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Cruisers - a question about excursions...

Antiquehunter

Degenerate Gambler
Antiquehunter
Joined
Aug 7, 2005
Messages
5,088
So, I'm killing some time waiting for my flight to Jalalabad...

I found this link

https://secure.royalcaribbean.com/a...oductCode=CZ79&ActivityTypeId=9&LocationCode=

about a dolphin swim in Cozumel.

So, after reading this through... some concerns.

1) Are these wild dolphins becoming tame through all this weird human contact? And is this unethical?

2) Are there are health risks to the dolphins hanging out with humans?

3) Does this excursion sound like its going to be hyper-commercialized and Disneyworld-ish? Or does it sound like a genuine opportunity to hang out for a few hours with an unusual and interesting animal?

I am interested in being able to swim with dolphins, but not if this is like an over-priced amusement park ride, and certainly not if these animals are being exploited. Anyone's thoughts?

-AH.
 
Ethical concerns are valid, just as for any animal exhibit.

From a consumers point of view, it's $109, take 8 hours..just about the entire visit to Cozumel, and you only get 30 minutes with the dolphins.

From the site:

You will board the ferry to go from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen (approximately 45 minute ride each way). You will then have a short transfer to the beautifully secluded marina town of Puerto Aventuras. The Dolphin Encounter Program in Puerto Aventuras is a unique experience for dolphin lovers that brings you closer to dolphins than you ever dreamed possible. In the Encounter they focus on allowing everyone to enjoy having the dolphins close up and personal while our trainers teach you about these amazing animals. During this program you will stand on a waist deep submerged platform, and you will experience some of the following amazing activities:

The famous Dolphin Kiss, the Swim By, the Tail Walk, the Song, High Bow jumps, the Spray and many entertaining and educational behaviors!!


Note: You will also have free time to enjoy Discovery Beach and snorkeling at their leisure. Total amount of time spent with the Dolphins is approximately 30 minutes.​
 
I cannot find the information about this particular program (your link
does not take me directly there) but I would surmise that these animals are
captive, not wild. The inventory of "circus tricks" advertised would tend to suggest that. Information from the International "Whale and Dolphin
Conservation Society" concerning captive and wild "swim with dolphins" facilities can be found here:

http://www.wdcs.org/dan/publishing.nsf/allweb/AAEE78B80E5BB9CE80256CFD005441EF
 
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After some searching, there are many swim programs available and a fw are in Cozumel. Whether you choose to do this or not is going to depend on how you feel about this issue.

In case you were curious, the reason why pregnant women are not allowed to participate is due to the dolphins tending to gravitate towards and stay with women that are pregnant.


Boo
 
OK, I've done some research.

Full disclosure: I don't like the idea of swimming with dolphins, especially in Cozumel. I come into this with that bias.

If you want to swim with Dolphins, here are your options:
1) Take the cruise tour for $109. This includes transportation (45 minute ferry ride) to the dolphins, and 30 minutes actually in the water with the dolphins. Total trip time: 8 hours.
Pros: You are in no danger of missing the ship, and believe it or not, the price is reasonable. If you want to swim with dolphins in Cozumel, I think this is your best option.

Cons: It takes 8 hours, basically, if you do this, you will miss all the rest of Cozumel. Also, for that 8 hours, you are the mercy of the tour company for food and beverages.

​
2) Swim with dolphins in Cozumel with another company. http://www.dolphindiscovery.com/cozumel/ is one place to look, but they say they're close to full for the day that we're in Cozumel.
Pros: You may have more flexibility.

Cons: You're on your own for transportation, and everything else. The ship will not wait for you, or help you in any way.

​
3) Swim with dolphins in Miami before or after the cruise. Miami Seaquarium has a program, as does an outfit in Key Largo.
Pros: Doesn't take away from your cruise time. Miami is one our from Fort Lauderdale, Key Largo is about two hours. Prices are lower for AFTER the cruise because September is the beginning of off-peak season.

Cons: More expensive than cruise option, you must arrange your own transportation.

​
OK, so those are you basic options. Now, here are some other things you should know:

Some reviews:

Most people say they enjoyed, but it was too short. And many people said things like "dream come true" and "best experience of my life."

Swim with dolpins (Not Worth it) doesn't provide anything and it's a short swim, your not really swimming. Your petting and they do a little show. Have to pay $8 for two photos. One of the dolphins actually bite a tourist's hand (bleeding) think she might of kicked it.
Click to expand...
I do wish the interaction and more one on one time with the dolphins could've been longer, but just touching and playing with them was Amazing!
Click to expand...
Other things to consider:

For an extreme at the propaganda side of things, visit http://www.miamiseaprison.com/swim.htm.

