Edu-tourism

Since 1995, Angie Gullan has been sharing the magical wonder of coming face to face with the wild #dolphinsofponta, pioneering the way in ethical, educational, and responsible practice for tours with these sentient non-human persons whom she calls the "people of the sea."

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Encountours 

Cater for the discerning dolphin enthusiast and offer an intimate look into the lives of our local dolphins while funding research & conservation efforts in the Marine Reserve. 

 

Research

The long-term monitoring of marine mammals in the area was initiated by our founders under the guidance of Africa's leading marine mammal scientists. The #DolphinsofPonta fin ID project was born in 1997. The first individual to be identified and named was "Rob," a dolphin who can still be found around Ponta do Ouro today.

Other species of interest include the illusive humpback dolphins, spinner dolphins, spotted dolphins, and the magnificent humpback whales.

 

Conservation

We realise that there is a want and a will from humanity to interact with marine mammals in their natural environment. These encounters can have profound effects on humans, and sometimes detrimental effects on marine mammals.

We advocate for a code of conduct to lessen the impact of human encounters and a change in lifestyle to lessen our impact on the planet.

 

About

We are a culture of carer’s and creators who prove that ethical & educational marine mammal tourism can be achieved when merging both spirit and science. We feel that a close & moving experience with dolphins and whales in their own environment is the best way to conserve them for future generations.

We invite you to take the plunge, face your fears & experience something truly magical when coming face to face with sentient, non-human persons! The past two decades have been spent nurturing a friendship and creating opportunities for human dolphin encounters to take place that works within the realms of 'conscious interaction'.

We work with a gregarious, population of dolphins affectionately called the Dolphins of Ponta who find home in the coastal shallows of the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve which borders iSimangaliso World Heritage Site within the Lubumbo Transfrontier Conservation Area of South Africa & Mozambique. ​

We specialise in creating a safe space for intimate encounters to take place with wild dolphins while contributing to their wellbeing. We are happiest when we are out in the field, checking in on our finned friend’s and are deeply committed to our role in protecting their environment.

Through our research & conservation arm DolphinCareAfrica, we have collected and maintained a longterm data set and have historical records by means of images and video archived with over 8000 entries and ~250 individuals catalogued. Lineage has been tracked on resident females, some as far as 5 generations.