Dolphin Cruise Operator
Tarndarnya / Adelaide, South Australia
Green Travel Leader 2023
Temptation Sailing started their charted tours in the Gulf of St Vincent in 2000 when the Glenelg Marina Pier was first built. In April 2001, when a young dolphin and its mother found Glenelg Marina Pier to be home, it sparked an idea for the Temptation team.
They travelled and visited dolphin cruise operators across Australia and New Zealand to learn from the best in the business running ethical tours centred on understanding and protecting the enchanting marine world. Being the first vessel to obtain a licence for swimming with dolphins in South Australia, they have been running swim and watch tours ever since.
To further complement their ecologically sustainable tourism ethos, Temptation Sailing achieved Advanced Ecotourism Certification with Ecotourism Australia in 2013 and Green Travel Leader status in 2023. This certification meant they exceeded the requirements of globally recognised best practice certification standards.
“Our Advanced ECO Certification is a crucial component of operating our business,” said Temptation Sailing owner William Pyke.
“We operate Wild Dolphin Swim and Watch tours where sustainability is of the highest importance to us. We are proud to attract customers who both care about the dolphins we interact with and actively seek responsible ECO Certified businesses,” he said.
To William, being Advanced Ecotourism certified is a benchmark for their business as it not only recognises their sustainable initiatives to minimise impact but encourages them to do more.
At Temptation Sailing, their genuine passion for protecting marine life shines through in their education of guests from around the world. On tours, they advise their guests of the importance of being respectful and not interrupting the majestic wildlife during swims.
“In order for us to have minimal impact on the environment and dolphins, we run tours which do not force or coax the interactions and allow the dolphins to interact with the swimmers and watchers on their own terms.”
Over the years, Temptation Sailing has continued to find ways to reduce their impact on the environment.
“We are most proud of our extremely low carbon footprint and offsetting our carbon emissions. We have a partnership with GreenFleet Australia where our emissions are 100% offset through planting native trees and shrubs in National Parks throughout Australia.”
Temptation Sailing proudly contribute to wildlife conservation by partnering with local communities and universities to research two dolphin species found along Adelaide’s coast and find ways to improve their practices.
“We are launching our Temptation Dolphin Research Program (TDRP) this season where we will have trained volunteers recording data on the local dolphin populations. In collaboration with Flinders University, this will be used to continuously assess the overall health of the local dolphin population we interact with.”
Learn more about Temptation Sailing and their dolphin experiences on the Green Travel Guide: