Hi All,

I read this story about illegal feeding of dolphins in Panama city.  Panama City seems to be a hot bed of this problem because there are so many wild dolphin there.  I am really against feeding wild animals because the animals become really dependant on humans for food and loose their natural hunting ability.

Read this story on the problem < Click on the Illegal Feeding Dolphin Story>

What is your opinion of feeding of wild animals? What about feeding of Wild Dolphins?
God Bless,
John

Hi All,

I was sitting on the shore of Key Biscayne on a busy Saturday afternoon .  The waters were busy with people swimming, fishing, boating and kayaking.  So the last thing I would expect to see is a dolphin swimming around the shore line.  Well yes in deed, there was this dolphin fishing for mullets, a common fish, that were swimming around the bay.  It was really wild because where the dolphin was gobbling up his meal, a pelican was above the dolphin and diving down in the dolphins fishing territory.

I know this may sound as a fish story, but the dolphin jumped out of the bay’s waters to chase the pelican away.  The Pelican flew off for a little bit but came back. I grabbed my camera to catch this little interaction but not with much success.

Here a few photos from that day.

As you can see from the photos, the fisherman and the kayaker where in the same area.

Does anyone out there have a story about a wild dolphin sighting and what they experienced?
God Bless,
John

Hi All,

Here is another part of my educational series….

Dolphin Habitat and Distribution
A. Distribution
1. Bottlenose dolphins inhabit temperate and tropical waters throughout the world.
2. In the Pacific Ocean, bottlenose dolphins are found from northern Japan and California to Australia and Chile. They are also found offshore in the eastern tropical Pacific as far west as teh Hawaiian islands. Off the California coast bottlenose dolphins have been observed as far north as Monterey, particularly during years of unusual warmth.
3. In the Atlantic Ocean, bottlenose dolphins are found from Nova Scotia and Norway to Patagonia and the tip of South Africa. They are the most abundant dolphin species along the United States from Cape Cod through the Gulf of Mexico.
4. Bottlenose dolphins are also found in the Mediterranean Sea, and in the Indian Ocean from Australia to South Africa.

B. Habitat.
1. Bottlenose dolphins inhabit the pelagic zone as well as harbors, bays, lagoons, gulfs, and estuaries.2. In the northwest Atlantic, there seem to be at least two ecotypes (forms) of the bottlenose dolphin. They can be differentiated by skull and body measurements as well as by characteristics of their blood

a) In general, the coastal ecotype seems to be adapted for warm, shallow waters. Its smaller body and larger flippers suggest increased maneuferability and heat dissipation. These dolphins frequent harbors, bays, lagoons, and estuaries.

b) In general, the offshore ecotype seems to be adapted for cooler, deeper waters. Certain characteristics of their blood indicate that this form may be better suited for deep diving. Its larger body helps to conserve heat and defend itself against predators

C. Migration.
1. Variations in water temperature, migration of food fish, and feeding habits may account for the seasonal movements of some dolphins to and from certain areas.
2. Some coastal dolphins in higher latitudes show a clear tendency toward seasonal migrations, traveling further south in the winter. Those in warmer waters show less extensive, localized seasonal movements .
3. Some coastal animals stay within a limited home range (an area in which individuals or groups regularly move about during day-to-day activities). Home ranges may overlap. Most dolphins undergo seasonal movements, probably as a response to variations in water temperature and food availability.

D. Population.
1. The worldwide population of bottlenose dolphins is unknown. Specific bottlenose dolphin populations in a few areas have been estimated.
a) In the United States Gulf of Mexico, their numbers are estimated to be at least 67,000 .
b) The populations found in the western North Pacific and along Japanese coasts are estimated at about 35,000.
c) In U.S. waters of the western North Atlantic, the bottlenose population is estimated at about 11,700. Of course, at least 9,200 are offshore animals.
d) The Mediterranean population is estimated at less than 10,000.
2. Bottlenose dolphins are not endangered.
3. Chromosome banding techniques have proven useful in bottlenose dolphin population studies. Scientists can identify individuals and determine relationships among dolphins in a group.

Can any of you out there that can add to this post?
God Bless,
John

Hi All,

I plan to add this series of information I have had for while and bring it back out and post in the Dolphin World blog for you to know. I hate for this information to disappear into cyberspace and I know the blog will hold the information better.

