Listing ID: 77938
Interactive Swim With The Dolphins In Key Largo
A thrilling adventure of a lifetime! In this deep-water interactive program, you’ll experience the speed, power, and gentle precision of our Atlantic bottlenose dolphins via a variety of trained behaviors. Swimmers begin with an educational briefing on marine mammal conservation, and then start the dolphin interaction. Duration: 2 Hours (approx.)Easy Cancellation - Cancel 3 days before for a full refund
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Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder (DPMMR), a not for profit 501(c).3, is committed to the conservation and protection of marine mammals, worldwide, through our active involvement in conservation, research, extensive education, and outreach programs. DPMMR leads and operates the ONLY whale and dolphin stranding organization covering 10,000 square miles of marine habitat in the Florida Keys. DPMMR promotes a greater understanding of marine ecosystem science, marine mammal conservation, and environmental stewardship via powerful daily interactions with the general public.
Our goal is to connect people with dolphins and inspire them to protect their wild counterparts and the fragile marine ecosystem. Through DPMMR (via donations, powerful interactions creating connections, educational programs, etc.), the general public directly contributes to the rescue, rehabilitation, research, and conservation of whales, dolphins, and the local marine ecosystem. This knowledge not only benefits the Florida Keys, but the global scientific research community.
DPMMR’s Interactive swim is a thrilling adventure of a lifetime! In this deep-water program, you’ll experience the speed, power, and gentle precision of our Atlantic bottlenose dolphins via a variety of trained behaviors.
Begin the program with an educational briefing, on dolphin anatomy and biology, marine mammal and ocean conservation, and detailed descriptions of the dolphin interactions. Guided by a trainer, swimmers are then divided into smaller groups, to maximize and personalize each dolphin interaction.
Book your swim today to connect with our marine mammal family, while you protect their wild counterparts!
- What Will You Do
- After the educational briefing, guests enter the deep, natural, ocean-water lagoon to experience a variety of behaviors with our Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. Guests will experience behaviors such as kisses, hugs, belly rubs and so much more.- The dolphins may push guests by the feet, pull them through the water by their dorsal fin, or allow the guest to lay on their belly while they transport them from one part of the lagoon to another.
- Guests are allowed to gently touch the dolphins in a variety of behaviors, guided by a trainer on the dock. The trainer guides both the guests and the dolphins through a series of interactive behaviors in the deep water.
- This program is NOT timed, to allow for the maximum amount of interaction between the dolphins and the participants.
- Guests who have experienced other dolphin swim programs always say that DPMMR's swim is the best because we allow the guests to experience a more personalized interaction with less people in the water at one time. Book your Interactive Swim today and support DPMMR's whale and dolphin rescue organization! Support our swims that save!
- What To Expect
- Guests can expect to experience dolphins like they have never interacted with them before. The DPMMR marine mammal family will put a smile on your face and warm your heart!- Guests should expect to arrive at the facility 15 minutes prior to swim time, in order to complete the check in process.
- The minimum age to experience this program is 7 years and anyone under the age of 10 must be accompanied in the water by an adult.
- Guests must be able to swim in deep water. Your feet will not touch the bottom in this program and guests tread water and float throughout the program.
- If English is not your first language and you do not understand English, someone must be able to translate in your party.
- The trainer on the dock will guide the guest through each interaction and tell the guest how to position themselves to gain the best experience.
- What Is Included
- 30 minute educational briefing that teaches guests about dolphin anatomy and physiology, marine mammal and ocean conservation, and what to expect during your swim.- There are bathrooms on site at DPMMR, as well as a gift shop and rinse off showers.
- Guests are given a flotation vest to aide in floating during the swim.
- What Is Not Included
- Towels are not provided. However, there are towels and sunscreen for sale in the gift shop should you forget your towel.- FAQ
WHAT TIME SHOULD I ARRIVE BEFORE MY SWIM?
It is best to aim to arrive 15 minutes prior to your swim time to allow for changing and check-in procedures. When you calculate drive time, keep in mind possible unexpected traffic and finding the facility.
