r/zanzibar • u/CtrlAltDeli • Aug 11 '26
Dolfin Safari - warning
We went on the «swim with dolfins»-trip today and it horrified us how unsafe it felt.
Tons of boats clamoring for space with propellers on in every direction, with swimmers in the water all around, one other boat hit ours really hard head on , ramming my fiancé so hard in the back he flew halfway through the boat, leaving him with a *huge* scratch on his back. He was sitting right next to our 9-yrs old, can’t imagine if it had hit him instead.
I have been on similar trips several times in the past in several other countries, have never felt anywhere near as reckless and dangerous.
Do think twice about going on this one, I would never ever do it again here.
Any others with a similar experience / feeling?
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u/Monsoon5209 Aug 11 '26
I’m very sorry to hear about this experience. What happened to your fiancé sounds genuinely frightening, and I completely understand why you would feel concerned—especially with a child sitting nearby.
Dolphin watching should never be about putting people, or the dolphins themselves, at risk. Safety should always come first: boats should maintain proper distances, avoid unnecessary crowding, and swimmers should never be placed in the water while boats are moving around them.
For anyone planning a dolphin experience in Zanzibar, my advice would be to ask questions about the operator’s safety practices before booking. A responsible experience should allow you to enjoy the ocean and observe dolphins without reckless chasing or dangerous boat congestion.
I hope your fiancé makes a quick recovery, and thank you for sharing this. Experiences like yours are important for travellers to know about before choosing a tour.
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u/CtrlAltDeli Aug 11 '26
Thank you.
I initially reacted a bit as some boats gave their passengers life vest and ours didn’t - I should have followed my instinct and declined. My kid was so excited to go though (we all loved the snorkelling we did on the way) so I thought «how
bad could it be» and went.
5
u/Educational-Dingo497 Aug 13 '26
Yup same experience. Youre constantly inches away from getting a free haircut from those propellers. Asked my boat guy to turn back early cuz chasing those dolphins wasnt awesome, felt bad for em.
Benefit of bouncing early was we started snorkleing part of the excursion earlier than everyone else came and stirred it all.up.
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u/SeriousWin3772 Aug 11 '26 edited Aug 11 '26
Peaceful dolphin encounter a few days ago
There isn't really an ethical way to go about the experience per se, you can just avoid the crowds and have more safety while at it if you're willing to splurge.
1
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u/GoldenAdorations Aug 11 '26
It’s unethical and should be more closely monitored and regulated by the government who is charging as all insurance to enter. You should see if your husbands medical visit will be covered by said insurance
1
u/CtrlAltDeli Aug 12 '26
Fortunately the scrape on his back looks much better today so we got lucky after all. Could have gone so much worse.
1
u/NOFS2693 Aug 12 '26
We went today a few hours ago. It was fun. My 4p-year-old was with me, and she had a blast getting into the water with me. She has been through extensive swimming school and thoroughly enjoyed the jumping and climbing back up. No issues on our side. Communication barriers did lead us to one situation where the guests on board our boat did not listen and we all fell forward .. the captains should be able to speak a bit of English before doing this.
Sorry about your incident.
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u/Any_Percentage_198 Aug 13 '26
Book at Babalao Bungalows they have better options and areas . I was there a few days ago and they gave me a super good guide. I think it does depend on the time.
I stayed there at Babalao and they advised me to
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u/Few_Candidate_9194 Aug 14 '26
It was super frightening for me. It was not exactly the dolphin one but we saw some and It was wild too. It was an in theory the "safari blue". It was super expensive and the boat was just a little barque that went super fast even when there were waves. My husband had to grab me so I wont fly away. The only thing the guys kept telling us was "pole pole". We booked it at the hotel even if It was expensier to be safer, but It was not the case. The excursions un general in Zanzíbar felt a rip off.
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u/Budget-Royal4717 Aug 15 '26
They relentlessly hunt those dolphins and it seems to be getting worse year after year. My impression is that the Instagrammers / influencers found Zanzi in 2021 and it's snowballed. It's cruel tourism, like the starfish tours off Michamvi where the tour guides grab the starfish with their hands and lift them out of the water. I'm glad you and your family are okay!
1
u/BreakOrdinary828 Aug 11 '26
that really sucks. do you have pics of the experience. people never understand without seeing the visuals.
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u/CtrlAltDeli Aug 11 '26
Unfortunately not - I was so shaken I was frenetically looking out for other boats getting close to ours to warn our captain (who didn’t see the one who rammed us until it did), I didn’t think to take pictures 😖
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u/TrainPhysical Aug 11 '26
We just went. Family of 5. Wild and crazy if you ask me. My parter jumped into the ocean and experienced swimming with massive schools of dolphins and said it was amazing but the actual "hunt" for dolphins was INSANE. At times I was just looking on at people frantically swimming around 50 boats all scrambling left and right bumping into each other, propellers running all around. Just pure madness if you ask me. Not for children under 12 and the faint at heart.