Hi All,
I received this great email and photos from one of our dolphin swim fan, Ambra. She lives in the Dominican Republic and wrote this about her experience at Ocean World.
Here is her story…..
When I booked a vacation to Puerto Plata, one of the reasons was to participate in the swimming with the dolphins program. It is a 30 minute program at Ocean World and costs about $ 165,00 US, which included general admission into the park. The most memorable highlight of my Puerto Plata vacation was the dolphin swim and trainer of the day at Ocean World!
During the 30-minute dolphin swim, I’ve danced, hug, pet and swam with 2 dolphins. Finishing with a spectacular dorsal fin tow and a foot push! And the program was very safe: all participants in the dolphin swim must wear life jackets (provided) to float freely on the surface, allowing the dolphins to come much closer. 10 participants and two dolphins took part in our session, making it a truly personal encounter!
Dolphins playing with each other
Before that day I’d never had the chance to experience these intriguing mammals up close and personal. My whole family was so happy and it was not only fun, it was also very educational because before the interaction you participate to an educational introduction presented by expert dolphin trainers. They taught us fascinating facts about the dolphins and gave us important safety instructions for our dolphin interaction – a must for a truly pleasurable experience.
Ambra getting a Dolphin Kiss
At the park I learned about the Trainer for a Day program and came back for this on another day. For $ 250.00 for a full 8 hour day, I worked directly with the most incredible dolphin trainer, Robinson. I participated in the Dolphin Encounter along with spending time in the water with 4 different dolphins. I learned to check the dolphin’s exterior, learned commands that I used, was in the water with the dolphins, prepared food for them and got to brush the teeth of Boomer, the largest male dolphin. I cannot put into words what the day was like. Robinson, the trainer walked me through all of the other animal exhibits and allowed me to asked questions of EACH of the trainers for the sea lions, sharks, birds, and Bengal tigers. Each of the trainers took a great deal of time with me and they answered every question I asked. I cannot really express what the full day experience was, but it was a 15 on a scale of 1 to 10. In addition to the experience itself, the cost included an Ocean Trainer shirt and hat, lunch at the buffet which was delicious and the food was actually much better than the resort where I was staying), and two pictures that were taken by their photographer. If you have a full day to spend at the park and you would like a much more hands on role with the dolphins, the Trainer for a Day program is a MUST. It is an experience I will never forget.
This was very enjoyable and a true, once in a lifetime experience. The interaction with all the different animals was amazing. The best part of the day was the Sea Lion excursion it was the best bang for your buck. The swimming with the sharks was surprisingly enjoyable and would do them all again over. The excursion with all the animals is worth the money.
Animal Handler – showing Ambra how to handle the sea lions
Wow, that was a great story Ambra, thank you. I hope others write about their experience with the dolphins. It is always enjoyable for me to read these experiences. Has anyone out there done a Trainer of the Day experience? Either in the Dominican Republic or at another facility.
God Bless,
John