Dolphin Scientific Classification

A. Order–Cetacea.

The scientific order Cetacea includes all whales. This order is further divided into three suborders.

1. Odontoceti (toothed whales).
The toothed whales include dolphins, porpoises, beluga whales, beaked whales, and sperm whales.

2. Mysticeti (baleen whales).
The baleen whales include blue whales, gray whales, and right whales.

3. Archaeoceti.
The archaeocetes are an extinct group of whales, of which only fossils remain (Barnes, 1990).

B. Family–Delphinidae.
Dolphins and their immediate kin are included in the scientific family Delphinidae. This family is represented by about 30 species, including common dolphins, pilot whales, killer whales, and false killer whales.

C. Genus, species–Tursiops truncatus.
Although biochemical evidence supports the existence of several geographical races, most scientists currently recognize only one species of bottlenose dolphin (Klinowska, 1991).

I hope we did not miss anything. Does anyone out there have something add to this list or any comments?
God Bless,
John

Hi All,

Here is our first HD Dolphin Swim Video we produced this video about a month ago and still trying to make the videos better for Youtube. This coulple was picked up on our tour from Miami Beach from a hotel. They had a great time together.

Here is the video….

What do you think of the video? Interesting or Boring?
God Bless,
John

Hi All,

The Underwater Trek In Xel-Ha Nature Park in the Mayan Riviera has lower the price by $10 US Dollars, from $179 to $169, which is good news for everyone.

I have been around dolphins for many years and I don’t know of any other places besides Mexico that offers this  Dolphin Trek. The Dolphin Trek is where the facility puts a dive bell type helmet on and you go under the water for about 30 minutes and really experience the dolphin’s life under the water. It’s a whole new prospective because most dolphin encounters are on the surface of the water and we all know that dolphins spend about 90% of their time underneath the surface.

When I did this program a few years ago, you really get to see first hand how the dolphin move, float, and watch your every movement under the water.  I have only been under the water with the dolphins a few times, here in Mayan Riviera Dolphin Trek, Scuba Diving with them in the Dominican Republic, and Free Swimming with them in the Bahamas.  Dolphin Treking in Mexico is a fun and safe way to do this especially if you are not a certified diver and  a little worried about Sharks and other animals out in the ocean. This is very safe and in a beautiful nature preserve park like HelHa with crystal clear water.

Right now, you can get a great deal to travel to the Yucatan Peninsular, better know as Cancun, Cozumel, or Playa Del Carmen and experience this amazing experience yourself. < Click Here to find out more  Dolphin Sea Trek>

Has anyone out there done something like this with the dolphins, Sea Trek, Scuba Diving, or Free Swimming with the dolphins. What was your experience like?
God Bless,
John

Hi All, Here is a comment one of our customer sent in and I thought I would blog their email.  Here is what they wrote.

Our next stop was Jungle Island. We had lunch before starting our VIP Tour, John showed us around the facility and waited for us to finish lunch so he could take us to the tour office. We started out by watching a bird show at the theatre, it was awesome. It was eye opening to see vultures and crows actually trained, and a parrot on a unicycle, WOW!! We found it amazing to see that everyone seemed to honestly really care about each and every animal. They knew them all by names – although to the average person, each species looks exactly alike.

We would like to do this and bring our 3 children with us next time to do the tour. They love animals and we know they will have a total BLAST!!!  We would definitely recommend this to EVERYONE!!

Thank you!! And also please thank our guide John on our behalf.

Lourdes and Brian

Our Fun Day in Miami

Thank you Loudes and Brian for your nice comments and we look forward having you again on a tour.

God Bless,

John

Hi All,

When we get email, I always notice many people write the word Dolphin and spell it “dolfin”.  I always wonder why they spell it that way.  So when some writes to us and say I want to swim with the dolfin and puts a big smile on my face.

One of our writers wrote this whimsical artical about the word “dolfin” and why it was written that way.  If you would like to read this story,  Click Here >> <Why People Write Dolfin vs Dolphin>

Do You Think We Should Spell it Dolfin?

Now, if you read the story why we feel people write Dolfin instead of Dolphin, maybe you can add to the discussion and post your opinion why many people do this. We hope to hear your opinion.
God bless,
John