The 10 Best Dolphin and Snorkeling Trips in Australia

1.Dolphin & Tangalooma Wrecks Snorkel Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,039 reviews · 1 day · from $152Our pick

Spend a full day aboard the Spirit of Mulgumpin, a purpose-built catamaran sailing from Brisbane to Moreton Island. You’ll snorkel the Tangalooma Wrecks with guides such as Jess, Georgia, or Brooke, watch for dolphins and turtles, eat a tropical buffet with ocean king prawns, and enjoy beach time, fish feeding, and paddleboarding.

“great nature n fantastic experience. Also kind crew members!!”

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2.Dolphin & Tangalooma Wrecks Snorkel Cruise & Lunch – Brisbane

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 327 reviews · from $192

Spend about eight hours sailing from Brisbane to Moreton Island aboard the Spirit of Mulgumpin. You’ll snorkel the Tangalooma Wrecks with a guide, enjoy a buffet lunch with local prawns, watch for dolphins and dugongs, and have free beach time for swimming or paddleboarding. Captain Wayne and guide Caroline are among the crew members praised for their care and clear guidance.

“On time pickup in downtown Brisbane. Well planned, captain and staff are very engaged with passengers.”

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3.Kangaroo Island – Swim with Dolphins/Seals/Coastal Snorkel

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 261 reviews · from $139

Meet at Christmas Cove Marina in Penneshaw for a two-hour ocean safari. Your crew supplies a wetsuit, mask, snorkel, fins, life jacket, sunscreen, and warm jackets. You may swim with long-nosed seals or wild dolphins, depending on sea conditions and animal behavior, then return to the marina.

“Me and my partner went in early March and had a fantastic experience of swimming with both dolphins and seals. We were able to use our own GoPro to capture the experience which was great. There was minimal information shared to the group during the trip about the animals. We did feel we had a good amount of time in the water though.”

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4.Tangalooma Snorkeling Tour & Dolphin Feeding

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 216 reviews · 1 day · from $172

Spend a full day at Tangalooma Island Resort with a 75-minute ferry ride from Brisbane, a guided snorkel at the 15-vessel wreck site, lunch, pools, and sunset dolphin feeding. Guides such as Charlotte, James, Ivy, and Jess have been praised for patient instruction, though snorkel time is limited to about 30 to 35 minutes.

“Overall we had a great trip to Moreton Island! The ferry ran smoothly and there was a member of the team to meet us the other end. Everything was well run and the island itself was beautiful with lots of activities to choose from. The snorkelling was the only negative, which was a shame as there was so much potential. We arrived to the snorkel area on time, but had to wait for around an hour for other people to arrive and get ready. We were split into smaller groups, and unfortunately most of our group couldn't swim! They were screaming for most of the snorkelling time and the guide…”

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5.Dolphin & Tangalooma Wrecks Snorkel Cruise & Lunch – Gold Coast

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 72 reviews · from $214

Cruise from Brisbane to Mulgumpin, also called Moreton Island, for a guided snorkel at the Tangalooma Wrecks, fish feeding, beach time, and stand-up paddleboarding. Your day includes equipment, morning tea, a tropical buffet with ocean king prawns, wildlife spotting, and selected Gold Coast hotel transfers. Georgia is among the crew members praised for helping first-time snorkelers.

“This was absolute fun..!! my family enjoyed the tour.. enjoyed snorkelling, saw marine life. All women crew was super.. kids had memories for life.”

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6.Tangalooma Snorkelling with Dolphin Viewing

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 63 reviews · 1 day · from $157

Cruise 75 minutes from Brisbane to Tangalooma for guided wreck snorkelling, a $25 lunch voucher, pool and beach time, and a sunset cocktail. Lauren is one named guide from recent outings. The day ends with wild dolphin viewing from the jetty before the evening ferry home.

“Para sailing with my daughters was fun. The smiley yellow parashutte and friendly staff were a great experience. The trip included a lounge access with coffee or tea and spacious seatings made trip comfortable. Cocktail at the bar coupon was a nice one, too.”

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7.Sorrento: Dolphins & Seals Snorkeling Cruise w/ Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 52 reviews · 3 hours · from $148

Meet the English-speaking crew at Sorrento Pier and board Moonraker for a three-hour cruise in Port Phillip Bay. You will snorkel with Australian fur seals, search for resident wild dolphins, and enjoy lunch, hot drinks, snacks, and water. Dolphins are not guaranteed, but you may return free within 30 days if they are not found.

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8.2-Hour Dolphin Kayak & Snorkel Tour on the Broadwater

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 30 reviews · from $62Best value

Set out from Biggera Waters with a professional guide, learn basic kayaking skills, and paddle across the sheltered Broadwater to Wavebreak Island. You’ll snorkel from the beach among subtropical fish and watch for dolphins, which are seen on about 80 percent of outings. Guides such as Pete are especially good with families and first-time paddlers.

“Loved the Kayaking and Snorkeling but No Dolphins, and worse than that, no even a mention of Dolphins by the Guides. The ad said 80% chance of seeing dolphins. We would have at least expected guides to say...Sorry No Dophins today”

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9.Dolphin and Seal snorkel adventure from Sorrento

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 20 reviews · from $150

From Sorrento Pier, Moonraker takes you into Port Phillip Bay to see Australian fur seals and search for resident bottlenose dolphins. You receive equipment and a safety briefing, then enter the water in small groups of 10. Choose a morning or afternoon trip, with food served onboard.

“We had a fantastic day with a family of five. We were lucky enough to see a lot of dolphins on the day and even luckier to get to swim with them. Great day and the weather was fab which made it more special. Crew on board were also great”

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10.Queenscliff Harbour: 3.5hr Seal & Dolphin Snorkelling Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 11 reviews · 3h 30m · from $148

Spend 3.5 hours from Queenscliff exploring Popes Eye and Chinaman’s Hat, beginning with calm-water snorkelling before meeting about 40 young Australian fur seals. Then search Port Phillip Bay for dolphins. Isaac and the crew provide safety guidance, wildlife facts, snacks, hot showers, and a rooftop viewing platform.

“Isaac was very personable and ensured that everyone was safe throughout the snorkel. Although we started an hour later than the scheduled time due to a couple arriving late, Isaac made sure that we still had the full hour of time in the water.”

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