Discovery Cove--anyone go swim with the dolphins?

[Ottakee]

My 14dd just recently qualified for a Make A Wish trip. Her wish is to swim with the dolphins at Discovery Cove. We just sent in more paperwork but have yet to meet with the team to discuss her wish in person and see if it is even approved.

 

I was just wondering more about Discovery Cove and the dolphins. This is something she has wanted to do since she was little.

 

Her mitochondrial disorder (actually 3 of them) qualified her for the wish but she has no limitations that would rule out swimming with the dolphins.

[ChristusG]

No....but I would love to do it! What a neat opportunity for your DD!! I have heard that you have to sit through an instructional period and then you get a short time (maybe 30 minutes?) with the dolphins. The rest of the day is spent in their water park. It's not your usual water park though....there are animals, swimming with fish, nice beaches, and such. And they only allow a certain number of people per day, so it's never crowded.

[Ottakee]

We aren't sure she will get this wish as it is quite expensive but this is what she really wants to do.

[Jennifer in MI]

Oh!!!! I hope you get it!!!!! I swam with the dolphins when on a cruise last year. It was a HIGHLIGHT of our trip!! I LOVED it!!!!! I don't know why she wouldn't be allowed to do it and I sure hope she is!! Honestly - you won't be disappointed. Dolphins are AMAZING creatures. I'll try to attach a picture tomorrow. I'm too tired tonight!!!

[MaMa2005]

I haven't done it, but had the opportunity in the spring to observe people who were swimming with the dolphins in the Cayman Islands. Everyone seemed to be having a blast! The comments that we overheard were all positive. I think it would be a wonderful thing to do.

[Corraleno]

I really really hope that since your daughter's event would be part of Make-A-Wish that the staff would go out of their way to make it extra special for her. My DH and DS "swam with the dolphins" at Discovery Cove a couple of years ago and were really disappointed. :sad:

 

The amount of actual "swimming" with the dolphins is very limited. There were 8 people in each group, and everyone basically stood in the water and patted the dolphin, kissed the dolphin on the nose, and then each person got about 60 seconds being "towed" a short distance holding onto the dolphin's fin. The whole thing lasted less than 1/2 an hour. Then they take a photo of everyone in the group and try to sell it to you before you leave.

 

If your daughter wants to do this, I would try to make sure that (1) your family's group gets to go by themselves and you don't get a bunch of strangers lumped in with your daughter, (2) your daughter gets a lot more time with the dolphin than usual. Maybe if the others in your group all give their "ride" to your daughter she will have more than 1 minute to swim with the dolphin. If you could arrange for some kind of press coverage as part of the Make-A-Wish thing, then they might be more inclined to really make it a once-in-a-lifetime experience for your DD, instead of the assembly line, make-a-buck operation it seemed to me. :sad:

 

ETA: You might also want to look into other opportunities for swimming with dolphins, like those mentioned by PPs, which may be a lot better than Discovery Cove.

 

Jackie

[michmom]

I hope your daughter gets her wish. We did not do Discovery Cove but did the dolphin program at Marineland near St. Augustine, Florida. They have a lot more options there than Discovery Cove has so you may want to take a look at it. We had a lot of interaction with the dolphins and it was an amazing experience. I don't know if this is a possibility for you, but thought it was worth mentioning to you. Here is the site.

 

http://www.marineland.net/

 

My boys also swam with sea lions at Theater of the Sea in the Florida Keys and had an amazing time. I know they also have a dolphin program.

 

http://www.theaterofthesea.com/special.programs.htm

 

I love Sea World and even worked there as a teenager but I think that perhaps the attractions that are not quite as huge as Sea World can devote more time and attention to the guests. But I have not done their program so it may be awesome as well.

 

I hope it all works out for you.

 

 

Lynn

[hillfarm]

As a previous inspector of such programs, I am very opposed to the swim programs. Back when I was doing this work, there were several instances of the dolphins severely injuring the swimmers. Things like raking them with their teeth, leaving long parallel gashes. This is normal dolphin-to-dolphin behavior, but a real problem when dolphins blur the line between a same species peer and a human. I also saw reports of several broken bones. Situations where Mom and Pop were there holding the pole for Flipper to jump over but something irritated the dolphin and he broke Pop's arm and Mom's rib before the trainers could bat an eye. Other stories involved dolphins deciding not to let a certain person get out of the enclosure so they either held them down on the bottom or kept pulling them back from the dock.

 

Unfortunately most visitors never hear this side of the story because they return home to Wisconsin or Ohio or wherever they are from and the next group off the plane has no idea. You might be able to get a list of recently reported injuries from the agencies regulating the dolphin swim program where you are going, but it is definitely not in the best interest of the program operators to report, so rumor among the trainers is that injuries to guests are significantly under reported.

 

I always ask people, would you send your dc into a cage with tame tigers who still had all their teeth and claws intact? Because that is what you are doing with dolphin swim programs--sending your dc into a cage with a large, wild animal that definitely has the power to inflict serious injury if the mood takes them. And also into an environment where humans are at a definite disadvantage. There is no way a trainer can get in there fast enough to help you, nor can they quickly pull a dolphin off someone. Remember all the orca problems at Sea World? Orcas are not actually whales. They are the largest member of the dolphin family.

