Dolphin & Wildlife Cruise - Half day - Tauranga departure

I can’t tell you how amazing a day out on the Bay Explorer is. You will have to experience it for yourself. As a local to the area I take advantage of many of the experiences in Tauranga. THIS IS THE BEST! I have been out on this boat many times and it never disappoints. Brandon and the crew are the best.

Was awesome. We found sunfish and a massive pod of common dolphin. The weather could not have been better. The small 3 person crew were so friendly and very knowledgeable, as well as very busy. Highly recommend

Amazing day out on the water with the Bay Explorer. We had such a great time. Dolphins, sharks, penguins and great service. Thank you so much for everything. We will definitely be bringing all our visitors out with you guys. ☺️

I wish I could rate our experience greater than 5 stars because we had such an amazing time with Bay Explorer! My daughter even got a chance to steer the boat! We will definitely be booking another trip in the near future ❤️

We had our Christmas staff gathering on the Bay Explorer last week and it was fantastic. Emily and the crew were amazing—friendly, professional, and made everything so easy for us. You can really tell they love what they do. Highly recommended!

Up close and personal. Loved the experience with the family today. Super chill with some great views. We saw dolphins up close and the crew were so friendly.

What a fantastic day out. Brandon and Josh will go the extra mile (we probably went more) to make sure you find wildlife and ensure you get the "Oh wow" experience. Today there were lots of oh wow moments and I can't recommend this team enough. We saw dolphins, sharks and penguins. A must do in Tauranga.

Great trip! Got to see dolphins, orcas, a couple of sharks and a seal. The weather was perfect, the crew were great and the view was amazing 👍🏻

Big Blue Backyard around Mt. Maunganui. A Day out on the BAY EXPLORER with Skipper Brandon is not to be missed. We encountered 2 different pods of Delphinus Delphis (Common Dolphin) Nothing common about this adventure. It was Awesome!!.

A dream day out on the water for the ocean and wildlife lovers out there. The Bay of Plenty has got to be right up there for marine life diversity and the trips I have experienced with Bay Explorer have always delivered great wildlife sightings. Brandon and the crew are the best.

We have spent awesome day here on 1.11.2024. We have seen dolphines! The crew was nice and provided us with all informations. Just beautiful day. Thank you!

We had an incredible morning on the water with the Bay Explorer Crew. Sooooo many Dolphins, Birds and information. Highly recommend

Awesome day on the water in the Bay of Plenty out on the Bay Explorer, right from the start Brandon and his crew made us feel welcome and the day out in nature was amazing, from the scenery to the wildlife, dolphins, sharks, little blue penguins and more. Highly recommend.

Wonderful experience with Brandon and the crew and of course the dolphins! Brandon and his crew are very knowledgeable about the ocean and have a great sense of humour 🤣 Once the dolphins are spotted, Brandon will open up the very front of the boat so you can get the best view. An amazing day out.

Great team and boat - we went a first time and had the misfortune of seeing nothing but a fly fish and a black swan. On a second attempt, we got greeted by dolphins, hammerhead shark and a bustling activity. Definitely recommends and will be back in hope to see whales or more sharks!

Was the most incredible experience - the staff and crew are awesome and Emily is so knowledgeable with her local knowledge, and the dolphins!! We were lucky enough to have a pod of over 40 play with us and follow the boat including tiny little calves! 10/10 will go again♥️

Fantastic day on the water. We scored a fabulous day weather wise and came across large numbers of dolphins. Would recommend this cruise around the beautiful harbour.

One of the most delightful experiences I've ever had! Being able to observe dolphins, penguins and a shark in their natural habitat was simply sublime. As if that wasn't enough, the captain and crew were amazing! Passionate and knowledgeable. Highly recommend this cruise.

I had an amaizing day with bay explorer. The crew is really doing their best in spotting as many animals as possible. We were lucky and saw dolphins, two whales, penguins and a sea turtle!

I had the best trip! Beautiful ocean water, wonderful dolphin-watching, friendly and informative crew, comfortable boat, great views of the Mount, sea and sky - and two sunfish!

We had a wonderful day with Emily and the crew! Thank you so much for this special experience! We were very lucky and saw not only dolphins but also a whale and a sea turtle. Thank you also for all the information from the crew and your great hospitality :)

Real good time, great crew and amazing spotting of dolphins and marine life. We were lucky to see them a few times. Had a great time.

Absolutely wonderful experience, thank you. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing the huge pod of dolphins playing. The crew were fantastic.

An amazing experience and thoughly enjoyable, the crew are so friendly and approachable, and of course it's amazing to get so close to Wildlife. The sun is strong so make sure to wear/bring suncream and sunglasses! We saw dolphins and penguins. Highly recommend.

