Diving With Dolphins

Divers and amateurs alike put on scuba gear and dive with dolphins. Divers usually have to locate dolphins swimming in the wild and then get into the water with them. Or they can find a facility that allows guests to climb into a tank and interact with trained dolphins, which gives visitors a more predictable experience.

  1. Wild Dolphins

    • People most often encounter dolphins in the Caribbean, though they're found throughout all oceans. Interacting with wild dolphins is unpredictable, since they do not necessarily cooperate with divers. Dolphins are playful creatures and often interact with humans. Divers need to interact with the wild dolphins to keep them around. Many animals get scared when they encounter humans and try to flee, but dolphins are more likely to leave when no one plays with them. Those who focus on taking pictures of dolphins will not get very many photos as the dolphins leave for someone else to play with.

    Diving Equipment

    • Some diving equipment is designed for divers with no experience. Other programs use equipment that requires the diver have a certification in scuba diving. When swimming with dolphins, divers should keep in mind that dolphins swim fast, so scuba diving equipment can slow divers and prevent them from interacting fully with the dolphins.

    Captive Dolphins

    • Semi-captive dolphins will follow the boat out to the ocean and dock, attracted by food given to them by the divers. They are not kept in a tank, like captive dolphins, but have been trained to remain by the dock, unlike wild dolphins. They are often trained so they will allow divers to ride on them by holding on to a flipper. With captive dolphins, divers interact in a pool, pen or ocean enclosure. Divers should follow the instructions of the trainers. Each of the dolphins has an individual personality and moods, which the trainers are familiar with.

    Socialization

    • Dolphins will often interact with specific divers, developing a preference for them. People who feed wild dolphins can teach them to come to the beach at a certain time every day with the anticipation of receiving more food. Dolphins are social mammals that prefer companionship with other dolphins. Some dolphins can even become sick when they are isolated from other dolphins. The desire for interaction among dolphins also causes them to interact with humans. Both humans and dolphins have similar cognitive abilities and social needs. In fact, some of the chromosomes in dolphins are also in humans.

    Dolphin Noises

    • Dolphins will interact with divers by creating noises, sometimes in response to motions made by the divers. This sound comes from their nasal passages. The dolphins can create sound waves so strong they can harm other organisms, though they don't usually use the sound waves unless they're threatened.

    Touching Dolphins

    • Divers can touch and stroke the dolphins when they are at rest in front of them. When stroking, the divers should avoid the eyes, fins and blow hole. Other interactions can include a dolphin kiss and human spinning, where the dolphin spins a diver by pushing the diver's outstretched arms.