Ride, Play and Swim with Dolphins in Paradise

Feel the magic of swimming with dolphins in the tropical island waters of the Caribbean. In daily hands-on interactions with the trainers you will not only swim with dolphins but experience the thrill of riding with dolphins in dorsal tows and toe pushes! Experience heart-warming encounters - a one of a kind adventure because of the exclusive Dolphin Trainer for a Week Program, only available on this trip. Along with daily sessions with the dolphins and their trainers, you'll enjoy the natural high of at least 3 dolphin interactions where you'll have the opportunity to ride with playful yet gentle dolphins, holding onto their dorsal fins. You'll also get a chance to be propelled through the water with the dolphins pushing your feet. This Program offers the quality of close-up encounters, intimate free-swims, and hands-on trainer sessions with some of the most delightful and fascinating creatures of the sea - bottlenose dolphins - all in one of the most beautiful, ecologically protected, and undiscovered tropical resorts in the world. If you've ever dreamed of swimming with dolphins, come and enjoy the vacation of a lifetime!

Dolphin Trainer Program for a Week at the Bay Islands' Marine Biology Center We have created a "dream come true" program for you! This opportunity is unique in the world and offered exclusively to guests of the resort participating in this trip. It unites the delight of playing with bottlenose dolphins in a private lagoon with learning hand signals from senior trainers. You also get a chance to enjoy horsebackriding, kayaking, snorkling & exotic wildlife in a hidden, tropical island resort located at a white sand beach The program includes:

• Free-Swims with the Dolphins - Every day we will swim with a pod of approximately 16 dolphins in a two-acre enclosed area of the lagoon - a protected natural ecosystem - just a two-minute boat ride from the resort. This is a group session with the Senior Training Staff of the Marine Biology Center and a videographer. An orientation and hands-on dolphin encounter is followed by a play and swim session with snorkel equipment lasting approximately 30 minutes. While these dolphins are within an enclosure of water, there is a reserved private area, where they may go, should they choose not to be with humans.

 

• Ride with the Dolphins - Let the dolphins take you for a ride doing dorsal tows and foot pushes! The thrill and delight of these extraordinary sessions are an unforgettable experience. You will have 3 sessions with a dolphins and a trainer. In dorsal tows you hold on to the dorsal fin of a dolphin while being pulled through the water. In foot pushes the dolphins push on the soles of your feet and propel you through the water.

 

• Dolphin Behavior Training Sessions - Learn training behavior and hand signals for jumps, spins, "tail walks," "laughing," "kisses" and much more with the Senior Training Staff.

 

• Classroom Sessions: Learn Dolphin Cognition and Communication, Behavior and Conservation. Classes utilize slides, transparencies and video tapes profiling past and present dolphin research at various locations throughout the world. Participants will learn the physiology and behavior of dolphins, as well as conservation issues that affect their future. *

*Includes illustrated text book: "The Bottlenose Dolphin: A Comprehensive Profile."

 

• Interactive Hands-On Water Session - Become familiar with dolphin anatomy and physiology and observe sonar and ecolocation behaviors underwater.

 

• Daily afternoon Presentations - Three dolphins and a Senior Trainer give daily 1/2 hr. afternoon demonstrations of jumps, tail-walks, flips & other dolphin antics!

 

• Daily participation in dolphin feeding & care.

In addition to the magic of the dolphins, warm Caribbean water, white sandy islets, luscious tropical forests, and friendly islanders will make this trip a memorable experience. Relax on a private beach or in a hammock or partake in a wide variety of resort activities. Horseback ride along a wide sandy beach, kayak and swim right outside your front door, take a boat out on one of the daily snorkel expeditions to one of the many outlying coral reefs, and join in an evening of live music and dancing under the stars.

The Marine Biology Center The Marine Biology Center is surrounded by approximately 13 km. of protected reefs. No spear fishing, trapping or collecting of any kind is allowed within this area. Nothing is to be taken from the reefs. Only single line fishing is permitted. To discourage touching or grabbing corals divers and snorkelers may not wear gloves within the reserve. The Center has initiated a long-term reef-monitoring program within the Marine Reserve. Coral, fish and invertebrate populations, and conditions on the reef such as salinity, turbidity and temperatures are monitored over time as well as reef health. Student groups are invited to participate in the reef-monitoring program. The Center is dedicated to preserving the natural resources of the island, and any research to be conducted must be approved by the institute prior to arrival. All groups must adhere to the rules and regulations of the Marine Park and the Center.

dates:

August 20 - 27, 2005

included:

- 7 days & nights accomodation, including 16% sales tax

- shuttle van between airport & resort

- Meal plan - 3 meals a day

- Dolphin Trainer Program for a Week

- Evening get-togethers for dolphin meditation and sharing

- Other resort activities:

    - welcome island cocktail and orientation

    - Daily reef snorkel trip & boat excursion

    - Tropical picnic on Tabyana beach on the West End of the island

    - Fiesta night on island key with local music and dancing

    - horseback riding along the beach and hiking

    - Kayaking and canoeing in the lagoon

    - Entrance to local museum

not included:

- flights to and from Roatan/Honduras

- Rental of Scuba and Snorkel gear, including wetsuits (optional)

- Diving excursions (optional)

- Purchase of private Dolphin Swim Video (optional)

- Drinks and appetizers at the open bar

- additional meals & private expenses & tips

price

   1,700.00 EUR / 2,300.00 US$

organizer

    The Fire Within