I’m still buzzing from the incredible experience of swimming with dolphins at the Dubai Dolphinarium. We had set the day aside early last month after birthday ‘season’ in our household (our two boys as well as my birthday, and incidentally father’s day, all fall in the same week). It’s typically a week of celebrations which inevitably involves lots of gift giving and receiving and way too much cake for such a short period of time. I had received a swimming with the dolphins voucher and the boys a ticket to the dolphin & seal show as birthday gifts from some very thoughtful family members. We made a day of it, packed up some snacks and drinks and headed off to Dubai Creek Park for the day.
We got to the park and decided to see the 11am morning show, rather than the afternoon show (at 3pm). We bought our tickets and were seated with great views of the large dolphin pool. The seal came out first, demonstrating his incredible strength with a flipper stand and speed through through the water. He also ‘sang’ Twinkle, Twinkle but you had to really use your imagination to here.
Next the dolphins. There were three in the show – 2 adults and a baby. The adults were amazing and my 7 year old uttered “wow” with a huge smile more than once as they caught and threw balls, twirled hoops, did jumps, somersaults and flips and generally frolicked about. The baby was slightly less interested in the frolicking and only took part in the show when he felt like it, it seemed, despite having a dedicated trainer giving signals and rewards. I actually found this encouraging. But more about this later.
The show was aimed at children while trying to be educational as well as entertaining. It largely achieved this though some crowd participation and music, which was far too loud to hear the majority of the commentary over. Nevertheless it was enjoyable and a nice way to spend the morning.
After the show we head to the cafeteria to get a bite to eat. The family all orders burgers but I decide on something different and try the black pepper beef with rice. Pretty happy with my decision as it’s delicious.
After lunch the boys are drawn in by the trampolines and other activities available but I’m keen to be on time for my swim with the dolphins and we make our way to reception where we only wait a few minutes before getting ushered into the change rooms, issued with a wet suit and instructed to change and shower.
The showering is for the dolphins so that perfumes, oils and anything else that may be an irritant is washed off our skin. Jewelry is also removed as we’re told that the resident dolphins all like “expensive, shiny things”. I rather suspect that it’s more of a safety thing. Still, it’s fair enough. There was hand sanitiser involved as well.
My family was allowed to watch from the side so they stood, cameras at the ready. Unfortunately Mr 4yo decided that it was totally unfair that I was allowed to play with the dolphins and he wasn’t so there were tears.
The session started with a meet and greet where we said ‘hello’ and gave Bella a stroke. She felt exactly the way you would expect a dolphin to feel – firm, slippery and slightly rubbery skin. Very smooth and almost warm. I felt her heart beat and she had a bit of a wriggle when I gave her a tickle under the fins! She also stuck out her tongue at us when we were giving her kisses. I think we have a bit of a cheeky one here.
Dolphins are mammals, not fish, and they give birth to live young who drink milk and stay with their mother for up to 3 years. After that they remain with the pod, generally around 30 dolphins, where they live, hunt and play together, sleeping with one eye open and resting alternate hemispheres of the brain.
Having seen dolphins swimming in the wild (North Stradbroke Island, Moreton Bay) and even fed wild dolphins (Tangalooma), I was somewhat prepared for how powerful they are. And although I was prepared for the power, I don’t think anything could have prepared me for the thrill of being taken for a ride through the water with one of these magnificent creatures. They’re basically all muscle and the rush of the water as we’re swimming (slowly!) is only a fraction of the rush that it must be when they’re turning somersaults or jumping through the waves.
Next was a tummy ride, equal measures of fun and awe. This time with Mr Jerry as Bella wasn’t up to this one. The last ride was a deep dive which, if I hadn’t been holding my breath for the 8 seconds that it took, would have taken my breath away. Down to the bottom of the pool and then launched through the air, with me landing much less gracefully than Bella managed to as she caught her treat afterwards and was ready to go again. It took me slightly longer to recover from the rush.
A few photos and then it was time to say goodbye. The trainers were happy to answer our questions and brought Bella over to the side to “say” goodbye to my boys with one final wave.
Ten minutes later I emerged from the change rooms, showered and dressed but still with a big smile. This is certainly an experience I will always remember.
Good To Know
Both the Dubai Dolphinarium and Aquaventure Waterpark offer swimming with dolphin experiences in Dubai. The Dolphinarium is indoors in a (large and deep) pool whereas the Aquaventure dolphins are outdoors at Dolphin Bay a purpose built ‘bay’ where you are able to interact with the dolphins in shallower water. Age restrictions apply to both locations.
A similar experience exists at Tangalooma (Australia) where you can feed wild dolphins as they appear in the evenings.
Would I Return?
It’s a good day out for the family and the opportunity to swim with the dolphins really is an experience of a lifetime.
Having said that I’m still undecided as to the moral and ethical dilemmas. It is, for all intents and purposes, akin to a zoo. In this respect, this dolphinarium, as well as Sea World in Australia suggests that the dolphins have been rescued from other facilities and (or) have been bred in captivity and therefore could not survive in the wild. The dolphins that are held are kept under good conditions with expert medical and behavioral care as well as the best facilities available in the circumstances. They provide public education and awareness and in the case of Sea World, marine conservation, animal care, research and rescue. Whether this makes it okay to have them perform and give rides, I don’t know. In some ways, I’m not sure it’s all that different to training a dog or riding a horse. I have an indoor cat, is that the same thing?
I know many people have strong feeling about this. I’m not one of them. I can see reasons and arguments for both sides and I don’t feel that I have enough experience or information to throw my support fully behind either set of well articulated reasoning. Having said that, I still enjoyed the day and my cat remains indoors.