Best Dolphin Encounter
 

We will be staying at both the Hilton Waikoloa on the BI and the Mandarin Oriental on Oahu. Both have dolphin encounters.

Does anyone have any thoughts as to which hotel offers the best experience or are they both about the same?

I understand that the hotels take photos and possibly videos, but are you able to take your own photos?

I wish you were going to Maui where they don't allow 'captive dolphins'. Seriously, why do you want to participate in something that kills these beautiful, intellegent mammals?

Over half of the dolphins captured for 'swim with dolphin parks' that survive their violent capture will die within 90 days. The average lifespan for a dolphin in the wild is 45 years, yet half of all dolphins die within their first two years of captivity. The survivors last an average of only 5 years. Every seven years, half of all dolphins in captivity, whether captured or born in the parks die from capture shock, pnemonia, intestinal disease, ulcers, chlorine poisoning and other stress related illnesses. Some even commit suicide. Yes, dolphins can and do commit suicide. They hold their breath until they suffocate. Some of them even die from the food they are fed. Since their food is 'dead' it has to be heavily fortified with vitamins and antibiotics. These antibiotics can cause a fungus growth (just as some antibiotics cause some women to get yeast infections) that will literally rot the dolphin while it's alive. To the captive dolphins industry, these facts are accepted as routine operating expenses. When one dies, they just replace it with another, many times giving it the same name so the public never knows.

Dolphins are trained by food deprivation. They learn those 'tricks', which they would never do in the wild, by being subjected to starvation. If they don't do the tricks, they are not feed. Dolphin trainers will call this a food 'reward' but to the dolphins it's cruel and very stressful. Many dolphins have to be force fed through tubes until they learn to accept 'dead' fish, which they would never eat in the wild.

One of the saddest things is the boredom they are subjected to. They do the same tricks day after day after day and have nothing like the varied stimulation of their natural environment. If you watch the dolphins after the 'show' you will see them swim in repetitive circles, or just float at the surface with eyes closed. These are signs of depression.

Ric O'Berry, the trainer of the original "Flipper" quit the business and has spent the last 30 years trying to educate the public about captive mammals after his favorite "Flipper", a female named Cathy, died of stress in his arms.

Please do some research before you decide to help keep this industry alive. HURRAY for Maui for deciding that having captive dolphins is just plain wrong.
www.dolphinproject.org
//csiwhalesalive.com
www.wdsc.org
www.bluevoice.org
www.dolphinawareness.org
www.captivemammals.org
Read "The Case Against Captive Dolphins" at: www.wag.co.za

Hi -

I did the dolphin experience while on vacation in Mexico several years ago and while I thoroughly enjoyed it - I have always regretted it because of what Ally posts. Live and learn. I am just glad we will be in Maui on our honeymoon - where captivity does not exist. In Mexico it was horrible to see the conditions some were kept in - tho it was not the case at the place we went to, I am not in favor for keeping these animals in capitivity UNLESS they are endangered - not so for dolphins.

I have to agree with the above posters. When we were on the BI a few years ago we were curious about the dolphins at the Hilton Waikoloa; our hostess at the b&b where we were staying advised us not to go. She hadn't gone herself, because, as she put it, "I might say rude things to people." We went anyway just for a quick look and we felt horrible afterwards. Those poor animals were swimming around and around in a small pool. Some of the websites posted by Ally will probably tell you how many miles wild dolphins swim in the course of one day - well, they were swimming that many miles in a concrete tank. I know the hotels get very defensive about these "encounters" and talk about how educational they are and how well the animals are treated, but in truth it's just a money-maker for them and they have little genuine interest in the animals' welfare.

