Dolphin Excursion

Has anyone done this excursion in Bermuda or Bahamas and would you say it is worth the $100 some odd dollars?

You might want to read up on them before you decide to spend your money.

http://www.wdcs.org/dan/publishing.n...2570B900510DB6

http://www.wildlifepimps.com/feat-SwimWithDolphins.htm

The Dolphin Encounter is NOT what you expect and I was purely discusted and saddend by what I encountered. I am a dolphin lover and fanatic, I have dreamed of one day swimming with them and our cruise to Bermuda was the perfect oppurtunity fo a dream to come true. They keep the dolphins in tiny pools that look filthy to say the least and are slimey when you enter them, the dolphins themselves looked stressed and have what look like large scratches and gouges on them, we were told the dolphins do this to each as a form of recreation, Im sorry but it looked like they are so stressed in that enviorment and they take it out agressively on themselves and the other dolphins, my heart was breaking and I had wished I didnt spend 230.00 a piece for my husband and myself to get into that discusting water filled with hundreds of other fishies too for 20 mins of being near those poor dolphins, my outlook on swimming with the doplhins has drastically changed after that and Im against it! I wish they would close that place down, its a a terrible place and the young people that run it don't do a very thorough job! SAVE YOUR MONEY! Hoseshoe Bay Beach was our highlight in Bermuda, its a must see!

we did the swim with the dolphins at discovery cove in Orlando and it was so impressive. They really know how to do it first class.

I have seen the pens in Bermuda and what a differance.

This is very disturbing. I wonder if any agency in Bermuda is responsible for the condition of that place. Do they have to have a license or something to operate?

I am also a lover of dolphins and even though I didn't see this it bothers me a lot.

My wife and daugher swam with the dolphins at Disney. According to my wife there was no doubt that they were well cared for. But the experience was more educational then you think. You can touch them but that is about it. You don't really "swim" with the dolphins.

Now I've never been to Bermuda to see their version. I did talk to someone who did it years ago. At the start of the tour all the people were asked if they were allergic to "bee stings". So my friend was thinking there might be bees around the area they were supposed to go.

I guess there is this steel platform in the water where everyone stands on it in a line. The water comes up a little more then waist high. I guess people were starting yell at one end of the line. My friend told me they were getting stung by jellyfish.

I would think the pens are closed for the dolphins and I don't know how jellyfish get in. Anyway that was his version of the story and I think he went 4 to 6 years ago.

I have no interest in this tour anyway and if I did the jellyfish story would seal the deal for me.

DH and I were at the Dockyard in Bermuda in August. We walked around the Maritime Museum and ended up in the section where the Dolphin Swim occurs. Of course, I wanted to go check it out.

Wow, was I disappointed! When I think about swimming with the dolphins, I think of beautiful clear clean water and gorgeous dolphins with plenty of room.

Not so in Bermuda! The area is quite small, nothing more than holding tanks. The children who were in the water with the Dolphins seemed to be enjoying themselves. I thought the water looked dirty. Swimming with the Dolphins lost its appeal after what we viewed.

Thanks everyone for your reviews, I think I'll save the money for something else. I hate to give money to something who treats the animals poorly.

My wife and daugher swam with the dolphins at Disney. According to my wife there was no doubt that they were well cared for. But the experience was more educational then you think. You can touch them but that is about it. You don't really "swim" with the dolphins.

 

Now I've never been to Bermuda to see their version. I did talk to someone who did it years ago. At the start of the tour all the people were asked if they were allergic to "bee stings". So my friend was thinking there might be bees around the area they were supposed to go.

 

I guess there is this steel platform in the water where everyone stands on it in a line. The water comes up a little more then waist high. I guess people were starting yell at one end of the line. My friend told me they were getting stung by jellyfish.

 

I would think the pens are closed for the dolphins and I don't know how jellyfish get in. Anyway that was his version of the story and I think he went 4 to 6 years ago.

 

I have no interest in this tour anyway and if I did the jellyfish story would seal the deal for me.

The swims in the USA are highly regulated. I have seen two of the places in Mexico and also the one in Bermuda. Those don't appear to be regulated much at all. When I saw those I had a bad feeling. And the one in Bermuda at the Maritime Museum is small and was unpleasent looking tom me. As I recall there is an iron grate before the opening to the sea so to hold the dolphins but I am sure jellyfish could swim through. I'd say if you must do a dolphin encounter do it at Disney or Seaworld or other location in the USA as this is a case where being in a first world country with stronger regulations seems to make a difference.