Such a great experience with an amazing team. We went out on Sunday and had a great time. We seen whales, a couple small penguins, lots of seabirds including an albatross, amazing view of the coastline from out at sea and some great people to enjoy it all with. Would definitely recommend!!

Bay Explorers took my family to Tuhua Mayor Island today for my 60th birthday. Brandon, Amy & co were sensational in their delivery of the most incredible cruising with the dolphins. Upon arrival we played for hours with kayaks, paddle boards and snorkelling. The best day ever.

What an amazing day we had exploring the open waters of Tauranga with the @bayexplorer_nz today. My folks are visiting from Hungary and this year my mum is 60, so I decided it's time we do something special. We were soo lucky to experience a large pod of common dolphins. An unforgettable day for the whole family.

What a wonderful experience we had with Brandon and Heidi on our half day cruise. Their knowledge, their care and humour just completed this magnificent excursion. We were entertained by a large pod of dolphins and gannets diving into the water for fish. An awesome day! 😀

Awesome staff very helpful. Specially the boat captain he encourage me tht I can able to go out like other people were doing and watch dolphin more closely after that my panic attack gone. I enjoyed my trip we saw nearly 100 dolphins with flying fish , sun fish and so many jelly fish. Thank you for making our trip so enjoyable

An absolute must do! 🐬 Brandon & Josh are passionate, knowledgeable and just awesome guys! They were so great with everyone on board and made sure we got the most out of the day. We saw heaps of dolphins and had the best time.

Trip on the boat was really lovely. Great crew. Only downside was the meal. The chicken was extremely dry and the desserts were far too sweet and sickly. Perhaps you could look at using a different caterer or get them to up their food quality. Otherwise a great day out.

We booked a private sunset cruise with Bay Explorer and it did not disappoint! They were super helpful and flexible with the party arrangements, recommended caterers, timings for the perfect sunset etc. We weren’t there to see wildlife, but the sunset and views were absolutely stunning. A perfect evening on the water.

We recently joined the Bay Explorer cruise tour with high expectations of spotting a variety of marine life. Unfortunately, we were a bit disappointed as we were only able to see dolphins. We did NOT see any whales, NO hammerhead sharks, NO orcas. The crew was nice but we expected more wildlife.

The crew are amazing and so knowledgeable. What a great way to spend a day. The boat is spacious and well stocked with all sorts of drinks. I could happily book another trip because I loved every moment of it. Highly recommend to anyone visiting Tauranga.

WOW! What can I say except I now truly believe it when people say this is the BEST DAY EVER. The captain Brandon is amazing, super knowledgeable and truly cares about the ocean and Tauranga - it also helps that he is super funny too! The crew were fantastic and we saw so many dolphins. An unforgettable experience.

Very friendly and understanding staff. They made an effort to ensure we felt comfortable throughout the trip and gave us lots of information. We were lucky to have a beautiful day and were able to see lot of Dolphins and other marine wildlife. Staff were very understanding and helpful around children which was really good to see!

What a fantastic cruise! Brandon and Lizzy were both fantastic to talk to, and kept everything running smoothly. If we thought we spotted anything they were quick to investigate, too! We saw lots of dolphins and had an amazing day.

Beautiful day out on the boat for this tour. Knowledgeable and friendly crew. Saw heaps of dolphins and a seal. Wonderful experience.

Awesome trip, saw tons of dolphins swimming alongside the boat for about an hour or so and an nz fur seal. Skipper and crew were great and the coffee was good to, definitely recommend!

It was fantastic to go out today on Bay Explorer - Dolphin and Wildlife Cruise. Not only is it just an unbelievably awesome day out on the waters of the Bay of Plenty, but we start the day with a view not usually seen from land, of Trinity Wharf and the Mount in the distance. The crew were so friendly and knowledgeable and we saw dolphins, penguins and a shark. A truly magical day.

An excellent trip. We had a great experience with a large pod of dolphins for about an hour. Staff were helpful a d friendly. Highly recommend.

I have a huge level of respect and appreciation for Brandon and the Crew on Bay Explorer. Every time we go out there is always plenty to see and we always see dolphins! Such an awesome and amazing day out on our moana. 100% definitely recommend

Our family took the Dolphin and Wildlife cruise and absolutely loved it! We saw over 50 dolphins in a large pod. We watched dolphins with their young swimming, jumping and playing for an hour. We also saw lots of penguins, sunfish and one shark. It's a must do trip if in the area. The staff were great!

