Swimming with dolphins

I'd imagine a tourist animal attraction like this, available to a large public, and advertised world wide could not rely on naturally appearing dolphins for the amusement of the paying humans involved. This would mean that they must be trained somehow, if not contained.

I seem to recall hearing some terrible stories about how these dolphins are acquired, pods hunted and broken up, etc. I truly hope this isn't the case for your excursion.

EDIT* to add links:

http://www.hsus.org/press_and_publications...e_dolphins.html

http://www.wspa-usa.org/pages/272_what_s_w...h_dolphins_.cfm

An excerpt:

Setting a bad example: Unfortunately, the commercial success of SWTD programs and the high profile of the larger facilities in the U.S. have spawned a legion of copycat operations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Latin America and around the world. These operations are the driving force behind a sharp rise in dolphin captures from the wild. Many of these new SWTD programs lack the necessary funds and staff to properly care for the dolphins.

Perhaps the most damaging aspect of the SWTD industry is the misconception it perpetuates among the general public. SWTD programs present themselves as "educational" and "eco-friendly". They market themselves to people who love dolphins, care about conservation and are looking for a tangible way to express this interest. What SWTD participants don't realize is that by patronizing these programs, they are not only contributing to this expanding, profit-driven industry, but they are ensuring that dolphins will continue to be captured from the wild and suffer in captivity.

Love dolphins? Don't buy a ticket! Untold numbers of dolphins die during the notoriously violent wild captures. These captures are carried out in secret - far from the public's eye - so obtaining an accurate number of dolphins killed is nearly impossible. What we do know is that of those dolphins that survive the capture and are brought into captivity, 53% will die within their first 3 months in a tank. Every seven years, half of all captive dolphins die due to the violence of their capture, intestinal disease, chlorine poisoning and stress-related illness. To the captivity industry, these numbers are accepted as standard operating expenses, but if this information was printed on SWTD brochures, it is unlikely that any person who cares about dolphins would purchase a ticket.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PriuStorm @ Sep 8 2007, 10:39 PM) [snapback]509406[/snapback]</div>

I'm pretty sure daniel is talking about "wild" untrained dolphins hince the snorkling side trip if none come around.
If their wild daniel do it! I can't imagine the thrill of being approached and making a connection with a wild dolphine! As far as the seasickness goes, as long as it doesn't go up and out through your nose it ain't so bad and well puking does have a certain cleansing effect! Besides that after working on Sport Fishing boats, with numerous puking customers, I can assure you that the little fishies love it! Yum Yum!


Wildkow

 

i got seasick on a boat trip in Key West at my best friend's getaway wedding. yes, puking off the side of a boat first thing in the morning is NOT fun... but it was fine once i actually got in the water myself for the snorkeling.

would i do it again? yes. and i imagine swimming with the dolphins, if it's one of the ethical organizations, would be so much cooler.

 

I, too, don't advocate the support of any activities that involved human enjoyment derived from animal relocation, suffering, captivity etc. Your link seems a bit different to me as they are left in their natural habitat and remain free. I'd have to guess, however, that these dolphins are being trained by food dispersal as I don't see how they could rely on revenue if the dolphins never appeared.

Daniel, you already swam w/ dolphins. You've all the money in the world to engage in things you haven't tried. And if you are prone to getting sick, why bother? It's probable you won't even enjoy yourself. Anything else out there float your boat?

 

When I sail on blue water I use Mescalizine for sea sickness purchased without prescription at my local grocery (Safeway). No drowsiness like some other sea sick meds. I find on sailing trips if I take it for 3 days, by the fourth day I have my sea legs and don't need to be medicated.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Sep 9 2007, 09:39 AM) [snapback]509506[/snapback]</div>

Go.

This is how I think of it. This is a once in a lifetime experience. If you don't go now, will you ever go again? Or will you put it off and off until for one reason or another you can't go?

Not all outfits are disreptuable. Sounds like you found yourself a good one. Dolphins are naturally curious. If I was a Dolphin and I knew a boat of those funny, skinny dolphins with the things hanging off of their bodies were coming to this one spot every once and a while, I'd hang out there on the offchance they'd show up.

