Unlike captive cetaceans, meeting their wild cousins lets you discover their natural behaviour and become, for a moment, part of their underwater world. And when you realise just how much fun it is down there, you may just decide that Douglas Adams’ clever dolphins were right. Their wave surfing, deep diving, joyous song and gentle nature recall a more innocent time, one of carefree childhood frolics and storybooks where animals and people understood each other.
Swimming with these marine mammals is spiritual for some, an adrenaline rush for others, made all the more magical by the knowledge that with wild animals, encounters are on their terms. The feeling of bobbing beside a pod of spinner dolphins or snorkelling above a 40-ton humpback whose fins alone are the length of three grown men may be tough to capture on camera, but it’s sure to be imprinted on your memory for years to come. Our guide to swimming with whales and dolphins shows you how to encounter these creatures responsibly.
