I was apprehensive about going to Dolphins Pacific. I’ve been known to cry at zoos because I feel such empathy for the caged and trapped animals. And forget about going to a circus.
I was worried the dolphins would be in a small pool and unhappy. When I lived in Lanai, Hawaii , the dolphins would swim at Manele Bay and, although I couldn’t touch them, they would swim closely under me as I snorkeled. I really enjoyed swimming knowing they were free to swim anywhere and chose to swim with me.
Thankfully, the whole Dolphins Pacific program was exceptional. It originally started as a dolphin rescue by the son of the Sony founder. They started allowing guests 5 years ago. Our guide, Billy, was so informative and he was obviously very concerned with the welfare of the dolphins. We were given very strict instructions on what to wear and how to act so as not to scare or disturb the dolphin. One guest wouldn’t comply and they simply told her she wouldn’t be allowed to swim with them. I’m glad they don’t make exceptions. Since we were the only English speaking guests there at the time, we pretty much had the pool to ourselves. There was one other Korean man in the pool with us. We were very impressed that Billy easily switched from English to Korean to Japanese. Because it’s a Japanese owned establishment, most of the employees spoke Japanese. Everyone was so helpful and friendly.
The dolphin enclosure is in the Rock Islands and a part of the ocean. They were in a very natural environment. Besides the sectioned off areas, there was a large enclosed lagoon where the dolphins could swim & interact.
We were in the pool with two dolphins and were able to pet them as much as we wanted. They feel a lot like an eggplant. We were all able to do one individual swim (by hanging on to the dorsal fin) with Echo. My big fear was hurting the fin. As you can see below, FG had no problem hanging on:
I couldn’t get over how GENTLE the dolphins were with us. I could have spent the whole day just hanging out with them.
As we were leaving, FG said she she’d love to have a “summer” job there in about 10 years. I have to agree that would be a fun place to work.
You definitely know how to take advantage of your adventures. There is no doubt in my mind that you will explore all of Upstate New York and make the best of it, and enjoy it as well. Looks like you had a great time!
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FUN!
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You’re killing me here! You don’t know how jealous I am!! 🙂
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After reading about all of your different vacations, it makes me want to retire in the tropics. I’d be more active throughout the year. Everything looks so inviting!
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FG is getting so TALL! I wanted to swim with the dolphin in Dinlge Ireland but it just did not work out . . . I regret it now!
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OK FG Start learning the Japanese language. That would be a great thing to do and in a nice place to go and work.
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