Swimming with the Dolphins

We are heading to Puerta Vallarta in January and staying at Playa Conchas Chinas. We did Canopy South last time in April - it was fantastic. The crew was super and extremely nice. I would like to do one of the Dolphin tours but which one?

I am also looking at some other tours as well but preferably all the hiking or outdoor things in the morning - it gets kind of hot :)

Any recommendations - especially the Dolphins?

Thanks!

Hi Corey. This subject has been discussed at length over the years so probably your best bet would be to use the Search option up above and type in \"dolphin\". You will get all of the previous postings about the pros and cons of each tour. Good luck.

I did do a search but some of the posts were a bit old and I did not know if things changed too much

For example Dolphins 1 is 45 minutes long and is $79 while the Dolphins 2 is 30 minutes longer $17 cheaper - but seem to provide basically the same thing?

Have you given any consideration to the wild options, the eco-friendly ones?

I just looked at the ones on the site. And that was what I was trying to do - figure out the differences, etc

There is one on there called Dolphin Wild Tour and Dolphins & Ocean Wonders - I am guessing these are the ones you are referring to?

I am open to anything. I am just trying to determine the differences in them - I understand some of the differences (like swimming with them, wild) but other differences are not that visible

There is one on there called Dolphin Wild Tour and Dolphins & Ocean Wonders

These sound like they could be them, but the booking company would know for sure. :)

Dolphin Wild Tour and Dolphins & Ocean Wonders

The first one sounds like the one I did. It was excellent, I enjoyed it immensely. :D

They sound fun - I am just afraid of getting a bit seasick :)

We are able to see the dolphins from the patio of our condo but would like a little more. I am hoping the people from this site will confirm the dates and maybe I can add those as well today

Okay I found it. It sounds really good but does not mention if you can get into the water with them, touch them or observe them from a few feet away. Could someone please give me that info if they know? Thank you.

Joyce

Okay I found it. It sounds really good but does not mention if you can get into the water with them, touch them or observe them from a few feet away. Could someone please give me that info if they know? Thank you.

JoyceThat is what I have been trying to find out throughout this thread - the exact differences of the programs.

Well the wild and the tank parts - those are understandable. But it is the smaller differences, like Dolphins 1 is 45 minutes long and is $79 while the Dolphins 2 is 30 minutes longer $17 cheaper - but seem to provide basically the same thing?

And the Dolphin Wild Tour is $53.00 and 6 hours long, while the Dolphins & Ocean Wonders is $17 more expensive and shorter in duration.

I am just wondering what the differences are - i.e. is it different companies?

I cannot remember now which one I chose but I think the one that is 45 minutes long and more expensive, hoping that with it being more expensive it has more things to do. I decided to buy these around 10 Mountain time. My confirmation is in at least so once I do one of these at lleast I will know about one and maybe do another one as well while there

Well the number posted on here - I did call and they really were not able to answer that much unfortunately. Plus it also says for booking only unfortunately - so that is why I came here

Take the wild tour and know you did the right thing . :) Otherwise I hope you encounter these guys . :(


http://www.spawar.navy.mil/sandiego/technology/mammals/

Hi, My boyfriend and I did a dolphin tour a couple of years ago and it was GREAT! The cost was 129.00 per person (I think) and the dolphins were in a lrg pool....I think we booked through Vallarta Tours. We were first provided some education and then entered the pool in small groups of about 4 or 5 people. Each group interacted with 2 dolphins for about 45 minutes and at the end the dolphins pulled you through the water around the pool....this was awesome. The total time of the tour was about 2 hours. I will look at home and find the exact tour I went on and post the information tomorrow.
Ginger

Thanks gingermaei - that would be great. I have booked one already so if I need to book another, that would be OK.

gingermaei, you really helped in answering the question.

I understand that people here are tourist Jennybean and I doubt that most people living in PV would go on these types of tours. I was just hoping that maybe someone like gingermaei might have gone on one of them in particular to give a bit of definitive advice etc.

