Friendly flippers in Whakatane

Cosy wetsuits and all your snorkelling gear are provided when you go dipping with dolphins in the sea off Whakatane.

The all-year-round Dolphins Down Under adventure offers two tours aboard the 14m-long catamaran Te Tahi.

For $135 a person, the White Island Volcano and Dolphin Swim tour lasts six hours and includes a circumnavigation of New Zealand's only active marine volcano, an hour's snorkelling in the waters below it and lunch; two hours are dedicated to dolphin swimming.

A shorter tour ($100 a person) takes four hours and concentrates on finding the dolphins and snorkelling with them. Failing to find the dolphins is rare, though they can be frolicking anywhere from 3km to 65km offshore.

Contact: John at Dolphins Down Under

freephone 0800 flipper (0800 354 7737)