ARE TOWELS PROVIDED? WHAT DO WE NEED TO BRING?
Please bring your towel and apply a reef-safe sunscreen (such as Stream 2 Sea – sold here at DPMMR), at least 15 minutes prior to your swim. However, we do sell towels, should you forget to bring one.
CAN WE BOOK A SWIM IF WE DON’T SPEAK ENGLISH?
Yes. DPMMR has several programs that will accommodate our international guests. However, if all guests that are participating do not speak English, we do require that someone in the party, even an observer, can translate what the trainer is saying to the guest. For safety reasons, it is extremely important that the in-water participant can understand and follow instructions from the trainer.
WHERE WILL THE DOLPHIN INTERACTION TAKE PLACE? ARE WE GOING OUT ON A BOAT?
All interaction programs at DPMMR take place at 31 Corrine Place, Key Largo, FL, in our natural, ocean water lagoons. Our facility resides on a salt-water canal that is open at both ends to the Atlantic Ocean. We have two tidal exchanges each day and Mother Nature acts as our natural filtration system. We do not need any chlorine, pumps, or machines for our water, as it is natural ocean water.
There is no need for a boat and once you have arrived at the facility, your encounter is just moments away!
HOW LONG WILL WE BE IN THE WATER?
The Interactive Program is not based on time, but rather on a certain number of behaviors. This is done to ensure that everyone has a similar experience, regardless of speed of the animals. The dolphins sometimes do not interact continuously with guests due to distractions in the canal and in the lagoon (E.g., their own calves, wild dolphins or manatees). Occasionally, dolphins like to take breaks!
If the dolphins are distracted, guests may be in the water longer because the total number of behaviors will take longer for the dolphins to complete.
The length of the session is also dependent on the number swimmers, as well as outside influencing factors. The Interactive programs are based on a specific number of behaviors that the trainer asks the dolphins to do. In order to maximize your and the dolphins’ experience, we do not time those programs, but the educational briefing lasts around 30 minutes.
HOW DOES DPMMR SERVE TO HELP DOLPHINS IN THE WILD?
DPMMR is privileged to care for a diverse population of bottlenose dolphins that have inspired and educated thousands of guests and have contributed to our understanding of this species. The goal of our organization is to connect each person that walks through our doors with our unique and inspiring marine mammal family. As the world’s oceans face temperature shifts, overfishing, pollution, and acidification, now more than ever we need to educate and motivate individuals to save our natural resources. One person that makes a change in their daily lives can result in thousands of pieces of plastic never reaching the ocean, and by encouraging each visitor to spread the word, the positive changes are multiplied. When we provide the opportunity for our guests to interact in a meaningful way with our dolphins, we hope these changes and the education they receive by our animal care professionals will resonate and last for the rest of their lives.
DPMMR is proud to have over 60 ongoing research projects exploring dolphin behavior, cognition, acoustics, and welfare. With dozens of publications, book chapters, and graduate student theses, our prolific research department has disseminated groundbreaking research to the scientific community to better conserve and protect our dolphins’ wild counterparts. Additionally, the knowledge we have gained caring for our dolphins has resulted in a deeper understanding of behavior and medicine that we are able to apply during stranding scenarios with distressed cetaceans. Sharing this knowledge with our collaborators allows for further advancement in the area of rehabilitation and welfare, and it is a responsibility DPMMR cherishes. Our immersive internships provide opportunities for career advancement in the areas of animal care and research, and our interns complete the programs with a greater appreciation for the marine environment and leave with the tools to continue to educate others about the complex issues facing the marine environment.
In addition to responding to wild and stranded whales and dolphins, the most important part of our job is connecting people to these animals. These meaningful connections will profoundly alter the lives of those who experience them, and our staff is a living testament to the power of connecting to protect. It is our hope that combining our passion for education and research and utilizing experiential learning activities with our animals will contribute to positive changes in the lives of our visitors. #ConnectToProtect at DPMMR, and help us in our mission to create a better world.
