Kosupa Travel

Hello, this is Yam, a travel blogger! In this article, I’ll introduce the Dolphin Swim Tour, a specialty of Miyakejima and Mikurajima islands, as a highly recommended summer vacation activity!

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What is a “Dolphin Swim Tour”?

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A Dolphin Swim Tour is exactly what it sounds like – a tour where you swim with wild dolphins. The experience of swimming with cute wild dolphins in the ocean has been gaining attention recently, attracting dolphin enthusiasts even from overseas. Particularly, the waters around Miyakejima and Mikurajima islands are home to many pods of wild dolphins, making the encounter rate very high. This has made it a valuable tourism resource for Miyakejima, which hosts numerous Dolphin Swim Tours.

While dolphin swimming itself can be seen in mainland Japan, such as in Izu, most of these involve swimming with dolphins kept in enclosures. In contrast, the dolphins in Miyakejima and Mikurajima are 100% wild. It’s said that many dolphin lovers who have experienced dolphin swimming in Izu come to Miyakejima seeking a more authentic experience (I was one of them myself).

How to Book a Dolphin Swim Tour

For such dolphin swimming experiences, even if you visit Miyakejima or Mikurajima, you might not be able to participate due to capacity or sea conditions if you just show up without planning. If you want to try dolphin swimming, make sure to contact a diving shop on the island in advance for a reservation.

By the way, while the dolphin habitat area is around Mikurajima, Mikurajima is a very small island with few accommodation facilities and dive shops, and not many sights to see. Therefore, it’s common to stay on the neighboring Miyakejima island and participate in a Dolphin Swim Tour organized by a dive shop on Miyakejima, which takes you by boat to the dolphin spot near Mikurajima. Moreover, Miyakejima is known for its unique volcanic landscape and has many attractions besides dolphins, making it an appealing base for your trip.

This time, I booked a Dolphin Swim Tour organized by a diving shop called Ocean Club Number 3. This facility combines a dive shop and lodging, making it particularly recommended for those who want to try marine activities like diving, snorkeling, and dolphin swimming. The friendly staff, including the owner who is a native of Miyakejima, are very approachable.

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By the way, even if you make a reservation, there’s a possibility that the tour might be canceled due to typhoons, high tides, or deteriorating sea conditions. This is an unavoidable fate when seeking encounters with natural dolphins. If Ocean Club Number 3 decides to cancel the tour on the day, try not to be too disappointed and accept it as part of the experience (in such cases, there are many other attractions on Miyakejima, so make effective use of your stay time with other activities).

Dolphin Swim Experience Report

Now, let me introduce you to the experience on the day of the dolphin swim.

After having lunch at Ocean Club Number 3 on the day, we rented equipment for dolphin swimming. Following the staff’s guidance, we borrowed wetsuits, fins, and weights. If you’re not confident in your swimming ability, it’s reassuring to borrow a highly buoyant suit or life jacket. Once preparations were complete, we boarded a van and drove to the port where the boat was waiting.

It takes about 30 minutes by jet boat from Miyakejima to Mikurajima. Following the lead of the Ocean Club staff, all dolphin swim participants boarded the boat and departed. During the journey, relax and enjoy the refreshing sea breeze unique to the Izu Islands.

As we approached Mikurajima, the boat slowed down, and we carefully looked around for any signs of dolphins. Although dolphins are generally encountered every day, the number of individuals and frequency of appearances vary depending on the day, so we won’t know if we can approach a pod of dolphins until the moment arrives. Everyone gazed intently at the water surface, with bated breath. If no dolphins were seen after observing the surface for a while, we moved the boat slightly to change our position and searched for dolphin pods again. This process was repeated until we encountered dolphins.

After a while, the staff called out, “Everyone, prepare your masks and fins!” Although we couldn’t see them, apparently a pod of dolphins was approaching the boat from afar. We entered the water without delay and swam to where the staff pointed, waiting.

Then, suddenly, we heard a high-pitched sound like ultrasound: “Kyuu-kyuu-kyuu!” We couldn’t see them yet, but we were certain dolphins were approaching! As we looked around, convinced of this, a pod of dolphins was already closing in right behind us.

Caught off guard by the sudden encounter, I was late in activating my GoPro (underwater camera) that I had brought, but before I could regret it, the staff called out, “They’re coming from this direction now!” As I turned around, another pod of dolphins was approaching from the distance. This time, determined not to miss the photo opportunity, I pointed my camera and successfully captured them at close range!

After that, pods of dolphins kept approaching and leaving, approaching and leaving. As participants became more accustomed to the dolphins, they started trying to dive deeper, swim in acrobatic ways, and challenge themselves to swim alongside the dolphins.

After swimming for a while, the staff called out, “Get back on the boat!” Thinking it might be over, we climbed onto the boat, but were told to prepare our masks again as we were going to another spot to swim with dolphins. I was surprised to learn that we still had more time with the dolphins, as I had assumed we would only encounter them briefly.

Afterwards, we changed locations about 4 times for dolphin swimming, and I felt like we interacted with dolphins for a total of about an hour. Everyone was completely exhausted by the end, with some even resting on the boat because they were too tired to swim. It was truly a volume-packed experience.

Essential Items to Bring for Dolphin Swimming

Now, for such a dolphin swimming experience, you’ll want to be fully prepared. While you can rent some equipment on-site, there are items you’re better off preparing yourself. Here, I’ll introduce some representative examples.

[The article continues with detailed recommendations for equipment such as snorkeling gear, underwater cameras, anti-fog spray, chamois towels, and even recommends LASIK surgery for better underwater vision. Each recommendation includes product suggestions with Amazon links.]

Final Thoughts

In this article, I’ve introduced the “Dolphin Swim Tour,” a specialty of Miyakejima and Mikurajima islands, along with the booking process, the flow of the day’s activities, and essential items to bring. While it might seem like an active and challenging experience at first glance, dolphins are known to have a healing effect on people, often referred to as dolphin therapy. Take this opportunity to challenge yourself to a stimulating and healing dolphin swim experience in Miyakejima!