After a 5 am wake-up we head out to Tamarin Bay to find dolphins and spend some time swimming with them. The weather clears up somewhat during the afternoon and even we manage to squeeze in a quick kite surf session before heading to local eatery Enso's for supper.
Our Airbnb host, Trish, arranged with a local boat skipper to take us out in Tamarin Bay to swim with the spinner and bottlenose dolphin pods which hang out there in the mornings.
Driving in the dark to meet the skipper in the pouring rain wasn't exactly confidence-inspiring but it really turned out to be one of those days where you have to go with it hope for the best. Due to the bad weather, there were only a couple of other boats around and it never felt crowded. We have heard reports that it can be a bit of a circus when there are loads of boats as they race all over the show and people are jumping off the boats at random.
Should you o swim with the Dolphins at Tamarin Bay, Mauritius?
I guess it's debatable how safe it is but from our experience, it was fine if you are comfortable in deep water. We came prepared and wore wet-suits which helped stave off the cold a bit. You definitely also need fins as you have to be quick off the boat and be a FAST swimmer to get close to the dolphins. We have heard some people comment that the activity is harmful to the dolphins and might affect their habitat but the truth is the dolphins seemed rather playful and as interested in the activity around them as we were trying to swim with them! Besides, they can disappear in the blink of an eye if they want to. Those guys are QUICK underwater!
It started raining again as we made our way back across the bay but the clouds kept breaking open to reveal stunning rainbows stacked on top of each other over the bay. This was a truly epic experience.
Luckily the weather improved somewhat and we headed to Le Morne Kitebeach for a kite session. Our time in Mauritius was drawing to an end and we had to make use of every opportunity to hit the water!
