Life & Style | Travel

Down with the Dolphins

Get some hands-on time with everyone's favourite marine mammal in an unforgettable deep water experience

  • By Emma Procter, Features Editor
  • Published: 23:25 July 3, 2009
  • Explore

  • Image Credit: Supplied Photo
  • A man playing with a dolphin.
Image 1 of 2
12

Whenever polls are conducted to find out what people would most like to do at least once in their lifetime, swimming with dolphins is usually in the top five — it has almost become a cliché.

However, I'll hold my hands up immediately and confess that it has always been on my “must do before I die'' list and that when I moved to Dubai I hoped the opportunity would pop up somewhere along the way.

Since it opened last year, the Atlantis, The Palm hotel has been offering visitors the chance to enjoy shallow water interactions with its family of Indo-Pacific Bottlenose dolphins at the resort's mammoth Dolphin Bay.

The largest coastal dolphin habitat in the world, Dolphin Bay contains three lagoons over 4.5 hectares, complete with sandy beaches and tropical backdrop.

Recently though, the marine team has developed a new deep water experience for those who really want some personal time with the charismatic Bottlenoses — and it was for this treat that I headed down to Atlantis last week.

Getting the facts

So, a little giddy with excitement, a colleague and I arrived at Dolphin Bay for our early afternoon time slot. Upon arrival, we were ushered through a sleek check-in area and taken to the changing room facilities for wetsuit fittings and a debriefing session.

Although you are equipped with a life jacket which will keep you afloat, it is important that you are a comfortable swimmer and happy out of your depth to participate in the deep water experience.

Once my companion and I were somewhat comically squeezed into wetsuits, we followed a handful of other participants into a small lecture room to watch a brief slideshow about the species we were about to encounter and also to be given some useful do's and don'ts from the marine mammal specialists who, in our case, were a couple of enthusiastic young guys with plenty of jokes to get everyone in the mood. But then who wouldn't be cheerful doing their job?

We were given the low-down on what to expect from our time in the water, along with some safety manoeuvres to practice. We were also given a crash course on dolphin behaviour, physiology, wellness and the importance of marine life conservation.

Although we were clearly all eager to get in the water, this short briefing made me appreciate how privileged I was to be allowed some time with the dolphins and when we trooped off to the outside lagoons had a few anxious moments hoping I wouldn't accidentally jab one in the eyes or similar (my clumsiness is legendary).

Making a connection

A group of about eight of us followed our guide into the water where we were introduced to our dolphin Lennox.

It's a strange feeling when you suddenly come face-to-face with the creature you feel you know so well from endless nature programmes and magazine articles.

The water is their territory and you can't help notice the sharp comparison of your own clumsy doggy paddling as this sleek and beautiful creature darts past you.

From there on in, it's unadulterated joy all the way. Once out into the deeper water, and under the careful supervision of the guides, we were invited to stroke Lennox.

The sensation is like touching soft, smooth rubber stretched over pure muscle. Dolphins, we were informed, are an affectionate, intelligent species that, although easy to train, have distinct individual personalities.

Maybe we were just a bunch of over-sentimental humans but as we played with Lennox and allowed him to push us and prod us and give us a “a hug'' and “a kiss'' one at a time — there is an undeniable feeling of genuine connection.

It was almost impossible to not think he was enjoying the whole thing as much as we were.

A blissful 30 minutes were spent playing games with Lennox and generally having a ball. It's not every day a dolphin swims right up to you and lifts itself out of the water so you can wrap your arms around it and plant a kiss on its throat.

I highly recommend it and I defy you not to grin like an idiot for a good while afterwards.

The manner of the skilful guides struck a balance between maintaining respect for the dolphins and encouraging everyone in the group to enjoy themselves.

The ultimate joyride

The thing that you're bound to carry in your memory until you're seated in a rocking chair on a porch somewhere boring the grandkids, is the heart-stopping thrill of the signature “belly-ride'' when everyone takes turns to hold on to the pectoral fins of the dolphin, which is lying on its back in the water, and is then propelled forward at speed across the lagoon.

It is an amazing, somewhat surreal, feeling and everyone in our group wore the same look of childlike awe as Lennox carried them effortlessly through the water. Once we had been safely deposited at the beach side via dolphin taxi, it was sadly time to wave farewell.

But not before Lennox had showed off a bit more by hurtling himself high into the air and landing with a giant splash in front of us. They're no wallflowers these dolphins.

And so we returned to the changing rooms, all of us wishing we could repeat the whole thing all over again. I remember a few years back watching a television programme where a group of people suffering from chronic depression had been taken to swim with dolphins to help ease their symptoms.

Medical researchers have discovered that an hour or so with these amazing creatures does more for these patients than endless rounds of prescribed medication.

After trying out the experience myself I can easily see why it might work. I can't imagine anything better to beat the blues. Recession woes? Heartbreak? General life ennui? Forget about it — some dolphin time is bound to sort you out.

The facility and its residents

The residents of Dolphin Bay are all Indo-Pacific Bottlenose dolphins, who breathe out of a blowhole located on the top of their head.

The average gestation period for this species is 10-12 months. At the end of this period they give birth to live young called calves.

The calf, born with sparse hair on its snout is a mammal and will nurse from its mother for 12-18 months and will begin to eat fish at 4-5 months of age. At birth, the average Indo-Pacific Bottlenose dolphin is 70cm and weighs about 15kg.

The Dolphin Bay habitat includes resident pools, medical quarantine and nursery pools, and a state-of-the-art marine mammal laboratory.

Quick facts

  • The whole experience lasts about 90 minutes, with around 30 minutes committed to being in the water with the dolphins.
  • The minimum participation age is 12 and 1.35 metres in height.
  • The deep water interaction takes place in water up to 3 metres deep and guests are required to be able to swim without the assistance of a life jacket.
  • For day visitors, Deep Water Interactions cost Dh975 or Dh810 for in-house resort guests, which includes complimentary admission to the hotel's Aquaventure water park.
  • Family and friends who want to watch the interaction without getting wet can purchase a Dolphin Bay beach pass for Dh300 per guest or Dh100 for in-house resort guests.

More from Travel

Bringing you the world at your doorstep

Explore
Popular in Travel
Life & Style editor's choice

Tale of two nations

Be a part of a memorable European romance on a mesmerising 10-day tour

Best of web video by GNTV
Popular in Pictures