For $15 the Florida Aquarium will take you out on a catamaran to see bottlenose dolphins in the wild. While there is no absolute guarantee to see the dolphins, Tampa Bay is home to more than 400 bottlenose dolphins, according to the aquarium, so it is likely that you will. There is no swimming with or feeding of the dolphins. They have a zoom lens to view and photograph them at a distance in their natural habitat. It is against the law to pursue the dolphins or harass them. The guide will then talk about particular individuals that have been sighted repeatedly and discuss facts about dolphins.

You can check out this company - www.planetarypartners.com
They run trips to Bimini, Hawaii, etc. and do swim with the dolphins in the wild.

I have no desire to swim with dolphins, but was wondering if anyone knows where my son, Scott, could swim with mutated sea bass?

Would someone kindly post a site from a reputable source that shows actual statistics about dolphin deaths from the captivity programs? That is a bunch of bunk.
I suppose these same people would disagree with people owning dogs and petting them. We all know that dogs are also wild animals, so I suppose domesticating them and touching them causes severe stress and makes them die as well.
There is absolutely no evidence to show that a well managed "swim with the dolphins" program causes any undo stress to the dolphins or causes any damage to them, and I'd like reputable studies to show otherwise.
By the way, I have never done this, but I am a practicing marine biologist working in Miami, not that that would mean anything to those of you out there living in Omaha who consider yourselves "experts" on dolphins.

Can anyone please help me find a place for my son Scott to swim with mutated sea bass?

XXX, no, dogs are not wild animals. They have been breed for domestication for thousands of years. Decendendants of wolves but not at all the same animal. You cannot make this analogy.

Swimming with the dolphins is against nature and is right up there with "feeding the sharks".Hey ,people-try and take some time on learning more about the ocean and its creatures.The ocean covers over 2/3 of the earth but we humans still haven't learned how to respect it. No, I am not a Greenpeace person or tree hugger but my daughter who is a marine biologist says that it breaks her heart when she hears about these stupid money profit dolphin trips.
Just last night on Dateline on NBC they had the guy who lost his leg in the Bahamas last summer.Quess what-he did not know/hotel did not tell him that there is "daily tourist shark feeding trips" down from where he got bit.There is a reason that those wonderful creatures are free to swim without people and their various viruses/diseases infecting them! I will step down from my soapbox now.........

oh, look out, you might give the dolphin a cold.


bubbles, seek therapy, the sooner the better.

To the poster who wanted a reputable source discussing the treatment of the dolphins in these programs, here are a couple...

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/2020/2020/2020_010803_dolphins.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid_1232000/1232267.stm

There are several other sites if you just do a search and are truly interested in finding out how these animals are treated.

Where's the proof?

xxx asked for reference to any scientific studies that prove (or even suggest) the conclusion that all dolphin-swim programs hurt the dolphins.

Another xxx offered two websites, with stories from two news sources about a dolphin death in a Mexican swim program. The stories themselves are obviously not scientific studies, nor do they reference any scientific study.

I would certainly like to see some validation of Animal Lover's conclusions stated at the beginning of this thread.

If swimming with dolphins causes them problems what does snorkeling and scuba driving do to the sea life?

EXACTLY. Maybe we should all give up our pets, because it's not natural having them in an enclosed space where they may come in contact with human germs.

Pets have been domesticated ( I speak of dogs and cats), dolphins have not. Many people would agree snorkeling and scuba do ruin the reef and it inhabitants so you only prove our point about the dolphins. Wait till you see the dirty water they live in

I'm willing to be educated. Tell me about the dirty water. Where is this?

I am in no way informed on this subject, but my heart does tell me that keeping wild animals in captivity for our entertainment seems unethical. Haven't I heard people recommending that if you sign up for one of these "swim with the dolphins" programs, particularly the one in Hawaii, that one would desire an early morning time because later in the day the dolphins avoid interaction and stay at the farthest point in the pool away from the people as possible? Does that tell us something?

And, yes, dogs and cats are domesticated and have been for thousands of years. Not the same thing as a wild dolphin that's been captured in the open sea. Just because they are gentle creatures doesn't give us the right to exploit them.

Dirty water? You mean the ocean?

...yeah...all that yucky fish poop. And the bird poop is horrible!

Hi Brenda,
I think you should educate yourself on this subject and of course make up your own mind. I would like to share my family's experience. We went to the dolphin place in Key Largo. First of all, the price is absolutely outrageous. My husband and 9 year old son went. Husband did fine, but the two dolphins that were assigned to swim with my son started pulling him opposite ways. One was pulling and biting his feet to the right, while the other was pulling his arms to the left. He started screaming, and they had to pull him out of the water before he was hurt. We all think dolphins are benign, lovable animals, when in fact, they are very intelligent, sexual, and powerful creatures. Sound familiar??? I do not think we should pen them up for our own enjoyment and then charge exorbitant amounts of money to "interact" with them. Just MHO, do what you want.

The dolphins would rather be in their natural habitat swimming and diving and raising their young. They like to interact with each other, not with us. They do so because they are hungry and get food for doing so. The best of these programs is compared to being forced to live in a hotel with room service, but never being allowed to leave. The worst of these programs is absolutely horrific. But, if you need it explained to you why this isn't the right thing to do it's probably hopeless anyway.

Brenda, I've swum with captive dolphins at Discovery Cove and wished I hadn't. It is depressing to see such beautiful and intelligent creatures confined. Please reconsider.