Ally, Although you seem extremely educated on this matter and very committed to educating others, I have to say, I wish you would change your approach. To ask "WHY" somebody would "want to participate in something that kills these mammals" is completely ridiculous. I mean, you don't really think people are out there saying "oh, I know what I want to do on vacation... how about participating in killing animals." Give me a break! Better yet, give them a break. It is possbile to educate others without using daggers! Those who have NOT participated in such activities yet, are simply uneducated in the cruelty that takes place with these dolphin encounters. Be a little more forgiving of their lack of knowledge in this matter. I think if you want to really make a difference, make yourself and your knowledge known to our children. Much of their knowledge of animals probably comes from animal parks, circus's, zoos, & schools... Not enough information is handed out to them. If you think about it, most adults probably take their kids to these places for fun and to learn, thinking that it's harmless and NOT knowing any different. I give you kudos for taking the initative on this website, but instead of pushing it down their thoats, please, I ask you, be kind, be forgiving, and maybe people will listen.

Ally, thank you for your informative reply :-)

Animal researchers say dolphins have the equivalent intelligence of a 4 year-old human child.

So do pigs.

Yet many people reading this discussion had a nice big slab of pig for breakfast this morning.

I know it's a hot button topic, but try and keep some perspective. The species of dolphins used at these encounters is not endangered, nor close to being endangered.

One other point, if you eat certain fish such as tuna, you're contributing to the death of thousands of dolphins every year (they get caught and die in tuna nets).

I don't think anyone was suggesting that dolphins are an endangered species. The point is that places like the Hilton Waikoloa are inflicting suffering on those dolphins that they are holding captive for the entertainment and "education" of hotel guests.

So let me see if I have this straight.
It's OK to eat pigs, and because dolphins are no more intelligent than pigs, it should be OK to treat dolphins the same way we treat pigs.

Therefore, all animals LESS intelligent than pigs should be fair game for whatever we want to use them for.

Please tell me how well you think new businesses will do which farm, slaughter and serve kittens, labrador puppies and koala bears as fast food.

Your misassumption is that we as humans value animals solely based on intelligence. Not so at all. Lots of factors play into perceived 'value' of animals and whether or not they should be treated cruelly. Among them such subjective things as 'cuteness', gentleness, capacity for domestication, and playfulness which humans can identify with as a human characteristic.

To Grcxx3 you have every right to make your own decisions whether to do this or not. Having participated in the Dolphin Quest program at the Kalaha Mandarin Hotel (Oahu), I will put in my two cents to this highly volatile subject. The animals were handled with respect and great care during the time we spent with them. They did not seem to mind interacting with the four people in our group. I read up on the subject beforehand and came to my own conclusions. Dolphin Quest addresses these questions on their website:

http://dolphinquest.org/getthefacts/welfare/

I especially was interested in the following from that site:
"The U.S. Congress passed the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) in 1972 for the purpose of providing regulations concerning the management of stocks and protection from harassment of marine mammals within U.S. Territories. Currently, the United States Department of Agriculture oversees marine mammals in human care. Because of this, the first Dolphin Quest and its hotel partner in Hawaii applied for and obtained a permit under the MMPA to acquire and maintain the dolphins for the Dolphin Lagoon.

Congress reauthorized the MMPA in 1994 with some revisions to the regulations. Dolphin Quest adheres to all U.S. Federal regulations at all its facilities and, in fact, our organization was extremely active in helping to upgrade regulations that apply to all marine mammal public display facilities."

There is a book called "The Life of Pi" by Yann Martel which also addresses this topic allegorically. I found it very enlightening, especially the part about ascribing human emotions and traits to animals. A small quote from the book description:

"Growing up in the zoo, Pi learns a lot about animals. He educates us in the ways of animals, both penned and wild, and in how to keep them content and controlled. He rails against anthropomorphosis, which is ascribing human emotions and traits to animals. Instead he explains that animals are creatures of habit and once all their needs are met, they're content and willing to repeat the same scenario every day. Upset their routine, even in the smallest of ways, and you have an unhappy animal on your hands."

We will each have our own opinion on this subject, but we should respect each other's right to have our say.

Sorry, I forgot to mention that we were able to take our own photos. I had a disposable underwater camera and my husband was taking photos from poolside. They do take your picture with their equipment but there was no pressure for us to purchase them.