I already booked the one trip as I said earlier because it looked like probably most of the regulars that might have been on one of these particular trips were gone due to the holidays. I do know which one I booked and will be able to report on it though.

Capturing and putting dolphins on display for greed, money and profit is so very wrong on so many levels. Granted, dolphins are not people, but what is done to them is, in my opinion, no different than what the side shows used to do with humans like the elephant man, the wolf man, the two headed woman, etc. The more we study and learn about dolphins and other creatures in their natural homes, the more we know not to treat them like slaves. Please do not go to captive dolphin shows. Chuck.

Jimbo very well said..... :)

Jimbo very well said..... :) I 2nd that!

Amazing story Smitty. Just goes to prove, they are wild animals living in their own enviornment and not subject to any accountability to curious humans.

It is amazing when the whales in PV swim right up to our boat. We have no control over them approaching us, except to do what we can to make sure we do no harm to them.

Some of the mothers bring the calf right up to the boat as if they want to show off their baby. While the sight is awsome, it is also scary knowing that if she decided to that whale could do major harm to us with one flip of her tail. We follow all the rules for keeping our distance from them but when they come up to us, we have no choice but to shut the engine down and wait them out.

Last year we had a mom come up to the front of the boat and the baby behind the boat, since there is no way to move a boat sideways we were stuck until they decided to leave. I have to say our customers got tons of great pictures and were thrilled to death, while we sweated bullets knowing a story like the one you posted could play out the same way.

Dolphins and whales are great to see but you can never be 100% sure of what they are going to do.

Thanks Smitty. I totally understand about that art of the competition but I assumed that since they were listed on this site - that it was this site supporting it? (Or something like that) and was hoping to get a little feedback from them.

I hate to call because a lot of time - you are told what you want to hear and I am not saying that this was the case here. I just booked online and having been to Puerto Vallarta only once but now I have an excuse to go more I wanted to get the most out of each vacation.

Horrible about that young woman and we all take a chance no matter what tour we decide to go on - unfortunate things might happen from time to time.

And that is why I asked this question - what was / is the difference between these - where they look the same but some are longer and cheaper - which usually longer means more expensive.

Next time I will remember to not that opinions re: the captivity to be left out. I understand some people have their opinions over right and wrong - but I was not looking for that. I was looking for the differences in the similar tours.

Thanks Jenny - but I have already stated that I knew and understand that. But somehow - some way - this became more political than trying to answer my question.

I thought that this board was monitored by http://www.puertovallarta.net/ and I thought that I was getting my tours through http://www.puertovallarta.net/ and I was hoping maybe that http://www.puertovallarta.net/ would explain, but http://www.puertovallarta.net/ told me that capturing dolphins for profit is wrong. My thought was that is http://www.puertovallarta.net/ does not approve of these then http://www.puertovallarta.net/ should not post them. That is what I am saying here.

Sylvia, you are a rib tickler :D . Chuck... 8)

Yea, and besides...taking the Mods \"seriously\" is just, well, just wrong! :wink: Mogens is taken seriously, but not us. Chuck... 8)

GEEZE, my brain needs a rest!!!! :-|3

I know how to answer your question Corey. Book both tours and then you can post when you get back and tell \"US\" what the difference was. Then we will all know the answer to your question for the next person that asks.

I did the 99 dollar swim with the dolphin last jan. To answer your question the prices are based on the interactive time you have with the dolphin.The lower price is less time in the water with him then the next price and so on all the wait up to the royal swim which of course would mean your in the water the longest. One side note all groups are in the pool at the same time so you are given a section of the pool to use.I believe our group had 8 or 10 ppl in it. I also did a whale watch tour where we came across a whole school of wild dolphins (not sure if there called a school but whatever :) ). It was amazing to see them out there in the wild. Hope I have answered your questions.

Kat and Cat agree :)
and Corey again
Welcome to the Board :)


GEEZE, my brain needs a rest!!!!