the water at the right time plus watching them above from the boat was exciting and wonderful.
We did this activity on August 8, 2026, at 1:00 PM. We loved the activity. Our guide Miriam explained everything about the activity and the dolphins to us as we went along. We went down in pairs (each pair went down twice) and on every occasion we all managed to swim near the wild dolphins. At the Picos de Aventura office, they give you the equipment, let you use lockers to leave your things, and explain the details of the activity in a video. There is a covered parking garage right next door to leave the car. We were a group of 9 people and we booked the activity in private mode (a zodiac just for our group). We thank our guide Miriam for her professionalism and friendliness during the activity.
Great experience with passionate guides.
The guides work hard to make sure everyone gets to see the dolphins as many times as possible. The company also respects the dolphins and the environment.
Picos de Aventura is a well run operator, with friendly and fantastic skippers and marine guides. This trip was well worth the price for me. If you love dolphins, a kick-a$$ boat ride and swimming in exquisite deep water, then what are you waiting for, book it!
What a spectacular adventure swimming with wild dolphins off the first of Sao Miguel! My wife and I had the absolute best time! We had amazing weather, amazing guide and captain, and an overall amazing time in the water! We located a pod of dolphins and followed them for about 1.5 hours and we're able to get into the water 3 times while rotating with the other members in our group! The pod of dolphins that we encountered were probably between 50-75!
We had a great tour where we saw many dolphins from the boat and a few underwater. Our guide Gina was super, and it is important to her that everyone has the opportunity to see dolphins while snorkeling. We were in the water twice, but only for 1 to 2 minutes each time, as the dolphins then swim on again. It is an advantage if you are familiar with or comfortable using snorkeling equipment. When jumping into the water, you are given an orange float to tie around you, which you can hold onto if you feel unsure and which ensures the boat can definitely see you. For the tour, we received short wetsuits that protected us well from the cold. We had bought water shoes and neoprene gloves beforehand, but we didn't necessarily need them. You are also provided with a hooded raincoat, which protects well against the wind during the ride. You can change and shower at the starting point afterward. We had locked up our valuables. I had taken my cell phone with me and wrapped it multiple times in water-resistant bags. We arrived back on land safely (without nausea) with a grateful feeling of having seen so many dolphins.
Once in a lifetime experience. Totally worth the money. I was apprehensive about being out in open ocean but seeing the dolphins in their natural habitat was amazing! We went in the water twice and saw dolphins each time. Our guide Gina was awesome. She explained everything & made us feel very comfortable. We appreciated how their foremost concern was always for the dolphins safety. Definitely a must when visiting the Azores.
It was AMAZING! First we thought there wouldn’t be any dolfins, but then a whole group was there! It’s so special to see the dolfins in the wild and you could swim with them. Once in a lifetime experience! The guide was very sweet and passionated. And also, the ride on the boat was so much fun, the captains were cool.
