Dolphin Cove

My husband and I went here in 2009 for our anniversary. Since going I talk about it as my Favorite animal encounter ever! Nothing will compare. I tell everyone if you want to swim with dolphins this is where you should go. My husband and I had so much personal interaction with the Dolphins. It felt very special. I love that is in a natural
Lagoon so you feel like you are in nature and having this private experience. After my recommendation my mom and her sisters went and had a great time too!

Everyone was super nice and willing to go slow if you were scared. I’d never been swimming with dolphins and my boyfriend took me for the first time here. We did the highest package and had a blast.
It was extremely scary to be around such huge animals that you can’t see in the water until it’s right in front of you. But overall we had a great time and it was such a great experience! The trainers were really nice and helpful. We even got a dvd of all of our pictures (which we look terrified in lol)

You have to swim with the sea lions it’s amazing it’s one on one with the sea lion and the people are really nice I would totally do it again

if you have never been up close and personal with the dolphins then this is the place to do it. prices are high which others have said but its well worth it. best to schedule to do it by yourself which is so much better. trainers are sweet to kids swimming there and they love the dolphin and take great care to give them some freedom. good place to buy a tee shirt if you are into that. go have lunch at nearby Largo Fisheries on the docks just 3 min away.

What an amazing experience. The staff is very friendly, especially jessica, who has a very good knowledge about dolphins. and to be sure that I understood she has translated me into french important gestures. The place is very family. Next time I have friends visiting me I go back to this place for sure.

The trainers were very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the Dolphins, the Dolphins were very well trained but it is extraordinary expensive but its worth it.

This was my first experience being up close to something so incredible. I am floored by how fun it was and how amazing the dolphins are up close.
Everything from the pre-​experience informative talk to the suit fitting to the actual swim were all amazing.
I only did the shallow water experience and regret not doing the full experience in swimming and playing with them but next time…
I do wish that the wetsuits were more flattering to the body hahaha

This was something I have always wanted to do, and I was very excited. They told me it was about an hour and a half, so I figured the steep price was worth it. The problem is, you only actually get to swim with the dolphins for about 20 minutes. The rest of the time is spent listening to stories about the individual dolphins and waiting for other people to take their turns. If it was half the price, I would probably give it more stars. But the price does not equal the experience. I was pretty disappointed, especially considering how much I had been looking forward to it. They basically use the customers to train the dolphins, and get paid massive amounts of money for it. Then I was really insulted when they told me the price of the photos. It probably costs them almost nothing to take/​produce the photos so asking $ 75 for the photo package, or $ 11 for one picture, is insane.

I can’t say that I am too impressed with the experience we had at Dolphin Cove. I am mainly disappointed with the price to entertainment value ratio. The experience was quite expensive for our family of four and we were in the water with the dolphins for only about 20 minutes tops. I think the real kick in the crotch came when I saw the prices for the photos. The cost was about $ 15 for the first photo, and $ 10 for additional photos. I’m also skeptical as to what kind of ‘research’ this place is claiming it’s doing. Researching ways to extract the most money out of your wallet, maybe?

I’ve done a previous dolphin encounter before in Mexico. It was the standard tourist dolphin swim– kiss the dolphin, touch the dolphin, have the dolphin pull by his/​her fin, etc. It was great and i’m sure that Dolphin Cove Research does an amazing encounter as well. When I visited the Cove last year, I chose the Natural Swim. It is a completely different encounter then the «standard tourist» one. It was amazing! The staff was very friendly and the grounds are beautiful. We did the encounter in winter, so I lucked out and it was only myself doing the swim and my family watching. The Natural Swim is exactly what it sounds like– swimming with the dolphins with no prompts or tricks from the trainers. If you are looking for gauranteed contact or interaction, this may not be what you are looking for. This swim depends a lot on the dolphins ‘mood, interest in you, your ability to swim (a HUGE factor) and the size of your class. You aren’t allowed to reach out and touch the dolphins, but it is incredible to swim with them in a natural setting. I had a great time! One of the dolphins must have really wanted to me to stay in the water with them (I don’t remember the dolphins name but he is their «wild child») because when I was exiting the water, he really took an interest in me and began nudging my arm and sides. It was fun and terrifying at the same time.
The place is small but it does give it the more intimate feel. They do let you take your own pictures and family can watch the encounter for a small fee. I’ve been to the other dolphin encounter place nearby and would reccommend this place over the other one any day.

Amazing! The trainers and the staff are extremely knowledgable and very friendly. I loved that we went on a boat ride to learn about dolphins and what we would be doing in the water rather than the videos I encounterd at other dolphin swims. Not only is it a gorgeous ride in the bay (look for dolphins and manatee out there as well), you get to ask questions prior to going into the water with the dolpins. You also realize how much the people that work there love the dolphins and how much they are not just «animals» or «employees» of Dolphin Cove, but the dolphins are their friends and family and a beloved creature.
The place is smaller than the other places i have gone to in the past but I liked the more initmate setting. The other places I have swam at throw you in a large group of people in a pool and you feel as if you are just «a body». At Dolphin Cove, we were in a small group of people and one trainer in a natural lagoon. We were able to interact with the dolphins and see them in their natural habitat. There are even other fish in the water with you. It really is a natural location for the dolphins to be.
I am not really a zoo person. I adore animals but I sometimes get depressed seeing animals caged. At Dolphin’s Cove, I didn’t have any guilt or depression or moments when I wanted to let the animals free. They all have a story of why they are here — not just trapped and brought in. At least that is what I was told! I can’t say 100%
Also, Dolphin Cove allowed us to take our own pictures of the experience as well. You can bring somebody in (for a small fee) and they can watch. It isn’t like other places where you are prohibited to take pictures. They did have photographers on staff that have much better cameras than I have and know what they are doing, but I like that I can do it on my own if I choose. You feel like Dolphin Cove really is a «Research & Education» Center and not just a place profiting on Dolphins.
A nice bonus, you aren’t bombarded with a bunch of photos at the end and people asking if you want them on a mug, T-​Shirt, etc. Dolphin Cove just wanted me to have an amazing experience and I did. One that I will cherish forever.
I could go on an on (and I kinda did) about this wonderful place but the best thing to do is to experience it for yourself.