The experience of a lifetime.

Before we travelled to Mexico, I had heard about the dolphin experiences that a group called dolphinaris offer. They have a good reputation for treating their dolphins well and providing adequate facilities for their rehabilitation. So imagine my delight when I realised that the resort we had booked into was one of the four dolphinaris sites. Que very excited Maddie! 

I have always wanted to swim with dolphins (and unintentionally came very close to it once in the wild!) but it was a dream that had yet to fully come true. So as a very generous gift, my lovely mumma paid for me to spend the day as a trainer. This costs marginally more than the standard 40mins/hour packages that you can do at the centre. When I say marginally more, I mean about £20/30 difference when the exchange rate to US dollars is strong and it is SOOO worth it. I think we paid around £90 in the end for the whole day and a photo package. (Top tip: book before - much, much cheaper. Photos are $25 each if you buy on the day!!!)

The package included approximately eight hours with the dolphins in the pool. Yes, EIGHT HOURS! Learning how to do every trick imaginable, feeding them, swimming with them, diving with them... You really are their trainers for the day and it's wonderful.

You are with a trainer at all times, witnessing their bond and they are always on hand to answer any questions.

On the subject of the treatment of the dolphins, I did see first hand how well these guys are loved, respected and cared for. Their treatment program is good and the systems in place to keep the water natural sea water and their diet as close as it could be to how it would be in the wild is good. Having said that, it is my opinion that at the Tulum site in particular, the size of the compounds the dolphins live in is very small. There are six or seven dolphins in what is essentially a large swimming pool. This is something to keep in mind if you are planning a dolphin experience.

Alternatively, many tourist companies run excursions to swim with dolphins in natural lagoons.