Have you ever swam with dolphins?

On Christmas Day in the Bay of the Islands in New Zealand I went out on a boat to watch and swim with wild dolphins. I so enjoyed it and got a good view of the friendly, gentle and playful dolphins. They moved quite fast and it was quite a special and exciting day. At Monkey Mia in Western Australia I fed a wild dolphin and that was a special moment.

My son is in the Navy in Georgia and goes swimming in the ocean in northern Florida and the first time he went, he could not tell me enough about the dolphins, they were swimming in circles around him and nuzzling his feet. He absolutely loved it.

No I havent but I do a mylotter that is her main dream is to swim with the dolphins wish I could make it happen for her but unless I winn the lotto I can never afford it lol have lots of fun on your trip!

Ohhhhhhhhhh I would LOVE to swim with dolphins. Its a big dream of mine because I love dolphins. I would swim anywhere I could, if i had the chance to swim with them.

i have never swam with the dolphins. but that has been something i have always wanted to do. i think it would be a great experience that someone would remember for the rest of there lives.

never,it it hurt or ist fun?

I would love to swim with dolphins but I have serious concerns about keeping them in captivity. They are a wild, hunting animal and need to be able to swim long distances. If they are kept in captivity purely for the amusement of humans, we are debasing them to the status of toys. This used to be the main reason for keeping animals in zoos but, thankfully, this is only a secondary concern for most zoos these days. Nowadays zoos exist mainly to preserve rare species by running breeding programs with the object of returning stock to the wild and to study the physiology and behaviour of animals in order to better understand how to preserve wild populations. Certainly there are some dolphinariums which conduct research and study and also care for injured animals. Unfortunately, there are many which are merely entertainment centers and who do not provide large enough spaces for their animals. I don't know where Discovery Cove fits into this scenario. This page explains a little more about ceteceans in captivity: http://www.wdcs.org/dan/publishing.nsf/allweb/436A168EDDF41AF0802568F60029CE3A As attractive as it seems, one should never swim with wild dolphins. In the first place, they are wild animals and are as unpredictable as any wild animal and that means that they can be dangerous. Schools of wild dolphins who may be accustomed to humans may still be dangerous because they have come to depend on the 'easy option' of taking food from humans yet are not really tame. This information sheet gives excellent advice and information: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/education/protectdolphins.htm The dolphin is a beautiful and intelligent wild animal. They are intensely curious, which often brings them to come to see what humans are doing. They are playful and, in a sense, gentle, since most don't regard humans as a threat. They are, however, as much a predator in their element as lions, tigers and wolves are in theirs and, because they are much stronger and more powerful than a human, they can be just as dangerous, even if they are less likely to attack us in defence. We need to respect and care for wildlife without sentimentalisation and we should resist the temptation to degrade animals to the status of pets. With an animal which often seems so friendly and intelligent and playful and, besides, wears a permanent smile, that temptation is particularly difficult to resist.

Oh I am soooo jealous - to swim with dolphins is something I've always wanted to do, I mean since I was very young, but have never had the opportunity to do it. It's neat to know that you had the chance to do it and now I just want to do it even more.