 

And finally, I am against keeping dolphins in captivity. Despite the best conditions we can offer, it is no substitute for life in the wild and IMO very inadequate for optimal dolphin health. Lots of dolphins die premature deaths in captivity and the swim programs only increase the numbers of dolphins being held in captivity. The swim programs that take place in the wild are a different matter, where the dolphins have the opportunity to choose whether to interact for a dead fish payment or go catch their own live one. Captive dolphins don't have the luxury to choose--if they want to eat, they have to play. Even though all owners I have ever spoken to deny this, many trainers have privately told me it happens routinely.

 

So in case I haven't made myself clear, I definitely recommend steering away from these programs, particularly if the swimmer has any issues at all that might make them more of a target for some reason or unable to respond quickly in the water. IMO, if you absolutely have to touch a dolphin, it is much better to do so from the side of one of the feeding pool where you are still on terra firma and the dolphin is on his side of the wall. I know that for every problem there have been hundreds of incident-free swims, but I still think the risk is significant to both the human and dolphin participants in these programs and IMO does not justify the thrill we humans get from forced interaction with these captives.

Edited July 1, 2010 by hillfarm

[lilbean05]

While I hear what Hillfarm is saying, I think it is unnecessarily scary sounding. The parks in Florida are constantly being watched for any form of accidents or mishaps because it makes great news, and there just aren't any reported by Discovery Cove. It seems sort of like what is being said is akin to "Don't put your kid in a car because they will not have the ability to escape a potentially bad situation, like a drink driver or a careless driver, or even a vehicle mishap." I am not meaning to discount what Hillfarm is saying, but the post seems a bit Debby Downerish.

 

My husband and I went to Discovery Cove for his birthday way back before we had kids. While it is true that the swim with dolphins portion didn't consume most of the day, we absolutely loved it. The park is limited to a certain number of guest a day, so as to avoid crowding. There were just enough people that we weren't alone in the park, but few enough that we had a lot of different pools and diving areas to ourselves.

 

Outside of swimming with the dolphins, which consisted of petting, feeding, hanging on to the fin, etc. for about an hour, there are lots of different pools in which you can swim, like with sharks or rays or tropical fish. It was really quite amazing. We just loved it.

 

My only complaint was that the cold pools were indeed FREEZING cold. Even in a wet suit I was very cold, but it didn't bother my husband one bit. We stayed all day and thought it was quite a neat experience.

 

I wish you all luck and I hope you are selected!

[momofkhm]

My only complaint was that the cold pools were indeed FREEZING cold. Even in a wet suit I was very cold, but it didn't bother my husband one bit. We stayed all day and thought it was quite a neat experience.

 

FWIW, my folks took my brother down a few years ago and this was my mom's complaint as well - cold water. But mom was saying that the traines were telling them that the "season" was just about over because of the cold water. They went in October.

[gingersmom]

My kids just swam with dolphins two weeks ago.

 

They loved it!

 

We were in Miami at SeaWorld.

 

They were in a group and everyone got to swim and interact with the dolphins. The trainers were amazing with my kids. My son was scared to do it the first time and then at the end of the program they encourage him to try again. He did it and had a blast.

 

They wore wetsuits (my kids had bathing suits underneath) and no one complained of being cold or anything. They give you towels, lockers to store your stuff.

 

I thought it was a great experience and I would love to have them do it again.

[wbtx]

tell you what a wonderful experience this was for me. My eyes well up with tears just remembering. It is one of the highlights of my life. I can't wait for my kids to do this. I was never really interested in dolphins before so I was totally unprepared for the awe that I experienced. I really hope your daughter gets her wish.

[hillfarm]

While I hear what Hillfarm is saying, I think it is unnecessarily scary sounding. The parks in Florida are constantly being watched for any form of accidents or mishaps because it makes great news, and there just aren't any reported by Discovery Cove....I am not meaning to discount what Hillfarm is saying, but the post seems a bit Debby Downerish.

 

 

I'm just being honest. I WAS the person who worked for the state government to watch for these accidents. That was my job for 7 years when we lived in Florida. I also had to go around and match up the live dolphins captive in all the pools and account for the dead ones. Not a fun, happy job. But to be honest, what goes on behind Florida's tourist facade is often a whole lot more gritty than the vacationers wish to believe.

 

Dolphins are tremendously cool animals with natural abilities that are astounding. The hard, cold, true fact is that they do suffer in captivity. I know first hand how wonderful it is to be around them. But I also know the truth, that a great many of them have chronic health problems associated with being kept in captivity and many have died. And I appreciate them enough to believe that their well-being trumps my desire for a cool experience.

 

Sorry if you feel this is a Debbie Downer message. I just happen to believe that dolphins should be respected as the large, incredibly intelligent, wild animals that they are, not to be skewed by for-profit corporations as aquatic teddy bears, association with which can be bought for the going rate.

 

Just because information is contrary to what we want to believe does not make it untrue.

Edited July 1, 2010 by hillfarm

[Ottakee]

Thanks for the input. It will likely be several weeks before we meet with the Make A Wish people to help figure out the wish.

 

I did talk to a friend of mine today (casual friend so we aren't up to date on each other) whose son had a Make A Wish trip a few years ago. She said it was WONDERFUL and they got star treatment all the way.

 

It is exciting to know that both of my girls qualify for Make A Wish yet bittersweet to as there is a reason they qualify. My friend though said just to ENJOY the trip.