Dolphin Swims

Dolphin Swims are on offer in Anguilla, but I am against this activity and I have no interest in posting information about it here. If you are thinking of trying this out, do some research on it first, perhaps read this ABC News story or The Dolphin Project - here is some info from their FAQ page:

How is a dolphin captured?

The capture of dolphins is a violent procedure. Pods of bottlenose dolphins are chased to exhaustion; surrounded with a net and dragged onto the capture boat where the capture team searches through the terrified group for the specimen they want. The lucky ones are thrown overboard. Those selected are taken ashore. They will never see their ocean world and their pod again.

According to dolphin captors, the most desirable dolphins are between two to four years old and still associate with their mothers. Many bottlenose dolphins have been brutally separated from their calves, regardless of the fact that a bottlenose dolphin normally protects and remains with her calf for at least five years. The violent and permanent separation is a traumatic experience for both mother and calf, and while the exact number of animals killed during the capture procedure remains unknown, we have documentation to show that dolphins have died from shock during capture. (Documentation available upon request.)

How do dolphins communicate?

Dolphins communicate by hearing and emitting sound, and by reading body language.

Dolphins are sound oriented. They communicate with sound by producing a large spectrum of sounds in the form of clicks and whistles. Furthermore, they constantly send out bursts of sounds of many different frequencies to navigate, forage, and explore their diverse ocean environment. With reflected sound, called echolocation or sonar, dolphins can 'see' elements that are invisible for animals -- including humans -- that are sight oriented, depending on reflected light for vision. This is how dolphins searching for food can easily detect a fish that's hiding under the sand.

The use of sonar is as important to dolphins as eyesight to humans. Chris Catton in his book Dolphins writes:

'The ability of dolphins to make a wide range of sounds and to hear clearly underwater is important because they rely on these faculties in almost every aspect of their daily lives.'

Captive dolphins are severely restricted in using their sonar. They can't use it to catch live fish, as they are fed dead fish as food rewards. They can’t put it to full use to explore their underwater world, because there isn't much to explore in a barren, concrete tank or a cage in the sea. They certainly can’t use it to navigate, because they aren’t going anywhere.

Depriving dolphins of the ability to use their most important sense -- their sense of sonar -- is stressful for dolphins. The sensory deprivation imposed on captive dolphins is one of the most damaging aspects of dolphin captivity.