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Swimming With Wild Dolphins: An Experience That Changes You

Xinalani Staff
by: Xinalani Staff
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Swimming With Wild Dolphins: An Experience That Changes You

This is not a dolphin show.
There are no tanks. No tricks. No trainers.
Just the wide open ocean and a moment of connection that only happens when the dolphins choose it too.

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Not a performance. A meeting.

There’s a global shift happening. More and more travelers are asking questions before booking an experience: Are the animals free? Are we respecting their space? Is this interaction mutual, or one-sided?

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At Xinalani, we believe that the most powerful encounters with nature are the ones that aren’t forced.

Our open-water dolphin swim is not about control: it’s about presence. It’s about entering their world, gently, and witnessing them as they are: curious, graceful, and entirely free.

How it works

The journey begins in the morning with a short orientation at the hotel. You’ll learn about the dolphins who live in the bay year-round, their behaviors, and how we approach the experience with care and awareness.

Depending on the ocean conditions, you’ll board the boat either at the hotel beach or nearby dock. From there, your guide Kimi, trained by local marine biologists and deeply familiar with the resident dolphin pods, leads the way into Banderas Bay.

Kimi doesn’t just find the dolphins. He recognizes them. Knows their patterns. And he understands when they’re ready to interact, and when they’re not.

When a pod is spotted and the dolphins show interest, guests quietly slip into the water — never directly in their path, always with space and respect. The magic happens when the dolphins choose to swim nearby, sometimes circling, sometimes diving, sometimes simply gliding past with calm curiosity.

Sometimes they leap. Sometimes they don’t. But always, it’s on their terms.

What it feels like

The ocean feels bigger when you're in it: not looking at it, but held by it. And then, suddenly, they're there. Moving with power, but also with ease. Looking at you as you look at them.

You might cry. You might laugh underwater. You might float still, suspended in something that feels ancient and electric at the same time.

It's not just beautiful: it's humbling. And it leaves something in you long after the water has dried.

The return

After the swim, everyone climbs back aboard. Smiling. Quiet. Changed.

There’s time to share lunch on the boat, swap impressions, and take it all in as the coast returns to view.

What to know

  • 🐬 Wild dolphins live in the bay year-round
  • 🚤 The tour lasts approx. 4 hours
  • 👥 Minimum 4 guests / Maximum 10 guests
  • 🧒 Minimum age is 12 (same as our hotel policy)
  • 🤰 Not recommended for pregnant women
  • Wild animals should be respected and not touched

Why it matters

To be in the water with a wild dolphin is not a bucket list moment. It’s a reminder that we are guests, not owners. That nature doesn’t owe us anything, and yet sometimes it offers everything.

And in a world that often asks us to consume more, control more, rush more — this is a gentle invitation to simply float. Watch. Breathe.
And remember how to be in awe again.

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Welcome to Xinalani, how can I help you?
Our office hours are from 9am to 6pm (GMT-5).
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Bienvenido a Xinalani, ¿En qué puedo ayudarle?
Nuestro horario de atención es de 9am a 6pm.