I have read so many things on this board about how aweful it is to swim with dolphins and it breaks my heart. I have a deep love of dolphins, but know almost nothing about how they were treated until now. I have been thinking of doing the dolphin dive at Anthony's key resort on Roatan in Honduras. Can anybody give me input on their program and how they obtained the dolphins? I have pretty much cancelled any thoughts of doing it now in spite of how much I want to dive in the open water with them. Is there any program I can do to learn and be around them without having to worry about how they are treated?

Dolphin,<BR>I appreciate your desire to educate yourself about something you really want to do but know you probably shouldn't.<BR>Like you, I wrestled with wanting to do that for years and passed up the opportunity several times before I finally decided on an open ocean dive with a dolphin in the Bahamas.<BR>I thought it was OK because they could just swim off if they were unhappy, but that's not the way it works.<BR>I've been embarassed and sorry I did it ever since.<BR>Here is some more info you can read to help you with your decision...<BR><BR>No matter how clean or nice it looks, more than half of the dolphins die within 60 to 90 days of capture. <BR>In order to make an informed decision, please visit:<BR><BR>http://dolphinproject.org/ <BR><BR>http://www.hsus.org/ace/11727<BR><BR>(The second site is the Humane Society of the United States' position on SWTD programs.)<BR><BR>

I recently became aware of Anthony's Key Research Center and Resort and have many of the same questions you have, so I sent an email to the Center to inquire and am waiting on their response. However, I did learn from their web site that their dolphins are kept in a two acre ocean 'pen', so they ARE captive dolphins. The reason they say they are 'free to come and go' is because there are no 'food rewards' for the dolphins to interact with you. In other words, if they want to interact with you, they will come to you, if they don't, they won't. I also noticed that one of their programs include a dolphin 'training session'. This leads me to believe that this institute is no better to the dolphins than any of the 'swim with dolphin programs'. I personally would steer clear of this resort, but as I said, I have asked them about their dolphins and programs and will post back when they reply.<BR>I'm afraid there is NO program in the world that you can learn about them without having to worry about how they are treated.<BR>But there are places where you can be taken out into the open ocean for dolphin encounters. There are a couple of these places in the Drake Bay area of Costa Rica that I am considering.

There are wild dolphin encounters here in Puerto Vallarta, such as Open Air Expeditions. http://vallartawhales.com

Thank you for your responses. I guess I had assumed that because the dive was in the open ocean that maybe they were treated better. But I guess they just won't be fed if they don't come back. I will pass on the dolphin dive.

I did the dolphin dive at Anthony's Key and never regretted it. It was an amazing and beautiful experience. The dolphins seemed happy and content and looked very healthy.

Dolphinlvr,<BR>Thanks for doing the right thing. You won't be sorry.<BR>People who do it and feel no remorse don't realize that they have contributed to something that is one of our more reprehensible activities.<BR>If it's any consolation, I've been on several boat trips since where wild dolphins accompanied our boat.<BR>To me, it was a MUCH more beautiful experience than the captive dolphin that did "tricks" to survive.<BR>

The impression that I am getting is that there aren't any dolphin-safe swim/dive with dolphin programs, am I correct? Can it be true that none of these dolphins are bred in captivity and treated well and not made to perform tricks for food?

Marylou,<BR>You are correct. There simply ARE no SWTD programs that are not cruel.<BR>Even if the dolphins are extremely well cared for and only have to perform on a light schedule, the fact that they are being held in captivity makes them miserable by reason of their physical design.<BR>Most dolphins in the programs were captured and torn from their pods and their territories. <BR>More than 50% die in the first 60 to 90 days. Some are "dry transported" inland for hours via trucks. (The mortality rate on those from the stress is very high.)<BR>Their plight is very similar to the problems with keeping killer whales in captivity. They are very intelligent, and free range over many miles in a day.<BR>I compare both keeping captive dolphins and whales to human beings kept in a very small jail cell - but having to do tricks for the guards to get their meals.<BR>

Are the dolphin programs at Drake Bay in Costa Rica captive animals? The literature sure makes it sound like they're free to come and go. Anyone know anything about these tours?

There are no 'captive' dolphins in Drake Bay or any other area of Costa Rica. One of the hotels in the Drake Bay area did have a dolphin for a while as it was injured or sick, but they released it as soon as they could. The programs in Drake Bay take people out in boats into the bay where several dolphins live and play. They ARE free to come and go as they please, which also means you may or may not see them, but I think generally people do see them as there are so many in the area.<BR>

To Dolphinlvr:<BR>Just wanted to let you know I never did get a reply from Anthony's resort. Their web site states they will reply to emails within 24 hours (I think), but it's been days and they never replied to my questions. I guess they didn't like the questions as I was pretty much exposing what they are doing to the dolphins. Also, although they are in the ocean, that ARE 'penned' in, not free.<BR><BR>To DO IT:<BR>These dolphins are NOT happy and content, even if they look like it. And unless they are able to catch all the fish they want, which is not likely due to being 'penned in' then they are most likely being given antibiotics. This can also be bad for them as these antibiotics can cause 'fungal' problems that rots their flesh. Look BEHIND the dolphin smile and learn for yourself.<BR>www.dolphinproject.org

To Marylou:<BR>Dolphins that are born captive have the EXACT same physiological charateristics as those of their wild co-species and those characteristics are extremely violated in captivity. It is imperative to consider the ethics and educational value of breeding dolphins in captivity. They will never swim in a straight line for as long as they desire; nor will they be able to use their speed, intelligence, sonar and sense of cooperation to catch live fish. They are also subjected to food depravation for 'training' purposes as are all dolphins in these 'parks'.<BR>They are freaks of nature that we have created for our own amusement and they have no social redeeming value. Also, keep in mind that many species in captivity have never produced live offspring while the calves of other suffer high mortality rates, so most of the dolphins in these parks are still captured.

Why not travel to Fernando de Noronha, a remote island off the coast of Brazil, and a very protected ecological treasure. You must pay a daily tax to go there, the number of visitors is limited by law and all the accomodations are in simple pousadas. In return you will get to see plenty of wild dolphins and every other type of amazing sealife. Fernando de Noronha is quickly becoming known around the world and any travel agency dealing with Brazil could set the trip up for you. I know you would love it.