Swimming with dolphins in Florida presents a rare opportunity to enjoy a close and educational encounter with these mammals. Dolphins are marine mammals and belong to the same family as whales and porpoises. Most dolphin encounter programs use bottlenose dolphins to interact with humans. Bottlenose dolphins are the same type of dolphins seen on TV shows and at marine aquariums and venues.
Marineland, in St. Augustine, Florida, offers several dolphin encounter programs. Guests can elect to interact with the mammals from the land or enter the aquarium and swim with dolphins. Marineland offers three swimming programs. The Quest is a small group program for a maximum of four people. The Immersion combines education with both shallow water and deep water swimming activities and Discover Dolphins includes a brief education program and a shallow water experience with the dolphins.
Marineland
9600 Oceanshore Blvd.
St. Augustine, FL 32080
904-471-1111
marineland.net/select-program.php
Discovery Cove in Orlando, Florida, offers full-day all-inclusive packages that combine snorkeling and dolphin encounters. Guests can also choose to purchase a Trainer for a Day package that includes swimming with the dolphins, backstage tours of the training facilities and a deep-water interaction with the animals. Discovery Cove also provides special events packages to celebrate occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries.
Discovery Cove
6000 Discovery Cove Way
Orlando, FL 32821
877-557-7404
discoverycove.com/Plan/Packages.aspx
Situated in Key Largo, Florida, Dolphins Plus presents opportunities for guests to interact with the dolphins. Guests select from either the Structured Dolphin Swim, which provides direct contact with dolphins and trainers, or the Natural Dolphin Swim. The Natural Dolphin Swim simulates dolphins swimming in the wild and does not permit direct contact or touching the animals.
Dolphins Plus
31 Corrine Place
Key Largo, FL 33037
866-860-7946
dolphinsplus.com/dolphin-swim-programs.htm
The Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key, Florida, offers several opportunities to interact with dolphins. Guests can be a trainer for a day, a researcher for a day, or enjoy a variety of other interactive programs. The Dolphin Research Center includes shallow- and deep-water encounters where guests enter the water with the animals. Guests can also experience the Dolphin Dip where they play with the dolphins and learn about training behaviors while in the water.
Dolphin Research Center
58901 Overseas Hwy.
Grassy Key, FL 33050
305-289-0002
Water Planet is in Panama City Beach, Florida. Like other dolphin encounter programs, Water Planet offers all-inclusive full-day swimming activities with the dolphins. For guests who want to learn more and immerse themselves in dolphin behavior, Water Planet also provides multiday programs, ranging from three to seven days. Water Planet sponsors a Bahamas expedition that lasts six days, and is a floating workshop that introduces and educates participants about wild dolphins.
Water Planet
203 Greenwood Drive
Panama City Beach, FL 32407
850-230-6030
waterplanetusa.com/
Boat Dock
5709 N. Lagoon Drive
Panama City Beach, FL 32408
Several dolphin interactive programs are available at the Miami Seaquarium in Miami. The Dolphin Odyssey is a deep-water program that begins with a classroom presentation and ends in the water with the mammals. The Dolphin Encounter offers a shallow-water encounter where participants touch, feed, and play with the dolphins. Guests can also select the Trainer for a Day program that is a hands-on experience in training and working with dolphins.
Miami Seaquarium
4400 Rickenbacker Causeway
Key Biscayne, FL 33149
305-361-5705
miamiseaquarium.com/dolphin_swim/dolphin_swim.asp