You've decided this is something you'd like to do. Why wait?

Go. Go now. (and take lots of pictures and tell us all about it when you come back.)

 

It will be a gamble from all aspects. Most worthwile things are anyway. On your side is that the Caribbean area is the calmest area you can find most of the time. If you took the risk for the Great Barrier Reef, then this seems like an easier decision.

 

I suspect the "waiting for the dolphins" phase would have you in their boat, bobbing. That's worse for my friends with motion sickness than being under way.

Do you get motion sickness in the water, while snorkeling? If you could jump in the water and would be fine that way, it might help. I didn't look at the link, but if its a semi-rigid like a Zodiac boat, hanging onto the side of the boat while in the water might be better.

Dolphins are naturally curious, and having one pop up next to you in a wave is not uncommon. They will body surf alongside boogie boards and surfers, and I've had it happen a couple of times. Scares the devil out of you, though, because they seem so big when they are in the water next to you. Dolphins will approach humans, and have been known to assist drowning humans (its a natural behavior they use for dolphin-saving). Sailors will often find people who are lost overboard by the presence of dolphins (remember Elian Gonzales?)

 

By all means, stick your head in the <strike>sand</strike> water and have a great time... post capitalization era and all. Of course you're right, whatever damage a potential little operation like the captive dolphin program you spoke of can compare in no way to the daily suffering and lives of livestock and other bred-for-food animals.

Ah, but if you don't end up going swimming, perhaps you could take an excursion to Yellowstone or Yosemite. They've got bears there and perhaps you can find a reputable operation to take you out into the woods so you can frolic with them. I hear they're very curious, and you can find those reputable operations that claim they never feed them, but bears are just naturally curious and want to be around humans.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PriuStorm @ Sep 9 2007, 05:39 PM) [snapback]509406[/snapback]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SSimon @ Sep 10 2007, 03:04 AM) [snapback]509519[/snapback]</div>

Nope. No feeding or captivity required.
There are many places in the world where you can still count on seeing dolphins every day. There are several charters in the Bay of Islands in New Zealand where they take tourists out twice a day to swim with dolphins. They don't chase or feed dolphins and the number of charter operators is limited by licence. It is guaranteed in the sense that if you don't get a chance to swim with them (rough weather or whatever) you get a free ticket for the next day.

Daniel, if seasickness has you concerned, consider trying to come down to the Bay of Islands for your swim.
The BOI is sheltered, very calm most days, and dolphins are typically nearby so there's no extensive boat time involved. As you know, the people are mostly harmless too. Yeah its a long way away, but we like it that way. (Ha)
Just sleep on the flight.

Just a thought. B)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Sep 9 2007, 02:49 PM) [snapback]509782[/snapback]</div>

I've been around dolphins many times, from swimming/diving with them, having them lead the boat, water skiing with them, tubing by them, ect. They do tend to hang out in an certain area at certain times. There's usually always a large pod on the west side of Oahu at a certain secluded beach. There are charters that take people up there almost everyday. It's about a 20 min boat ride from the nearby harbor. You can also swim out from the beach with a bogey board and mask and fins if you're a good swimmer or kayak but that might make you seasick. Sometimes the dolphins are right up against the shoreline.

The boat will drop off a group of people in the water in front of the pod and the dolphins normally approach and swim underneath turning upside down to check out the people. Many times the boat will herd the pod back around. After a while the dolphins do get kinda tired/bored and just disappear. The dolphins are not fed by anyone and are totally wild. And to make it a bit more wild, a swimmer was bitten by a shark a few years ago while swimming with them on one of the charters. He survived and has a great story to tell. Even with the shark attack I think it's a very safe thing to do and still take my daughter and friends when she wants to go.
http://starbulletin.com/2003/06/26/news/story8.html

I've seen dolphins playing with plastic grocery bags floating underwater. They poke there nose through the handle and carry it around for a while then let it go and another will do the same thing. Not that you should throw your bags in the ocean, but they did seem to be enjoying themselves.

