Dolphin swim

[Jane]

Does anyone know how long in advance I need to book a swim with the dolphins, we are hoping to travel in July/August 2004- is it too late already?

[janny]

You can find all you need from this site Jane.You have plenty of time as you are planning well ahead of time
http://www.discoverycove.com/adventure.asp

[timmy]

We left it too late when we tried to book our dolphin swim and couldn't get the dates we wanted. We booked 4 months in advance. The discovery cove website shows you which dates have been booked.

[Jane]

Thanks for the info. I have checked out the site and they are only operating the date check until end of April 2004, so I will keep looking until july /aug are available.
I was lucky enough to swim with a pod of wild spinner dolphins off maui in 95, we were snorkling off a boat when they just wheeled in from no-where it was a really moving experience- especially as they had a calf with them, obviously its a story I just tell and tell, so my children have heard it a hundred times,and they think its only "fair" that they can do it too. Its really hard to explain we were incredibly lucky !!, but discovery cove does sound great, my eldest daughter will probably want to move in and never leave.

[timmy]

12 of us went to Orlando last year, did all the theme parks, and everyone voted Discovery Cove as the best!

Apparently it's worth booking a morning swim with the dolphins as they are more lively at that time.

[WhaleChild]

Hello all, i have done some research about swimming with dolphins. I came across this interesting article about dolphins. I hope that you find this as interesting as I did and I hope that it changes your view about supporting the cruel explotation of dolphins, our cousins of the sea. On the surface, swim-with-the-dolphin programs seem like a fun, safe way to get up close and personal with these facinating creatures of the sea. the dolphins appear to smile as they pull laughing children around swimming pools by their dorsal fins. But you don't have to look too deep beneath this whimsical facad to see that there is something wrong with swim-with-the-dolphin programs.
Regardless of what country they are located in, how crystal blue the water is, whether the trainers claim the dolphins are allowed to "swim free" for a couple hours per day, or how much money park owners spend caring for their charges, wim-with-the-dolphin programs create threatening environments for the dolphins - and sometimes for their human visitors.

The Sad Truth Behind SWTD: Swim-With-The-Dolphin (SWTD) programs allow visitors to pet captive dolphins in shallow pool or interact with them in deeper water by swimming beside them or being towed around by holding onto the dolphin's dorsal fin. Currently, the United States Department of Agrculture (USDA) does not regulate SWTD programs, and as a result, record keeping concerning human injuries and dolphin deaths are often not complete, with countless dolphin deaths going unreported.

Dolphins have been on the earth for thousands of years. They are perfectly adapted to live and flourish in their wild home, not within the confines of a human-made concrete tank of artificail lagoon. Statistics of dolphins deaths during capture and confinment prove that dolphins do not belong in captivity. Consider the fact that Sea World, one of the most recognized captive dolphin facilities 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 extraploted to include the total number of captive dolphin facilitied around the world, the number of dolphin deaths as a result of captivity in the last 30 years would be astrnomical!

Wild vs Captive: Wild dolphins can swim over 80 miles a day, they engage in mating, foraging. fighting and play behavior with their pod members and they use their ecolocation to explore their diverse ocean environment. In contrast, captive dolphins and other species are forced to swim in endless circles in artificial habitats, interacts with unfamiliar dolphins and other species, eat dead fish, and perform tricks that are unnatural and in some cases painful. Captive dolphins also face exposure to human infection and bacteria, chemicals such as cholrine, and suffer from stress-related illnesses.

Things to look for at captive dolphin shows and facilites: Dolphins poking their head above water. Captive dolphins spend up to 80% of their time at the surface of the water seeking s****s of food and attention. This is in direct contrast to wild dolphins who spend 80% of their time below the surface of the water playing, hunting, and exploring.

Beaching themselves as part of the show so that visitors can pet of kiss them. If left in this postion for an extended period, a dolphins immense weight on land would slowly crush its internal organs. Captive dolphins have been trained to ignore their natural instincts; wild dolphins never voluntarily beach themselves.

vocalizing for food rewards and nodding their heads as if to say "yes" of "no" and offering "handshakes" or "waving" at the audiance with their flippers. Dolphins are trained through food deprivation. When they successfully perform a trick they are rewarded with s****s of fish. If a captive dolphin waves to you, it is hungrey, plain and simple.

Swimming in circles or constantly peering through the fences (stereotypical behaviors or floating listlessly on the sur

[Pikey1999]

Well that turned into a damp squid then!

[Kickstart]

Does WhaleChild have to hijack every thread on this issue? I'm sure, whilst they are well meaning, some of her (his) facts are wrong. I clearly remember seeing a programme about river dolphins who drive shoals of fish onto land and then beach themselves to eat them.

I'm sure we would all love to swim with wild dolphins in a natural environment, however the reality is that most of will not ever have the opportunity. Sea World may not be perfect but I think giving my children this experience once is acceptable.

We tried to book for Easter before Christmas and I was told it was sold out, both by web and phone. However we managed to get tickets from an agent in the UK (more expensive), they hold back a number of tickets for agents.

I would suggest ringing the freephone number for UK residents listed on the Discovery Cove site (00800 33 44 1818), they were very helpful and may be able to make a booking for you now. Either way I would book ASAP.

There was a report about Sea World and Discovery Cove on the BBC holiday programme on Sunday and my kids were both pleading with me to take them. They don't know I've already got tickets and it was a real problem keeping a straight face.

[Bigblue33]

I've just booked to go in July this year, can't wait. Please dont tell the kids![}:)]
Can anybody tell me how much the "professional" photos cost? They do look very good.

Don.

[poet123]

Don,
Go onto the virtual tourist site (you will have to register) and then key in florida members -----one of the members is a photographer at DC he is a mine of info!! email him with all your questions re DC