To Flippergirl - You're right, I don't like having opinion's crammed down my throat. As you suggested, people tend to respond better to informative & educational comments rather than verbal attacks.

To Maggi - thanks for your honest feedback on the Mandarin Oriental experience and on your regulations update.

I had no idea my little query would result in such a tirade. I was simply tyring to gather information. Frankly, my kids aren't that keen on doing the dolphin encounter. But -in case they decide to do it - I wanted to see if people had any preferences between the 2 programs.

We have travelled extensively and have seen animals in both zoos (some wonderful, some horrible) and in their natural environments (Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa). There are dolphin encounter programs all over the place, including New Zealand.

In the end, as long as I know that the dolphin experience is well run, follows govt. regulations, and includes an educational portion to the program - I will let my kids decide. By the way - they are Middle Schoolers.

There are also many companies in Hawaii that promote wild dolphin encounters. Spinner dolphins feed at night and tend to stay closer to shore in bay areas during the day. When they are in these specifc areas, to where they habitually return, they are resting, nursing young, and breeding. But dolphin encounters are bringing boats and people into the dolphin's resting habitat. This affects their rest and disturbs their routine. One of the issues with the kayak tours at La Perouse is that they repeatedly disturbed the dolphins.

And dolphins are not endangered, but they are protected. Federal regulations prohibit touching or harrassing wild dolphins. It is actually illegal for tour operators to put snorkelers into the water when they encounter dolphins, although on a rare occasion dolphins may approach snorkelers. In this case, enjoy the moment but do not flap your arms, approach them or reach out to touch them.

The Pacific Whale Foundation has a Lana`i snorkel/dolphin encounter cruise, but they do not pursue the dolphins in a bay. Spinner Dolphins are nocturnal and the PWF has been documenting the habits of these dolphins for many years. Most mornings the dolphins will come along for some morning bow riding before going home to rest.

travleis: I used intelligence as a criteria in response to Ally. But use any criteria you choose. You mentioned cuteness, gentleness, capacity for domestication and playfulness. Is any creature on Earth cuter and more playful than a lamb? Or more domesticated and gentle than a cow? Yet we slaughter and eat these animals by the millions every year.

I've found most of the people who whine about the Dolphin Encounter program are the same people who, after whining, do their dining at local McDonalds, Sizzlers or KFCs. Absolute hypocrisy.

Appreciation for any animal species comes from education, and it's safe to say that most people who participate in Dolphin Encounter come away with a much higher regard for and appreciation of dolphins.

fdecarlo,

Despite all of Ally's information and travelis' well-written response, the point just continues to go whizzing over your head doesn't it?

The point here is not the type of animal that is involved - it is the cruelty that the animal is being subjected to during and after capture.

The dolphins that are captured from the wild (many countries are now beginning to outlaw this) are taken forcibly from their extended free-ranging families, transported (in some cases dry in a truck bed) for 1,000's of miles, kept in conditions that don't even begin to approximate their natural habitat (I've seen quite a few of these places), fed food they would never normally eat (dead frozen fish), and are forced to perform in order to survive. This goes on for YEARS or until the dolphin dies from stress-related causes.

What part of that seems to coincide with eating beef, pork or chicken?

Despite this being a very sensitive subject for me, I try not to attack people who are merely asking about doing this activity. I myself, did it before I was educated to realize that it was horrifically cruel.

I reserve my utter incredulity, disgust, and anger for those who ARE educated about how dreadful this practice is and say that they'll do it anyway or "I will let my kids decide."

Do you really think that the slick packaging, the "education" spin and the fact that these places (in the US anyway) are forced to comply (and do you think they really DO?) with the USDA's rules makes it OK to do it?

If that's the way people want to justify in their own minds that what they are doing is not totally wrong and immoral, then no amount of website links and educational stats will help.

Reply to Diana,

Perhaps you missed it in our previous lenghty discussions, but according to this link:<font color="blue">
http://www.susanscott.net/OceanWatch2000/apr17-00.html</font>

The dolphinquest programs at Hilton Waikoloa and on Oahu do not use dolphins taken (or captured) directly from the wild.