This is quite a pricey trip for a family but worth every penny when you see the dolphins. Crew were great. The only thing that would improve it for me would be some more information about the wildlife when you've seen them. I expected a bit more commentary but still a wonderful experience.

Thanks Brandon & the Bay Explorer team, Nick & Jack for a spectacular day out discovering the deep blue that lies in our backyard here in the beautiful BOP. I loved snorkelling with the NZ Fur Seals & venturing out on the kayak. We saw dolphins, seals and so much marine life. An incredible day.

What a wonderful early Christmas experience (rather than stuff) for the whole family. We couldn't have asked for a nicer day and Brendon Heidi and the team on board this day made everyone feel welcome and part of something really special. We saw lots of dolphins and had the best time.

We went on the both the new years eve cruise experience and then the following day we went on the dolphin and wildlife cruise. Both times the crew were fantastic. The crew were very efficient and attentive and bought people blankets when it got cold. We saw loads of dolphins and had the best time.

The best wildlife cruise in my life! Awesome captain Brandon and his great crew will share their knowledge of anything you come across during the trip. They really do their best to find anything out there and take very good care of you. What an amazing experience. This is a must do if you are in Tauranga.

Awesome trip! What a great staff and we saw lots of beautiful dolphins. There was not too many people out on the day we went which was nice also. I only wish the top deck of the boat was covered, I got a little too much sun. Highly recommend them though! I got some cracking photos from the trip for sure.

Excellent experience and top crew , friendly and well informed. Emily , Tailor and Skipper Brendan were awesome. We had a great day spotting Dolphins in first 30mts and had a lucky second sighting too, great day out and highly recommend.

We did a 5hr dolphin and wildlife tour with this company. Our overall experience was excellent: we saw a lot of dolphins and even a hammerhead shark. The crew really did its best to give us plenty of time to make photos and videos of the wildlife. Highly recommend!

What an amazing day this was!! Brandon, the skipper promised dolphins and YES we saw a whole pod with a radius of 3 or 4 km around the boat. They really do their utmost best to find the wildlife for you. On the way we also saw the little blue penguins and gannets diving. Highly recommend!

Had an incredible experience! The staff were very kind and knowledgeable about the wildlife we saw and made it well worth it! We saw many dolphins and even some whales towards the end of the trip. 100% would recommend to anyone in the area wishing to see some incredible scenery, wildlife and entertainment.

Well done team Bay Explorer for making a magical morning. The skipper and crew were super helpful, finding dolphins, sun fish and lone penguins. I also won a free drink on board. Highly recommended.

Definitely worth the money! We were really impressed to see the dolphins up that close. We saw multiple pods with their calves and heaps of different birds and a seal. Were out there for 5.5 hours and the scenery was just stunning. Thanks a lot to Emily and the crew, they are doing a great job! :)

We got to experience our family trip out with Brandon and the team from Bay Explorer today! What an experience! So worth waiting for! The dolphins were incredible and the crew made it so special.

We had the best time on the 5 day adventure. The team on board exceeded our expectations and the care and thought to ensure we were given the best experience was exceptional. There is no guarantee that you will get to see the wonder of the wildlife but they go above and beyond to find it for you.

The captain and all the staff were incredibly kind and welcoming. The location was very convenient, and everything was checked thoroughly and handled professionally. We saw dolphins and sharks on the same trip and had plenty of time to enjoy the wildlife. We also tried the wine from the licensed bar on board which was a lovely surprise.

We had experienced their hospitality last week. The crew were very welcoming. They made sure we were comfortable and helped me when I was feeling unwell. We saw so many dolphins which made the trip worthwhile.

Hubby, 2 kids and I headed out on this cruise today around 8.30ish. It was a blessed day! The day started beautifully with no swells at all. This helped us get out to where we needed to be. In almost no time (10am) at all we were amongst a huge pod of dolphins. The crew were fantastic and so knowledgeable. A day we will never forget.

We had such a wonderful day out with the Bay Explorer. We were so lucky and came across a pod of about 100 dolphins who were swimming around our boat for over an hour! It was such an incredible experience. The crew were amazing, and were so knowledgeable about the wildlife.

One of best experiences we did in New Zealand. The boat has plenty of room to spread out and move about while being able to see out in many places when animals are spotted. We saw numerous penguins, fish, and dolphins. As well as many other marine animals. The crew made it a trip to remember.

Lovely way to spend a morning and saw absolutely loads of dolphins, they knew all the best spots and we definitely got our moneys worth!

When bay explorer literally means exploring, you may want to have a lot of patience, expect some set backs but overall a fantastic time. We went on the 2nd of January and sadly the streak of 40 days of seeing something was broken that day. But we still enjoyed the cruise and the crew were lovely.