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Dolphins off Tamarin

Out of Tamarin Bay before the sun clears the mountains, looking for spinner dolphins in the flat water along the west coast, and no promises about what the sea does that morning.

At a glanceOn water
How longEarly morningAn early start; back before the heat
How hardLightBoarding a small boat, and swimming from it if you choose to
SeasonYear-round, calm morningsMornings are calmest on the west coast

It is dark when you leave the hotel and barely light at the jetty. Tamarin Bay is on the west coast, in the lee of the mountains, and at this hour the water is a sheet, no wind on it, the Rempart and the Trois Mamelles still black against the sky behind you.

The boat goes out slowly and then stops, and everyone sits and watches nothing for a while. This is the part of the morning worth understanding: you are waiting on animals with somewhere else to be. Then, if it is your morning, the sea goes from empty to full without any warning at all. Spinner dolphins move in groups, and a group is not two or three. It is a long ragged line of dorsal fins coming through, mothers with calves tucked alongside, one animal breaking out to spin clear of the water for no reason anybody has satisfactorily explained.

They are resting at this hour, which is the thing to hold on to. The bay is where they come to be quiet after a night of feeding offshore. A boat that idles at a distance and lets them pass gets a better morning than one that chases, and the difference between operators here is real. We book the first kind.

Afterwards, most boats run north along the coast, past cliffs and Le Morne on the horizon, with a snorkel stop over reef if the sea allows, and you are back on land before the day gets hot, with the whole of it still ahead of you. It sits naturally on the same week as Le Morne and the drive up to Chamarel, which is the other reason to stay on this coast.

Good to know

  • Nothing wild is guaranteed. Sightings are common on this stretch and they are still not a promise.
  • Regulations on approaching and swimming with dolphins are set nationally and change. We confirm what applies on your date, and we choose operators who observe it.
  • Leave early. The animals are here at first light and the wind gets up later; a mid-morning boat is a worse trip.
  • Small boats, no shade, bright water. Hat, shirt, reef-safe sunscreen, and something for seasickness the night before if you are prone.
  • Prices, departure points and minimum ages are set by the operator and vary. We confirm yours in writing before you book.

Boat prices, departure times, minimum ages, whether swimming with dolphins is permitted on your date and the rules in force are set by operators and by Mauritian regulation, and change. We confirm what applies to your dates in writing before you pay anything.

The sea goes from empty to full without any warning at all.

Where to do it

Where we arrange dolphins off tamarin

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Questions we are actually asked

What does a dolphin trip cost?
The boat operator sets it, and it differs between a seat on a shared boat and a small private one. It moves with the season too. We quote the current figure in writing with your itinerary rather than publishing one that goes stale.
Will we definitely see dolphins?
No, and anyone promising otherwise is selling. Spinner dolphins rest in this stretch of water most mornings and sightings are common, which is not the same as guaranteed. Nothing wild is ever promised, which is the honest answer everywhere it applies.
Can you swim with them?
Rules on approach and on entering the water are set by Mauritian regulation and change, and operators differ in how they behave regardless. We will tell you what applies on your date, and we would rather book you onto a boat that keeps its distance than one that does not.
How early is early?
Before the sun is over the mountains. Dolphins are in the bay at first light and the water is flattest then, so a late boat is a worse boat. Your hotel can usually do a breakfast box for it if we ask when we book.
Is it rough?
Usually not. This is the leeward coast and mornings are the calm part of the day. The boats are small, so if anyone is prone to seasickness, take something the night before rather than at the jetty.

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