JohnD,

Most dolphin encounters in the U.S. use their own captive breeding programs.

Captive breeding prgrams do not make the captive dolphin experience any better or easier for the dolphins - it just skips the trauma of the wild capture and transport portion of it.

I guess that's &quot;good&quot; because according to former dolphin captor Jay Sweeney, &quot;force-feeding through a tube is sometimes necessary to keep an animal alive until it learns to accept a diet of dead fish.&quot;

Reply to Diana,
I am still unaware of any nutritional difference between dead vs live fish, though I imagine they have less kick to 'em.((?))

From my understanding, many states have passed legislation making it illegal for any entity to hold dolphins captive.

I'm pretty sure that is the deal with my home state.

GoTravel,

South Carolina is the only state I could find in which it is illegal. Some counties have made it illegal also.

JohnD,

I'm not aware of the difference in nutritional value, but there are those who argue that one of the main reasons that captive dolphins can never be freed to the wild is that changing their diet over to frozen fish from the live, fresh fish they catch in the wild causes them to lose the ability to hunt and survive on their own.

(It's also not as fresh - obviously - the variety and type of food they are accustomed to, and it's pumped full of antibiotics to help ward off all the diseases they get in captivity.) Imagine if you had to live on nothing but Wendy's burgers with the same condiments for the rest of your life.

Reply to Diana,

Wild dolphins routinely die from ingesting naturally occuring toxins (e.g. red tides in Florida) without warning.

I believe dolphin encounter programs would provide a safer food supply and cleaner environment, and more importantly educate their audiences about the need to protect our natural resources from pollutants because inspiring animals like dolphins live there.

When humans began eating pigs a long time ago, it was out of necessity, life and death.
Dolphin encounters are for entertainment only. There is a difference.
You could argue that we no longer need to eat pigs, and you'd be right, but I really don't see the specific correlation between the two activities.
Why should humans be any more cruel than need be?

Diana, I didn't realize South Carolina, which is my home state, was the only state which has made it illegal.

I do know the Sea Aquariums in Charleston and Myrtle Beach do not have dolphin for that reason.

I had always assumed (dumb me) that we were in the majority and not the minority.

GoTravel, I may be wrong, but that was the only US state I could find that had made it illegal.

As a North Carolinian with a husband who is a registered lobbyist, maybe I can get him to take up the cause for our state! :)

I know that the US has been moving in the direction of outlawing this practice. Hopefully, it will happen sooner rather than later.

To the original poster....the only dolphin experience we had in Hawaii turned out to be the best kind. We took a boat tour from the SW corner of Kauai up the west (Na Pali) coast. About 20 minutes into the ride, a (I guess its a pod) of dolphins decided to follow alongside the boat, jumping out and keeping up with it. I daresay, they were looking at us looking at them, and they looked like they were having the time of their lives, choosing to be with us, albeit not face to face. It was an experience I'll never forget. When we stopped the boat to snorkel, the dolphins just kept going on their merry way, off to do what they do (proof that dolphins are smarter than pigs, eh?) There's nothing cooler than when an animal chooses to enjoy your company.

I've just started a pig encounter outside of Omaha.......

A pig encounter?
Yeah, right...that'll be a big hit....when dolphins fly....

Just in case you actually decide to follow through with your swine encounter project, make sure you include:
a) a food court where people can pig out
b) air conditioned quarters so people don't sweat like pigs
c) barbed-wire-free pens to prevent impalement injuries so no one bleeds like a stuck pig

For anyone who wants a real dolphin encounter, sit near the bow of a boat in tropical waters and watch them do what they were meant to. Several years ago on a sail boat in the Bahamas, a pod of dolphins rode along on our bow wake for a good hour and a half. I don't imagine that an artificial setting would come close to being 4 feet away from several dolphins as they swim along with your boat on the open ocean.

