Is swimming with the dolphins overrated?!

 

If you want a dolphin encounter, take a trip to somewhere where, when you are swimming, snorkeling or kayaking around, the dolphins who are naturally in the area come up to you out of the curiosity of a stranger in their territory! It's free and the dolphins are the ones watching you!

once upon time , we were stationed at Dam Neck Virginia. this is the same stretch of beach that is part of the Virginia Beach Boardwalk. it also boasts the ONLY section of beach that allows alcohol AND is adjacent to the training grounds of the Gang up at Little Creek ( SeAls)

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just outside the marked off 'safe for swimming' area there lives a pod. the lifeguards patrol the edge to keep people on the inside of the buoys. but if the pod just 'happens' to be chasing a school of fish and said school of fish just 'happens' to attempt escape and ends up on the other side of the buoys, then the pod will follow suit. dunking your head underwater and listening to them coordinate dinner is an amazing experience.

Dolphins are very intelligent marine mammals. Did you ever think about whether they are given a choice as to whether they want to swim with you or if given a chance leave their watery cages and swim in the ocean with their family pods. I doubt that you have.

 

Imagine a very intelligent extraterrestrial civilization that comes to the earth to capture human specimens that they take back home to wherever they live. They keep the humans in cages so that tourists can stare at them and the really lucky ones get to go into the human cages so that the humans can be forced to do tricks and play with them. Do you think that you would enjoy that.

 

That is exactly what we are doing to the captive dolphins.

 

DON

I guess you missed my post about the dolphin venue in the Keys where the dolphins WERE given the choice.

And it turns out they LIKE to mess around with people, and they LIKE to perform, and they LIKE the easy, free food.

To the point of leaving and coming back with other dolphins and showing the ropes.

While I agree that some venues are less nice about treating the dolphins, like most things, you cannot lump ALL of them into the same category.

Although there was one downside to our dolphin experience.

It seems one adolescent male dolphin took a liking to one of our party. It seems, that the back of a human knee is about the right location, and the fact that it tends to not be at tanned, looks like an interesting part of a horny male dolphin.

No harm, fun for the rest of us, somewhat embarrassing to the member of our party. :)

And that member of our party got LOTS of close up, personal attention for a dolphin. :)

I guess you missed my post about the dolphin venue in the Keys where the dolphins WERE given the choice.

 

And it turns out they LIKE to mess around with people, and they LIKE to perform, and they LIKE the easy, free food.

 

To the point of leaving and coming back with other dolphins and showing the ropes.

 

While I agree that some venues are less nice about treating the dolphins, like most things, you cannot lump ALL of them into the same category.

I did see your post. However, I think that a facility like that is unusual. A s far as most of the facilities are concerned - think Seaworld and we all know what that place is like.

We have done a number of whale / dolphin tours where the boats go to where the dolphins are. I have no problems with tour like that. It is just the caged dolphins that I object to.

DON

Can't wait until the dolphins take over and use us for entertainment!

I guess you missed my post about the dolphin venue in the Keys where the dolphins WERE given the choice.

 

And it turns out they LIKE to mess around with people, and they LIKE to perform, and they LIKE the easy, free food.

 

To the point of leaving and coming back with other dolphins and showing the ropes.

 

While I agree that some venues are less nice about treating the dolphins, like most things, you cannot lump ALL of them into the same category.

Hi

We can rationalize all we want. We can interpret what we see in whatever way that may make us feel better. They are wild animals and generally should not be interacting with humans. In this situation, who knows, maybe they just come back because they know where the free fish are. That's what some hunters do, it's called "baiting". Certainly wouldn't be any different than the stingrays in Grand Cayman. It has been done for generations, still doesn't make it right.

You shouldn't try to pet wild animals. Everybody has heard the saying "don't feed the bears", there is a good reason for that. Humans typically kill animals for food, then some found they can kill animals for sport, now we see people even "loving them to death".

The question is "why", and the answer is "for our entertainment". That is pretty sad.

