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A Show of fins

TAKE A DIP WITH DOLPHINS ACROSS THE COUNTRY

BY JEANETTE HURT

MARINELAND DOLPHIN CONSERVATION CENTER

ST. AUGUSTINE, fl(30 minutes north of Daytona Beach)

The world’s first oceanarium, Marineland reopened last year and specializes in dolphin-human interactions. In fact, except for general admission ($5) to observe the dolphins, all of the programs involve direct exposure and contact with them.

“People want hands-on experience with the dolphins, and our center was specifically designed for that,” says Joan Whittemore, director of sales and marketing. Marineland offers five such programs. The basic program is Flippers & Fins ($65), which allows people to come right up to the pools and interact with Atlantic bottlenose dolphins for 10 minutes.

“This is the program that is more appropriate for younger children or for people who don’t want to get in the water,” Whittemore says.

On the other end of the spectrum are the Trainer for a Day ($400) and Quest ($275) programs. In Trainer for a Day, visitors work alongside a trainer for four hours, while Quest allows people to swim with the dolphins in their pools. Marineland also offers the only art and dolphin encounter, called Dolphin Designs ($85), in which a dolphin paints a canvas with three different colors of paint that a participant chooses. www.marineland.net

INDIANAPOLIS ZOO

INDIANAPOLIS The Indianapolis Zoo is the Midwest’s only place to get up close and personal with dolphins. “Every encounter’s just a little bit different,” says Sarah Bachman, senior dolphin trainer. “The dolphins and the visitors bring something new to each experience.”

The Dolphin In-Water Adventure ($160 for members, $185 for non-members) starts with an educational component, during which visitors sit in a classroom and learn the basics about dolphin anatomy, habitat and conservation efforts. Then, small groups are led to training pools where they pretend to be a trainer for the day—or at least for an hour or so—wet suits and all.

Trainers demonstrate the hand signals they use to get the dolphins to swim on their backs, flip or splash. Then, guests have the opportunity to take a stab at it; if the dolphin listens, visitors can reward them with fish. After working on the deck, participants can wade in the waist-deep water. A trainer will invite a dolphin to come up close in order to point out various anatomical features.

Participants can gently touch a dolphin’s fins and tails. Some are surprised to learn that dolphins are warm to the touch. (Remember, they are mammals, not fish!) For a finale, each participant leans in for a dolphin kiss on their cheek, and their picture is snapped for a lasting memento.

“We really want to inspire people,” Bachman says. “Even though we are not located near an ocean, what we do still has an effect on these animals. We try to teach people the three R’s: reduce, re-use and recycle.” www.indyzoo.com

SEAWORLD ADVENTURE PARK

SAN DIEGO SeaWorld offers not only dolphin encounters, but also the chance to get in the water with beluga whales.

“It’s pretty hard to look at a dolphin’s face and not be captivated,” says Suzanne Morgan, an animal training supervisor. “Our job is to remind people that dolphins are also big, powerful, wild animals.”

The Dolphin Encounter at Rocky Point Preserve ($40) features 10 minutes of face-to-face time with dolphins, during which guests can touch, train and feed them. At the top of the spectrum is Trainer for a Day ($495), an intimate experience with the dolphins. Or, go behind the scenes with Wild Arctic Interaction ($160); visitors get up close to Pacific walruses and polar bears before donning wet suits and slipping into 55-degree water to interact with beluga whales.

“I like to have people close their eyes and touch the dolphins... and describe how they feel,” Morgan says. “Two of the best descriptions I’ve heard are that a dolphin feels like an olive or like a hardboiled egg without the shell.” www.seaworldsandiego.com

The United Nations has declared 2007 the Year of the Dolphin.

Dolphins naturally draw people in with their always-smiling jaw lines. They entrance people with their innate intelligence and ability to communicate. And Hollywood’s frequent portrayal of dolphins further fuels interest in all things cetacean.

Beyond watching dolphins flip on the big screen or jump through hoops in a live show, many zoos and marine parks now allow people to take their fascination with dolphins a splash further—right into the water.

Here are three parks that invite people to interact directly with these incredibly majestic mammals.

FUN DOLPHIN FACTS

Dolphins have 80 to 100 teeth, but they never chew their food; rather, they swallow fish whole.

Dolphins don’t have a sense of smell. In fact, they don’t even have noses. In addition, their hearing is so good, they can “see” objects from great distances using sonar or echolocation. They emit a series of sounds—clicks or whistles—which then bounce off the object, making it “visible” to the dolphin.

Dolphins don’t “talk” using their mouths. The complex sounds they make are all emitted from their blowholes.

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