Flippergirl,
Sorry I seem to have offended you with my question, and I'll admit you're right. People who ask questions about swimming with captive dolphins in most cases just are not educated in the matter and don't know that dolphins die in these awful parks. For better shock purposes perhaps I should save the question for the end of my post, after they have a little education on the matter. Okay?
Just kidding.

To Maggi
Let me start by saying this is NOT intended as a 'verbal attack'. I just want to address some of your comments.
You say &quot;the animals were handled with respect and great care during the time we spent with them.&quot; Of course they were, they couldn't very well hurt them in your presence, could they? and further you say &quot;They did not seem to mind interacting with the four people in our group&quot;. Well of course they didn't seem to mind, because I'm sure they were getting the fish 'rewards' I spoke of. Dolphins have a permanent smile, but that does not mean they are having a good time. If a captive dolphin waves at you, it is because it is hungry, plain and simple.

Yes, in the US we have some regulations concerning the captive mammals, but not all countries do, and paying to participate in ANY SWTD program keeps the industry alive. And furthermore, from the WSPA web site: &quot;Currently, the USDA does not regulate SWTD programs, and as a result, record keeping concerning human injuries and dolphin deaths are not complete, with countless dolphin deaths going unreported.&quot;

Grcxx3,
I apologize for the one sentence that appeared to be a 'verbal' attack. But I feel the rest of my post WAS 'informative and educational.'

Believe me, I know there are dolphin encounters all over the world but that does not make any of them right.

As for education? Give me a break. If you have ever attended a show at any of the many facilities that offer them, you will find the educational aspect is very limited. They do tell you the the size of the animal, in weight and length. That's about it. They fail to mention the distances travelled by these animals, the depths they dive in the wild. If they told you, you might wonder what they are doing int 20 or 30 feet deep pools.
The only thing that those companies &quot;teach&quot; our children is the 'ability' of human beings to abuse animals just to gain an economical profit. The future conservation of the marine environment depends on the way we educate our children. We must teach them to respect nature of which we are a part and this concept cannot be learned from the contact with captive animals. Visiting a place where animals are enslaved just for amusement and profit is not a positive learning experience for our children.
As Jacques Cousteau wrote: &quot;There is about as much educational benefit to be gained by studying dolphins in captivity as there would be stydying mankind by only observing prisoners help in solitary confinement.&quot;

John D:
Countless dolphins are still ripped from the wild to populate SWTD facilities. SOME programs use captive-born animals instead. They hold up their use of captive-born dolphins like a trophy, proof of their mission to conserve dolphins. The truth of the matter is that captive breeding programs offer no contribution to the conservation of wild populations, acting instead to replenish the industry's dolphins when supplies run low. They make more money by selling the dolphins born in captivity. The fact is, whether a dolphin is born in captivity or pulled kicking and screaming from the ocean, all dolphins share the same physiological and psychologial needs.

And dolphins will die in the wild, from human pollution and tuna fishing, but that does not mean it's okay to keep them captive by providing 'a safer food supply', especially when it's not safer.
Dolphins have been on earth for thousands of years. They are perfectly evolved to live and flourish in their wild ocean home, not within the confines of a human-made concrete tank or artificial lagoon. Statistics of dolphin deaths during capture and confinment prove that dolphins do not belong in captivity. Consider the fact the Sea World, one of the the most recognized captive dolphin facility in the US reported 93 dolphin deaths between 1971 and 2002. That's an average of 3 dolphins per year, assuming that all dolphin deaths were accounted for. If these numbers were extrapolated to include the total number of captive dolphin facilities around the world, the number of dolphin deaths as a result of captivity in the last 30 years would be astronomical.

Hi Ally - I just wanted to thank you for all the information you have passed along. I am a HUGE animal lover and truly want only the best for each and every animal on this earth. It truly kills me to see them suffering in any way and not in the wild when at all possible.

All of your posts have not fallen on deaf ears trust me. I think sometimes people just need some time for things to sink in and in other instances no matter what you say - people won't get it.

I am not an animal activist or anything like that, just someone who wants the best for all animals.

Thank you for taking a stand - this world needs more people like you.

Kind Regards -