Hi

 

We can rationalize all we want. We can interpret what we see in whatever way that may make us feel better. They are wild animals and generally should not be interacting with humans. In this situation, who knows, maybe they just come back because they know where the free fish are. That's what some hunters do, it's called "baiting". Certainly wouldn't be any different than the stingrays in Grand Cayman. It has been done for generations, still doesn't make it right.

 

You shouldn't try to pet wild animals. Everybody has heard the saying "don't feed the bears", there is a good reason for that. Humans typically kill animals for food, then some found they can kill animals for sport, now we see people even "loving them to death".

 

The question is "why", and the answer is "for our entertainment". That is pretty sad.

Except that dolphins in the wild will "play" with people. See comments about tours that go by boat where wild dolphins are.

Also reports in history of dolphins saving sailors in the water.

I don't support keeping cetaceans in captivity, so I would not participate in any excursion involving captive dolphins.

I would also recommend people NEVER, NEVER participate in any excursion that involves riding an elephant. It is terrible for their spines—they are big, but they aren't suited to carrying hundreds of pounds on their backs, and these elephant riding trips literally cripple them over time. The process used to control an elephant (literally called "spirit-breaking") so that it will allow itself to be ridden is also horrible and inhumane. I know these excursions aren't available in the Caribbean, but it's something to keep in mind generally when you travel.

Can't wait until the dolphins take over and use us for entertainment!

Have you read Douglas Adams' book So Long and Thanks for All the Fish from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe series?

DON

My husband and I are first time cruisers. We are looking at booking our excursions and I have always wanted to swim with the dolphins. We are cruising through Carnival and we are looking at doing the VIP dolphin experience in Cozumel. It is pretty expensive which I don't mind if it is worth it. I just keep hearing it might we overrated and not worth the $300. Please help! If there is an excursion in cozumel that you would recommend please let me know!

My family and I did a dolphin excursion in the Bahamas a few years back. It was entertaining, but I wouldn't do it again.

With that being said, we did an ATV excursion in Cozumel that took us to ruins that were not excavated. We loved it and it was worth every penny!!

I'm in the "why would you" camp..... it's just wrong. DON - Yep read Hitchhikers Guide.... what's the answer?

I would also recommend people NEVER, NEVER participate in any excursion that involves riding an elephant. It is terrible for their spines—they are big, but they aren't suited to carrying hundreds of pounds on their backs, and these elephant riding trips literally cripple them over time. The process used to control an elephant (literally called "spirit-breaking") so that it will allow itself to be ridden is also horrible and inhumane. I know these excursions aren't available in the Caribbean, but it's something to keep in mind generally when you travel.

My favorite elephant riding story was in Thailand. A tourist was not happy to ride a female elephant, he insisted he needed to ride a male elephant.

He kept offering more and more money to ride a male elephant.

So they finally gave in, had him sign a waiver, and took him out to a working teak lumber site. And he got up on a male elephant.

Elephant reached up, grabbed him, slammed him to the ground, and stomped him.

Yes, elephants do not naturally like to be ridden.

OTOH, dolphins DO like to play with people. But I agree about captive ones.

If you really love dolphins, please swim with them in the ocean, not a swim with dolphin excursion. Watch "The Cove" if you want to know the truth of how they are selected for captivity. It is cruel and hopefully one day, these programs will end.

There are plenty of snorkeling excursions that will take you out in the ocean and you might get lucky to swim with the dolphins in their home!

I'm in the "why would you" camp..... it's just wrong. DON - Yep read Hitchhikers Guide.... what's the answer?

If I remember correctly, the answer to the Ultimate Question is 42. When they built an even larger computer called Earth to determine what the Ultimate Question was, it was "what is 9x6"

DON

http://www.thecovemovie.com/

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Can't wait until the dolphins take over and use us for entertainment!

It might work - but only if the dolphins are selective in their screening. From my experience, a higher percentage of dolphins, than people, are worth watching.

Have you read Douglas Adams' book So Long and Thanks for All the Fish from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe series?

 

DON

Managed to avoid that one, but read all the David Brin books, including Startide Rising, Uplift War, and Sundiver.

We can discuss "The Postman" elsewhere. ;)