bsnave

Is there any swimming with dolphins near St. John or the BVI? Thanks!

doug_stallings

There's Dolphin Discovery in Tortola. Nothing in St. John.

beachplum

Is that still operating? Seems that I remember that I heard Prospect Reef closed a couple of years ago and the dolphins were sent to Dominica.

beachplum

My apologies. Seems that it is indeed still operating. Just bumped into some answers on the BVI board @ traveltalkonline. Guess it was my wishful thinking!

Robert59

bsnabve; please don't support such an industry. Robert59

SAnParis

Please read the plethora of posts on here re: this horrible industry. You may then re-think the need to swim w/creatures that have been captured to collect tourist $$$.

fio

Find a place that allows you to swim with wild dolphins. I did it in Hawaii and it was the best experience of my life -- the dolphins were not harmed in anyway and it was up to them how close they wanted to get to you

sceneisle

The Marine Mamal Protection Act makes feeding, harassing and swimming with wild dolphins illegal in U.S. waters.

waring

Don't do it. I went on Anguilla last year and the thought still depresses me, and I still can't forgive myself. I spent the whole episode trying to work out how to free them.
It is cruel, tawdry and tacky, and I am no animal rights freak.

Robert59

waring; So, true, and good for you! True, there are wild pods of dolphins that interact with snorkelers, but on their own time. One is in Bimini, Bahamas. The spotted dolphins feed all night on the lip of the Bahama Bank, where it drops to thousands of feet. The effect is that many fish collect here and feed all night long. The next day, the pods journey into the shallow Bahama bank, where they're ecolocation protects them from shark attack. When snorkeling opereations see dolphins in the distance, they don't speed over to them...if they do, the dolphins disappear. The dolphins actually come to the boat to play...if they're ready. Usually, they are because they've feasted all night. Under these circumstances, no Dolphin Discovery operation can emulate the experience. The boat is like a big red ball to play with. Snorkelers swim with them, and the dolphins imitate everything they do. If you dive under and twirl underwater, a dolphin will be doing it with you. They'll proudly retrieve a mid-day snack (fish) and bring it to you with entrails hanging out. Pregnant women will amaze them, and the focus on the belly, sounding and actually seeing the baby inside. They are free-roaming mammals, and have a complex social pod structure. Baby dolphins must be with the mothers for at least three years to learn the social mores and to learn how to avoid become shark victims. When Dolphin Encounters take an adult dolphin from the pod to do tricks for tourists for food, the babies will suffer and become prey to shark attacks. As more of us journey to the Caribbean, we must make sure these business adventures don't follow us. Robert59

sceneisle

I recently returned from a 6-day dolphin snorkel in the Little Bahama Bank (White Sand Ridge), off the coast of Grand Bahama Island. What an amazing experience! We snorkeled with Atlantic Spotted and Bottlenose dolphins every day; some encounters lasting up to two hours. These encounters were on the dolphins terms. Other than their natural attraction to the boats wake, the dolphins were not enticed/lured to us in anyway. Once a pod came to the boat, the boat shut down and the snorkelers were inserted into the water. The boat then left the immediate area, leaving the dolphins to decide whether to chase the boat, leave the area all together, or hang around with the snorkelers. More often than not, at least some of the pod would stay with the snorkelers, swimming between us and mimicking our free diving activity. Sometimes, the dolphin's curiosity was satisfied after a short encounter and they would swim off. More often though, they would play amongst us for hours at a time. After experiencing numerous encounters with the dolphins, it was pretty clear to me that they enjoyed it as much as the snorkelers did. If you have a passion to swim with these beautiful creatures, please do it on their terms. I have posted a video and a photo slide-show of my experience; under my screen name ("sceneisle&quotin "My Video" section, on the Trip Advisor web-site (sorry, no link).

MarionCK

What a wonderful and authentic dolphin encounter !

Thanks for writing so well, that we could almost share your experience !

I would imagine that it will be a lifetime memory for you !

Marion

sceneisle

Yes, Marion, this was a lifetime memory that has spurred us on to more similar expeditions. We also plan on snorkeling with the Whale sharks next year, near Isla Holbox (Mexico) and the following March we plan to snorkel with the Humpack whales in the Silver Bank (Dominican Republic).

Knowing

bsnave: I too ask that you be a caring person in this regard. These dolphins are such intelligent animals. I was in French Polynesia last month and was not told the snorkeling excursion I was going on included a captured dolphin program. I was really upset. I wondered how these people would feel if they were forced to spend the remainder of their lives in a small confined area, unable to leave it. It was horrible.

vchap

This conversation is perfect. We are planning our first island trip as a family and I thought that Dolphin Swim would be great for us-- a highlight of the trip. Now, I am completely rethinking this outing and will likely drop it from our plans. Thanks for the new perspective.

albee622

while we were on the powerboat in the bahama's, we saw dolphins swimming alongside us....for a moment we were in awe of how beautiful and majestic they were. before this experience, i had already made up my mind that participating in any kind of "swim with the dolphins" horror is not something i wanted to do. i hate seeing them penned up like that and even though they look happy, they are not.

last year we took the powerboat in antigua for a full day....one of the stops was stingray city...and although i participated, it cranked me out.

something about seeing marine life contained like that just does not sit well with me.

we were in central park last week and i was near tears to see that beautiful, gigantic polare bear in an area smaller than some backyard pools.

thanks to the posters who shared their experiences with the dolphins as they roam free....live and learn...i had no idea such a think existed..

more reasons to travel...gotta see it all!

best regards,
albee

Robert59

albee; I enjoy watching them alongside the boat, too. Actually, they aren't swimming at all; they're surfing! Their fins are motionless as the "ride the waves" so to speak. Look back at the wake and see if they're surfing behind you. They enjoy back wakes because the can do flips while surfing, w/o getting hit by the hull. Dolphins have been knows to hitch a ride and surf for a long ways if the boat is heading in the direction they want to go. What a way to get around, have playful fun, and not expend energy. Robert59