Have fun.

 

Next time, instead of ' ', I'll say 'Start Sarcasm' and then 'End Sarcasm'

Please don't believe that 'the dolphins are not fed by anyone'. I'm absolutely 100% sure someone does. People don't 'get it' that 'taming' animals with human food is a bad idea. Dolphins may indeed have some natural curiosity, but their repeated engagement with humans is because they get a reward, and that is undoubtedly food. Why do you think they lose interest with your boat that claims to have no food? Because they're not getting rewarded. They'll leave you and hit up the next boat of humans to see what they can get... just like pigeons in a park mooching off whoever looks like they have a bread sack. Didn't get any here? Go to the next human.

No way, no how can you convince me that interacting with any wild animals is a good idea. Your 'fun' and 'experience of a lifetime' will undoubtedly cost some of these animals their lives some day because you are teaching them that humans are acceptable to hang around. Then when they migrate to other waters and find those humans that do not share 'good values' and do not only want to just benignly swim with them (and I'm not agreeing that swimming with the dolphins is 'good' under any circumstance other than for scientific study under controlled and limited circumstances), they (the dolphins) will be easier to capture and put into 'one of those' programs that aren't ethical, those that exist in other countries so don't have any laws protecting the animals, etc. Thanks to your efforts at taming them. The illicit operations thank you for your efforts.

People in zoos, parks, national parks, botanical gardens (think koi), etc. etc. can not resist the temptation to feed the animals, toss a few bread crumbs in the water, toss some bread for the pigeons, tempt the animals behind bars in the zoo, etc..., no matter how many signs are posted 'PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS'. They think it's fun and cute and 'an experience of a lifetime' to experience the animal up close. It's disgusting and obscene, selfish and irresponsible, and it's the same whether your intentions of interaction with the animals are 'noble' (read: intend no direct physical harm.). Last time I was in Yosemite, I drove around a bend of the road to see a bear raiding a garbage can. The minivan in front of me stopped into the pullout as was also my plan (to get a closer look and take a picture). To my aghast shock, the lady in the passenger seat of the minivan opened the window, sat her baby on the window sill and tossed food at the bear to get its attention and come closer. Experience of a lifetime, sure. And next time when the bear attacks a human or approaches too close because he's been 'trained' that human=food, he'll get shot.

Please don't lull yourself into thinking this does no harm just because someone else has done it and thought the animals appeared to 'like' the interaction. They appear to 'like' being performance robots in too-tiny pools at SeaWorld, too, right? You want to have an experience with a beautiful, majestic and noble animal with big brown eyes and spiritual presence to take your breath away? Spend some time with horses... Don't contribute to the industry of taming nature's wild at the animals' expense... just because you don't see the consequences doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PriuStorm @ Sep 10 2007, 03:34 PM) [snapback]509848[/snapback]</div>

Its a shame you feel that way PriuStorm.
It is against the law here in NZ (and in Aus too I believe) to feed dolphin. So we don't.

I've been watching them in the Bay for over 20 years, and their interaction with the "swim with" operators since they started. The dolphins aren't hanging about waiting to be fed at a lunch spot. The pods go in and out of the bay at various times of the day, sometimes the pods are interacting with one another, sometimes hunting, sometimes just playing. To even the casual observer its pretty apparent that they are socially adept & complex critters.

I can appreciate your sentiments in general, but I think you may be a little too cynical in the case of dolphins and people. You might want to check them out in person sometime (not at sea world) before you make up your mind "100% sure". B)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PriuStorm @ Sep 9 2007, 05:34 PM) [snapback]509848[/snapback]</div>

The Makua dolphins I referred to are not fed by anyone, you are wrong. I'm a commercial fisherman/diver and have been going to Makua for the last 40 years. I've spent literally years of my life underwater. The dolphins that are there today pretty much act the same way as the ones that were there 40 years ago (before any tours existed).

What do you think they are being fed?

 

PS -- I keep coming back to Prius Chat, but I have yet to have anyone here feed me... :lol: