Dolphin Surfing
Trip Start
Jul 28, 2005
1
8
12
Trip End
Aug 05, 2005
Holguin,
Cuba
Wednesday, August 3, 2005
We got up bright and early to catch our bus to the Marina in Holguin province - about 45 minutes away from our resort to do our dolphin swim. We drove to some docks and had to proceed by boat to the marina which was located somewhat in the middle an ocean inlet.
The marina itself was a beautiful new building. This is yet another example of how the government treats tourists so much better than locals.
When we arrived at the marina, we received a complimentary rum & Coke and hung out at the bar until it was our turn to do the dolphin swim
01. Dan and I in our "Jungle Adventure" shirts
. We had a few more drinks while we waited - this was the first time since we had arrived in Cuba that I had to pay for drinks (although we drank Crystal beer and it's reasonably cheap). All-inclusive resorts are great in the way that you can drink as much as you want and never have to pay a bar tab.While waiting, we wandered around the marina and saw some sea lions. We walked to where the dolphin pools were and saw lots of tourists in the fenced-off sections of the ocean swimming with dolphins. I became so excited at that point - swimming with dolphins was something that I had wanted to do my whole life, and now I was finally getting a chance.
Our tour manager told us that it was almost our turn, so Dan and I finished off our beers and changed into our swim shorts. When we were getting ready to get in the water, the dolphin trainers told us that they would take pictures for us with our own cameras for a small donation (tip). As the people in our group were climbing down the ladder into the water, Dan told me that he was nervous. I wasn't nervous at all - I was completely overwhelmed with excitement - I couldn't wait. When it was our turn to get in the water, I was climbing down the ladder a little too fast and bashed my toe on one of the steps really hard
02. The boat docks for the marina boat
. It bled a bit, but seconds later I forgot about it when I was finally in the water and two dolphins swam up to greet me. The trainers instructed them to come up on either side of us and give us little kisses on the cheek while making dolphin noises. They rolled around in front of us and let us rub their bellies and pet them. Their skin felt like hard plastic and seemed very thick. The only down side was when their tail fins would smack us in the legs. I got hit a couple times and it hurt. Those fins are big and very powerful. After the trainers let us splash around for a while, it was time to do the 'extra' event that we had paid ten pesos for. There was about seven of us in the pool with two dolphins, and I stepped up and volunteered to do the event first. The trainer told me to swim to the other end of the pool and float on my stomach with my legs stretched straight out. I did as she said and before I knew it the dolphins lifted me up with their noses from under my feet. I was suddenly surfing across the top of the water and being propelled by dolphin power (see the pictures section of this entry - I have a picture of some kid doing the same thing)! They carried me across the entire length of the pool and dropped me at the other end. It was so exhilarating!
After everyone had a chance to do their dolphin surfing, we got out of the water and I noticed that my legs were pretty scraped up from being hit with their fins
03. This is the boat that took us to the marina
. It was a little painful, but every bit worth the experience. Life goal to swim with dolphins: NOW COMPLETE!There was a dolphin show included in the tour as well, so we had a few more beers and some fries until it was time for the show to begin. Before the show started, the announcer said that this would be the best dolphin show we would see anywhere in the world. Now, I have seen dolphin shows in Toronto, Niagra Falls, Orlando and Vancouver, so I was a bit skeptical when he said that - but sure enough, it was the best dolphin show that I had ever seen. They had the dolphins perfectly choreographed to music and they did maneuvers that I had never seen dolphins do before. I'd probably be able to give a better description of the show if I hadn't been drinking all morning.
After the tour, we went back to the resort and drank in the outdoor hot tub for the rest of the day and evening. We had to take it easy, though - the next morning we had a very early wake-up call to leave on our Santiago trip.