The outfit called http://www.dolphinworld.com has a link to http://www.prepaidjesus.com, which offends me so much I'm asking you to consider not doing business with them.

For me the, number 1 reason NOT to swim with the dolpins is that you'll be missing the Mayan ruins in Cozumel. My logic is this: you can swim with dolpins at dozens of locations in North America. It's not so easy to see Mayan ruins. So, that's what I'll be doing. I'll be signing up for one of the tours on board, just for peace of mind.

If swimming with the dolphins is a life-long dream of yours and you're willing to spend your whole day in Cozumel waiting for 30 minutes with the dolphins.. go for it. Life is short.
 
One last thing.. it's almost guaranteed that you will see dolphins in the wild on this trip.
 
Thanks for everyone's input - still undecided, but now I have more resources to make up my mind.

My choice for Cozumel is either dolphins or ruins. However all the tours for the ruins I saw on the cruise site show pictures of hundreds of tackily-clad tourists clambering over the ruins - which also doesn't inspire me. Plus I noted that one of the ruins tours features shopping - always a plus on organized tours... not... "No, I don't want a sombrero. No, I don't want any postcards. No, I don't want any more t-shirts. No, I don't want any cheap silver jewellery. No, I don't want any loudly painted pottery. WOULD YOU JUST @(#&*^%@$ OFF!!!"

The ruins strike me as something better off doing when one has more time - when you have a week in Cozumel and can really spend time to learn about the civilization - a day tour may just be a teaser.

Seen loads of dolphins in the wild in other places - just never had an opportunity to swim with them in the wild. Done a bunch of dives in Indonesia, East Timor and Thailand - never with porpoises/dolphins. Not a lot of interest in swimming with dolphins if they are captive, particularly not if they are captured wild dolphins. Beyond aquariums, operating scientific purposes, I'm NOT a fan of capturing large sea mammals and keeping them in big fishbowls to entertain the kiddies. It does sound to me like the operations described are commercialized and 'Disneylandish' - and therefore are likely to bother me more than being 'the experience of a lifetime' - so probably leaning towards donning an Indiana Jonesish hat and checking out ruins at this point...

(And any site that links to a Jesus site ain't gettin' my money. Even if www.prepaidjesus.com would make a GREAT spoof URL...)

-AH.
 
Speaking for myself, I'm not a big fan of the "swimming with dolphins" idea. I'm even less of a fan of the idea of shelling out over $100 to some company for the privelege of swimming in an open ocean with creatures that don't get a dime for putting up with me. (Note to dolphins: Unionize, dammit!)

But I am a big fan of archaeology, and even have a degree in the subject--where I focused on mesoamerican archaeology. So just try to keep me away from the ruins. :D
 
Incidentally, here's some handy Spanish phrases for overzealous merchants:

"No lo quiero." I don't want it.

"Yo dije que no lo quiero!" I said, I don't want it!

"Lárgate!" Go away!

"No tengo dinero." I don't have money.

"Estoy armado." I am armed.
 
SkepticScott said:
How do you say "I have an army of Daleks at my beck and call"? :)
Click to expand...

Tengo un ejercito de Daleks de mi mandar, y si no lárgate ahora van a exterminarte, asalter tu esposa con sus émbolos, y lavarses en la sangre de tu hijo primero. Capiche?

"I have an army of Daleks at my command, and if you don't leave now they will exterminate you, violate your wife with their plungers, and bathe themselves in the blood of your first-born son. Capiche?"

(Can you tell I dislike being hassled by vendors?)
 
Cleon said:
Speaking for myself, I'm not a big fan of the "swimming with dolphins" idea. I'm even less of a fan of the idea of shelling out over $100 to some company for the privelege of swimming in an open ocean with creatures that don't get a dime for putting up with me. (Note to dolphins: Unionize, dammit!)
Click to expand...

Interacting with dolphins is certainly not a North American monopoly. If anyone has the opportunity to visit Western Australia, a trip up to Monkey Mia is well worth it. http://www.monkeymiadolphins.org/
Not so much swimming, more of a 'petting zoo' kind of environment, but neat all the same.

As for your implication that they are being exploited, I think it's worth noting that most woo sites have at least one picture of a dolphin. I have also gone back through the JREF archives and have not found a single skeptical post made by a dolphin. I thus conclude that dolphins are sympathetic to the dark side, and so may be exploited at will.
 
Personal word of warning:

Many of the excursions will take you over to the mainland (the 45 minute ferry ride each way). The waters in the channel are often pretty choppy and the ferries are not that large, so you can sometimes take a pretty good beating the way those ferry captains tend to power through the seas.

I'm generally not prone to sea sickness, but the ride made me turn green.




BTW, Tulum's incredible.

Xel-Ha is usually too crowded.
 
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